Los Angeles herald., 1890-12-30
SOMETHING ABOUT THE SAN GABRIEL
VALLEY-THE SANTA ANITA TO
BE SUBDIVIDED.

VALLEY-THE SANTA ANITA TO
BE SUBDIvIDED.
Now that the San Gabriel valley is
emerging from the state of gloom into
which it was plunged by the scale bug
and the vine pest, it is an interesting in
quiry as to what caused these scourges
to have such an unlimited sway for a
time. AS to the vine pest, there has
been as yet no reasonably clear theory
of either its nature or origin. This is
not so in the case of the orange.
The San Gabriel valley is naturally
one of the most productive regions in
Southern California. Orange culture
there gave the most satisfactory and re-
munerative results ever recorded in the
state up till the advent of Riverside.
The old Sunny Slope, San Marino. and
other orchards, were the pride OF
California, and people came from
far and near to see them. The writer
heard Hon. Thomas A. Hendricks tell Mr..
L. J. Rose that the Sun ny Slope orchard
was the finest he had seen in all his
travels, and Mr.. Hendricks had then
Just returned from an extended Euro
pean tour.
1t is curious circumstance that the
scale-bug got in its most disastrous work
during the progress of the boom. That
episode meant the neglect Of at least
some of the orchards, and it was prob
ably in these neglected groves that the
scale-bug was propagated most disas-
trousy, spreading in all directions, like
an epidemic amongst animals. This
was undoubtedly one principal cause of
the ravages of these parasites. A Sec
ond cause of deterioration has been dis
closed in the experience of the orange
growers OF Riverside. They found that
the orange tree needed plant food,
especially when it was required to bear
heavy crop. The orchardists of the
San Gabriel valley presumed too much
on the natural fertility of the soil. In
stead of applying nitrates and other fer
tilizers to soil exhausted OF its original
fecundity by years of production, th3
allowed their trees to languish
and become the easy prey of any
enemy. Still another cause OF the dam
age to the orange groves of the San
Gabriel valley was the practice of
ploughing close to the tree, thus tearing
up the suckers and fbers from which
the tree, which is a surface feeder, re-
ceives most OF its nourishment.
Dismissing the inquiry into the
causes of the suspended prosperity OF
the San Gabriel valley, it is pleasant to
know that that lovely region is on the
up grade again, and that intelligent
movements are under way that will
lead to a splendid revival there. Mr.. E.
j. Baldwin is about to place several
thousand acres of the Santa Anita ranch
on the market, and on very liberal terms
to the buyer. Lands in the Puente, the
San Francisquito, the San Felipe Lugo,
and other rich and attractive ranchos,
can be bought on very easy terms, and
at prices that are more than moderate.
The opening up of these attractive re-
gions cannot fail to be followed by
large and desirable settlement. The
CuiblNdblOil vi bliC VI dH % 10 Oil Cetcy diiO
charming pursuit. Ten acres of good
orange land make the foundation of a
competency. Mr.. E. J. Baldwin is
authority for the statement that man
could afford to pay $1,000 an acre for
orange land, plant it in budded fruit
and set fire to it at the end of ten years,
and he would make handsome in come
on his investment, though obliged to
replant at the end of that time. Mr..
Baldwin ought certainly to be an author
ity on this matter He is showing his
faith by his works, and his young and
beautiful plantations form grateful
contrast to his splendid old orange
groves.
1t is to be hoped that Mr.. Baldwin's
example will be initiated on all hands.
There is no more attractive place for
settlement in the world than the San
San Gabriel valley From end to end
it is rs beautiful as it is productive.
Lands can be bought there now for one
third what they would have readily
commanded during the "boom," and
the acreage property was worth every
cent that was asked for it then. The man
who buys now, will find that, at
the end of five years, if he sets out the
right kind of stock, he will have COM
potency, as well as poetical home.
But the orange is by no means the
only valuable staple that will flourish