Los Angeles herald., 1890-04-30
PROFITS IN ORANGE GROWING.

A San Bernardino paper has been pub
fishing for a week past reports from
orchardists showing the profits accruins
from the growing of oranges. 1t is quite
that no effort is being made to pick out
isolated instances of unusual results in
orange culture. The exhibits are rather
of average results, such as any careful
intelligent person may reach merely by
industry in his undertaking. Here is a
new batch in the same line, taken from
recent issue OF the paper referred to:
l. V. Culvert, of Riverside, reports on
two and three-quarters acres of Seeding
orange orchard planted thirteen years
ago. Orchard is irrigated and fertilized
with stable manure once year, at cost
of 500 an acre. Crop sold at packing house
at $1.60 per box of sixty-five pounds.
Cost of cultivation and irrigation $15 an
acre, making total of $35 an acre, in
cluding fertilizers. Net profit per acre,
$4OO. Orchard is not in full bearing
very little fruit off north side of tree
this past season. He says, I'm my soil,
it being adobe, find that stable manure
is the best fertilizer. 1t keeps the
ground loose and gives the fruit good
color, and the leaves very dark green.
We have the best show for next year we
have ever had.
f. F. Kingman, of Riverside, reports
on eight acres of Seeding orange orchard,
planted thirteen years ago. The orchard
is irrigated and is also fertilized with
three-quarters OF ton per acre OF COM
mercial fertilizer and a good coating Of
stable and sheep manure for last two
years. Crop was sold by the pound at
2b cents delivered. The cost of cultiva-
ton, including water, was $25 per acre.
The profit per acre was $500, after pay
ing for fertilizers, and all other ex
penses.
j. Vandergrift, of Riverside, reports on
seven acres of orange orchard planted
part twelve years ago and part fifteen
years ago. Orchard irrigated, and fer
tilted with Pacific or Haas fertilizers in
the month of October-two-thirds of
ton per acre. Crop sold in lump on trees
for So, 100. Cost of cultivation, $50 per
acre. Net returns, $3.50 per acre, after
deducting cost of cultivation and fertil
izers Orchard not in full bearing. Half
Of orchard is Seeding and the other
Mediterranean sweets.
Peter Suman, of Riverside, reports on
ten acres of orange orchard, which con-
tains 267 Seeding trees fifteen years in
orchard, 119 Mediterranean sweets nine
years, sixty Australian navels nine
years, nineteen lemons, part seeding and
part Eurekas, twelve years. Orchard
irrigated. Has used six tons of Haas
fertilizers in the last three years, together
with $75 worth of stable manure per year,
at cost of about $12 per acre per year.
Crop was sold by the box-sixty-fve
pounds to the box; seedlings brought
$1.60; Washington navels, So; Aus
traiian navels, $2.S5; Mediterranean
sweets and st. Michaels, $210; lemons,
green, $1.10, all delivered at packing
house. Culls and all were sold at
same figures. Crop brought $1,000
nine acres only in bearing-ninety trees
having been budded but one year ago.
Cost OF caring for orchard, $25 an acre.
Net returns, 1896 per acre; four and
half acres in full bearing, three acres in
half bearing, one and half in one
third bearing, and one acre not bearing
at all. Do not trim too severely-a little
only each year; remove all abrupt
limbs, fertilize yearly, irrigate thor
oughly close up to the trunks of trees,
and twice year-spring and fall-irri
gate twice as long in each furrow, to go
below all deposits OF sediments by
former irrigation, cultivate thoroughly
each time, but never plow. Do not run
the burrows for irrigation always in the
same place; run them close enough to
trunks of trees to thoroughly soak every
particle of soil run water in burrows
next to trees finest and largest; they
will take double the amount OF water of
any other furrow, or nearly so. This
refers to full bearing trees.
1t is worthy of note that these ex-
amples are all of small orchards. The
last is the largest and contains but ten
acres in all. AS said above, any indus
trious man of intelligence can accom-
plish the best results given.
These reports fully confirm the state
ments so often made and so well under
stood here, but so bllndly doubted by
those who know nothing of the matter,
that ten-acre orange grove is worth
more, because it yields larger returns,
than the average half-section farm in
any of the Western States. The crops
of fruit sell at So, 900 to $4,000, and what
corn or wheat farm of 320 acres will do
as we'll?