Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-03-17
AN EASTERN AUTHORITY.
Gives Its Views ou
California Oranges.

"Bradstreeto Gives Its Views ON
California oranges.
A recent number of Bradstreet's con.
tains an article of over two columns in
length on the subject of California orange
culture. The following extracts from
the article may prove interesting as a
statement from the East of the orange
situation:
Nature has given orange-growers in
Southern California one decided ad-
vantage. Their fruit natures just in
time to come upon the Eastern markets
after the season for Florida oranges has
passed. This assures them of ready
sale. At the values of the past
few years, say 81 30@S3 per box, the
leading growers of Los Angeles and San
Bernardino counties are we'll satisfied
with the returns. Given sufficient
capital for starting large orchard,
suitable location and patience to wait for
results from four to ten years, and wealth
is assured, 80 far as human foresight goes.
No Californian is willing to admit
the possibility of overproduction of the
choice fruits of his State. The belief is
universal, and rightly go, that the de-
mand must steadily increase. But ex-
perience works against shipments to the
| East for sale on commission. The regu-
lar packers have facilities which indi-
vidual growers cannot possess, and, with
a broad market and only limited sup
ply of fruit, they are probably able to
pay, and generally do pay, all that the
crop il worth. Those growers, at all
events, who exercise judgment and ap-
ply themselves diligently and with suffi-
cient resources to the care of their
groves, never fail to realize much more
than Giving prices" right at their own
doors.
Having bought the contents of an
orange grove, the packer sets his men to
work upon the trees in january. Ii his
| business is at all important he buys the
shocks for his boxes cut to dimension
and puts them together for himself. The
supply comes from the mountains. In
this department of the industry, how.
ever, there is great room for improve
ment. Eastern handlers complain that
the wood is too brittle, and that the
boxes are not securely put together, 30
that there is great deal Of breakage, to
the loss and inconvenience of handlers.
In former years there was great deal
of complaint of exorbitant freight rates
from Los Angeles to the East. The rail-
roads were said to gauge their charges so
carefully by the market as to leave no
profit for the producers, whether in good
times or bad. Bad blood was therefore
very common. This seems to be now
mostly thing of the past. Diligent in.
quiry has been made upon this point by
a representative of Bradstreets among the
producers and packers of Southern Cali
tornia, without bringing to light any evil
dence of q general feeling that the present
tariffs are unreasonable.
Every town in Southern California that
makes any pretensions to orange growing
has it's Board of Trade. One OF the func-
tiors of these bodies is to advertise the
merits of their respective neighborAoods.
Real estate agents are not backward to
do likewise, though it should be under
stood that there is nothing of the "boom"
character in values at such places as Po-
mona and the other cities and towns up
the valley east of Los Angeles. X
Three things are requisite to success
in the culture of the orange, viz, ample
capital, suitable location and careful
management. The first element is not
the least important. A poor man may
raise potatoes in the foothills of the ST.
oIIh N0Ndooc hhd cupPOAe AihlcOAi %bSA
the first season. No poor man can get
the land or the trees required for an or
ange grove in we'll proved localities,
while if he has the land and the trees he
must be able to wait five years for an in
come. 1t is estimated that under favor
able circumstances An orange grove cost
ing, cay, So 900 for ten acres, water rights
included, and 81 900 more for 900 trees,
| will rather mora than nav axDans0s the
fourth year, and yield good living the
fifth. Thereafter competence seems to
be assured. But up to the fourth year
constant care is needed, without return.
Nonresident preprietorship will not an
swer the purpose. Nor will the business
pay even the wealthiest horticulturist
uni ess all the aid of experience, good
common sense and natural advantages
are employed.
MIN NUnDEH MAID