Los Angeles herald., 1891-04-05
SUNDAY, APRIL s, 1891.
THE WORLD IS OURS.

If Los Angeles, backed by her delight
full environs, might seem boastful were
:she to claim that the world is hers,
there would be no grain of exaggeration
in her setting up the claim that the
North American continent is all hers,
80 far as many lines of enterprise and
many products of the soil go. Her
trains of luscious oranges, the equals of
which neither Florida nor South Italy
can produce, have forced their way this
year into every town on the continent.
The whole central region of the United
States has been feasting all the weeks
since the year set in on our green peas,
tomatoes and strawberries fresh from
the plants in our open fields; and the
whole country central and on the
edges between the two oceans
feasted all the past winter on
our peaches, plums, apricots, prunes
and other died deciduous fruits,
after feasting all summer on them in a
natural state. One would think the
category would stop here in the enum-
Grafton of these eclectic products in
which nature has given South California
n monopoly which not even congress
sional committee can break up. But
even such vulgar products of the soil as
cabbages and potatoes are going out OF
this section at the rate of hundreds OF
carloads week, to supply the markets
of half the continent. Not less than
1000 carloads of cabbages will 60 out
this season, and potatoes will run to
twice the number.
The prices we are getting for all this
are very satisfactory, and the amount
of money coming in here to
be distributed among all the peo-
pie beats the exploits of a
little mint. Oranges are selling just
now for 81 to $3.50 per box on the tracks
here. That is for budded fruit; but
prime seedlings are worth such good
prices, that with the larger crop per acre,
one hesitates in deciding which kind is
the more profitable. At such rates
million and quarter boxes, as the
crop is estimated to run to-, is worth
perhaps $4,000, 900 to the section. When
one realizes that an acre of good orange
trees may be relied upon to produce
$50 to 700 boxes of oranges, at such
prices the results must sound fabulous
to ears not attuned to the story. But
even cabbage and potato crops will
turn in a revenue of $100 per acre into
the pockets of the growers. Tomatoes
and peas will more than double this.
From year to year this business must
grow here until the traffic across the
continent will tax the capacity of the
railroads now here, supplemented by
couple more lines. Four thousand cars
of oranges, as many of green and dried
deciduous fruit, half as many of pota-
toes, and half as many as that of cab
bages, runs up to II, 900 cars-a very
good beginning OF count whose end is
not near reached. Double that figure,
and one gets big sum. Again double
ii, and the business begins to loom up.
Think of the product of ten, with II 900
as the multiplicand, and there is some
business for railroads in this, and some
capital to handle it, with profits in it for
all who touch it.
And now here come half a dozen
of the heaviest capitalists OF this city,
the coolest-headed business men among
us, with large experience in all sorts OF
enterprises, who propose to put up
fruit preserving factory on a scale only
thought of in this land of big ideas and
big projects. They propose not only to
put up fruit by the thousand tons, but
in the most attractive and delicious
forms known to commerce. They have
secured the best processes known in
Europe, after years Of intelligent exper-
iment, and they will use them here in
crystallizing our most excellent and lus-
cious fruits.
The Chino sugar factory, now be-
ing built, has no doubt been the
inspiration for this big preserving
establishment, which in turn is
sure to beget big plant for the
manufacture of glass and fine pot
terry jars to carry the prepared fruit.
So one enterprise begets another, and as
Los Angeles and her environs, broad
and rich as they are, possess all sorts
of the best raw material in the world,
her industries must grow, and they will
continue to furnish the country with
more and more of the necessaries and
luxuries of life.