Los Angeles herald., 1891-06-22
MONDAY. JUNE as, 1891.
WILL THERE ALWAYS BE PROFIT IN
ORANGES?

Just now as to the possibility OF over
doing orange culture in Southern Cali
fornia. The multiplication OF storage
reservoirs for the distribution OF water
on lands adapted to the raising OF citrus
fruits has started an inquiry into this
subject afresh. AS all old time residents
of Los Angeles know, there is nothing
new in the gloomy view of over-produc-
ton of oranges which is held in some
quarters. AS far back as 1873, the writer
can remember these pessimistic doubts.
At that time San Francisco was almost
our only market, and even its control was
disputed by oranges from Tahiti, and
by other foreign fruit. The Southern
California orchards were then confined
mainly to Old San Bernardino, the
San Gabriel valley, Anaheim and the
Pueblo of Los Angeles. Col. Cave j..
Couts raised few oranges at Guajome,
in San Diego county, and there were a
few trees here and there in other places.
Riverside and Pasadena had just been
mapped out, and most old timers looked
upon those projects as chimerical in the
extreme, Notwithstanding the fact that
Anaheim had shown them what won
ders could be effected by good water
system. When confronted by the sue
cess OF these colonies later they fell back
upon the old argument that oranges
would soon be unstable from over pro-
duction.
We are confronted by this same croak
today, and even persons who are ordi-
narily sanguine and energetic are found
discussing the problem. The statement
has been made that in San Bernardino
county alone over 100000 orange trees
were set out last year. Nursery stock is
maturing that will admit of the plant
ing of million more trees in four or
five years. A calm inquiry into the
probable effect OF this liberal planting
of the citrus fruits has nothing in COM
mon with the old sgrumbling spirit of
1873 and earlier years. If the orange
business is being overdone owners OF
lands should know it, and diversity their
orchards, paying suitable attention to
valuable deciduous fruits, such as the
apricot, peach, apple, ounce and others,
which can be canned and dried and sold
all over the world from their unusual
excellence. With these products there
will be no need for feverish hurry to
sell them, as they will keep for an in
definite period.
That the orange market at present
prices can be over-supplied is very prob
able, but it is flexible and can be easily
expanded. OF course the orchardist
will take what he can get for his fruit,
but the law OF supply and demand will
soon lower the figures, SO that this
healthiest and most delicious of all the
fruits can be brought within the reach
of the poor. Nothing that frugal
household could buy would be as eco
nomical as good orange at from two to
two and half cents apiece, or, say,
twenty-five cents a dozen. If it could be
had at these figures the consumption,
we venture to say, would soon be ten
times what il is now. That is to say,
the market would expand more rapidly
than the production. We are not deal
ing in extravagant figures. Eighteen
years ago Los Angeles and the southern
counties exported about five million or
anges year to San Francisco, and there
were few trifling consignments to other
points. Jumping the shipments of the
season 1890-91 at four thousand carloads,
at an average of 300 boxes to the car
and 100 oranges to the box, Southern
California shipped 1872, 100000 oranges
to the east. That is to say, in eighteen
years the production has increased over
thirty-fold. This is striking fact. Has
the price of oranges fallen under this
tremendous production? 1t certainly
has not. Today an Angelefo or an
eastern visitor to our city is obliged to
pay ridiculously large price for or
anges right here, where they are grown.
1t is thus seen that the demand for
oranges has undergone enormous ex-
pansion. 1t is only fair to say, how
ever, that the extension east to New
Orleans of the Sunset route OF the South
ern Pacific and west to Los Angeles OF
the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
created new markets. But this process
is going on every day, and will go on
indefinitely, under the stimulus of
more moderate prices and the
more generous habits OF living which
are spreading amongst the people OF the
United states. The high value of the
orange both from a food and hygienic
point of view is getting to be more fully
understood. Our present surplus of
nearly two hundred million oranges
would afford three oranges year per
capita for the people of the United
States. There are many people who
would eat from two to three day, if
they could get them at prices that they
did not look upon as exorbitant. In the
opinion, the market will be
all right, but the prices will come down
to reasonable figure.
1t is by no means necessary that a
man should make from $500 to $500 off |
a single acre of land in single year.