The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-04-28
LETTER FROM LOWER CALIFORNIA.
REDLANDs, CALA.,(
March Is, 1892. I

ISLANDS, VINO mas ndQ reSluenC0
there for sew raj years. He told me
more of your country than | have
ever known, and through him |
have become greatly interested in
them.
What surprised me most was his
statement that there were no
orange groves there, and orange
culture had scarcely been thought
of as a remunerative industry.
With your salubrious climate,
fertile soil and abundance of water,
and as near as I could learn, and
judging from my knowledge and
experience in orange culture, it is
just the home for the orange. l
have asked myself over and over
again, Why is it so? But echo an
swers "Why?" The thought now
comes to me that [ can solve the
mystery more effectually by writ
ing to your valuable paper than
otherwise.
With your permission and indul-
gence | would like to state a few
facts regarding the orange industry
in this State. It is difficult mat
ter to present in business-like form
the profit and loss account of
orange culture. 1t is a great in
dustry, the greatest in the State.
In one instance, pursued by care
less cultivator, or in a locality un-
adapted, or lacking in other ways
essential to success, it may be q
losing business again, with mod
erately favorable conditions, it may
pay a small profit, and, still again,
with every circumstance in its
favor, the profit may appear
wonderful. 1t would not be fair
to cite either of these cases
as illustrative of general re-
suits. 1t would not be fair even
to strike an average of the three
yet, somewhere between the ex-
tremes a general conclusion can be
reached.
Reasonable excellence is, afteral
a fair criterion. A gentleman writ
ing on the subject from Florida,
| says: "When compared to the
profit of other kinds of business
that derived from orange growing
is so large, that statement of the
facts is often withheld because the
truth seems fabulous to those who
have been engaged in other indus
tries"
Those engaged in the business
consider each tree as soon as it is
in vigorous bearing worth 500.
The annual yield from such a tree
will pay a large interest ON 500.
When taken into consideration
that from 100 to 125 trees are
grown on one acre of land the
yield is immense.
| will cite few instances of the
many that have come under my
own observation, these results have
been obtained from right condi-
tons and careful culture, and such
results can be obtained by observ-
ing established methods.
Mr.. L. G. Waite has a forty acre
orange grove situated in what is
know as a practically frostless belt
This orchard was planted five
years ago. His crop this year is
estimated at $500 boxes. He has
refused 81 box delivered in bulk
at the packing houses. He ex-
poets to get SIS box before the
season closes So a box has been
considered a high price for this
class of oranges, washington
navels), so it goes to show that
prices on good fruit are very en-
couraging. Right here it might be
stated that Mr.. Waite refused
100000 for this forty acre five
year-old navel orchard, which
yields him this year from $4,000
to $4,000, and which is only just
beginning to bear. This orchard is
considered model of its kind, and
it shows what can be done in q
good locality by a good man who
understands his business.
Mr.. F. P. Morrison, president Of
the First National Bank, reports
an income of 5000 an acre from an
orchard only eight years old.
Another gentleman with an or.
chard of seedlings planted twenty
eight years ago, reports $3.50 an
acre income. Thus the majority
of reports shows the net income
from $500 to 5000 an acre from
orchards that have been planted
from five to ten years. / could
multiply like facts almost indef-
nitely, but l trust these will suffice
to awaken an interest among your
people, and should you or any Of
your readers care to correspond
with me about orange culture, !
should be glad to answer any ques-
tons pertaining to climate, soil.
fertilizer, water and necessary con-
ditions to succeed with citrus fruit
I would further state that if a eli
mate can be had ranging from So
| l. L. Il -