The morning call., 1892-08-01
mann on THE FRUIT QUESTION

new Illustrated magazine is TO be
.,rtad of Rjverside on October l with the
special object of disseminating information
on the subject of horticulture In Southern
California. An adequate capital has been
subscribed, and prominent citizens oil San
Bernardino and Los Angeles counties are
identified with the enterprise. 1t IS an I'M
dertaking which ought to succeed. In Or
der TO secure wide circulation the promo
tiers will probably see the necessity OF en-
bracing in their periodical the usual feat-
ures Of a popular monthly as well as arll-
Giles on their speciality; the more generally
the magazine is used the more likely IL VIII
be to accomplish its immediate purpose.
Correct Information on the horticultural
possibilities of Southern California is very
badly needed indeed. People have vague
idea that that region will grow oranges,
lemons, fgs, olives, almonds and walnutS as
well as grapes But the particular stocks
which thrive best, the particular soils which
are adapted to each, and the methods of eul-
ture which experience comments are only
known to specialists or planters who have
bought their knowledge dearly. The story
Of fruit-plantlDg south of Tehachapi is
monotonous. An Eastern man arrives in
Southern California with more money than
solves to grow sub-tropical fruit. He has
no information on the subject except what
he has picked up in cyclopedias and East
ern handb0oks on horticulture. He falls
into the hands of real estate agents who sell
him a ranch. He plants his trees from in
spiratiou, ard spends several years in cult
waiting and manuTing his land. When the
trees come into bearing he finds that his
fruit will not sell, or that in two years out
of three he has no fruit at all. He is dis
gusted, and writes TO Massachusetts that
fruit-gTowing in Southern California is
snare and a delGSion. 1t never occurs to
him that he is a copy OF the msa who un-
deTtook to evolve a boot out OF his inner
consciousness.
Fruit-growing is a trade like carpenter
ing. Men are not born with knowledge
Of IT, To succeed they must learn what
trees to plant, where to plant them, how 10
cultivate them, when TO prune them, how
10 guard them against pests. If they DO
not learn these things, and know them well,
they can no more make money at fruit
/ growing than mason could earn wages who
had never handled a plummet. And the
trouble is that ii is exceedingly difficult to
acquire the knowledge requisite for the
fruit-grower in Southern California. II is
not TO be found in books. Few practical hor-
tieuturists are willing to leave their ranches
to educate new covers. Now and then eX-
cellent and instructive papers are read at
/ agricultural and horticultural society meet
! ings. and the attentive listener can learn
something from them. But the lessons are
/ few aud far between. If the new Riverside
periodical publishes once q month an ex-
| hsustive article on some particular fruit or
! on some branch of horticulture it will
do much TO educate our Eastern immi-
grants aud to place cur fruit-growing in
dustry on a stable basis. The articles would
be collected in book form and published as
| textbooks.
Tow much sn"h hooks are needed glance
- aeel c Southern California
| shows sstagton navel oranges of
Rivelsi0a axe ai g. tbe huest fruit
| OF St. Miehaeis. Ak o,luaa3 as high &
| price at the East BEt @ rf0n 81 Gre
oranges grown in Los ANGELS. SAINTS Ana.
San BeTBardino and San Diego coaaties ara
barely worth transportation to .ica-a
They do we'll when ~ u az sc th as
and. Much af-.ae soil Of Southern Cai-
forDi- = rs we'll adapted to the growtb of
iz.hOBs as the plantations OF sicily. But
California lemons are not yet much Z de-
mand.
What we want is not SOIL nor climate.
nor even good stocks-it is knowledge how
TO help nature to do her best Any nubli-
estion wbich undertakes 70 5gpp,y TIA
knoWied IS IS 70 be welcomed.