The morning call., 1892-11-13
THE Home OF THE ORANGE
A Horticultural Colony That
Is a Success.
WHATIRRIGATION HAS DONE
Wonderful Changes Wrought During Few
Years-A New Industry Has Been
Created.
Correspondence OF THE MoRN ING CALI.

Riverside is the type of the successful
horticultural colony. Ii is n fertile and
beautiful district; the town itself is at
tractive and prosperous, but the one abiding
charm of all the closely knit communities
that make up the settlement is the charm
of pure horticulture. Excellent streets.
broad tree-shaded avenues, brick blocks,
lovely winding roads, costly residences.
modest vine-clad cottages - these things
belong, in part. at least, to many other
California towns. But where else in the
United States can one who wishes to study
the citrus fruits find such old and we'll
cared-for orchards. so many miles of
orange groves, and such remarkable scien-
tife skill displayed in this high department
of horticulture? Frankly, there is only one
Riverside. There are many young colonies
that promise great things. but the marvellous
valley beneath the barren crest of Mount
RubidouX Is still the teacher OF orange
growers.
Remember with a thrill of pleasure the
early enthusiasm of the Riverside people
on the occasion of their first citrus fair,
which / attended as representative of the
San Francisco Bulletin. There happened
to be a press excursion, and a good many
State were there. Riverside had cloth
pavilion. | think, piled TO the caves with
the first fruits Of the young orchards. Men
who have since made fortunes IN oranges
and orange lands and are now grave bank
ers directors of corporations and owners of
brick blocks came in bearing baskets of
seedlings, Mediterranean sweets and others
OF the sorts planted before the days of the
famous navel The small. feeble colony,
inspired with faith and courage, was enter
lpfarr 4
contest than any person then dared to sug-
geSt. They were creating new industry
under enormous difficulties; they were
hewng out the road to successful citrus
culture in Southern and Central California.
Through season after season they were eX-
perimenting in new fields, upon a scale un-
pTecedented in the history of horticulture.
This is high praise, but ii is justified by
the facts.
To-day, visiting the valley. am astonished
atthe easy mastery Of the problems involved
l o grow the best orange known and To re-
ceiYe the highest market price is the aim of
the riverside oTcl aTdIst. Taking one year
With another he does succeed in keeping his
valley at the front. He accepts the frosts,
and spends thousands of dollars in protect
ing exposed groves. he speu more money
for fertilizers OF the most valuable classes
than any other 0rchardst in California. He
husbands the precious water, and makes q
fine art OF orchard cultivation. To sum it
u
community of high social type, educated,
refined intelligent. ut for anything but by
a rare chance, devoted heart and soul 10 a
purely modern ideal-thatof the citrus frGit
tOwD-c cOiOny.
The social side Of lie in Riverside Valley
IS very attractive BY the phrase Riverside
Valley mean the whole district, new and
Old. Arlington Heights. the plantation along
the avenues and the more recent additions
the $1,000 acres, IN brief that form the
entire citrus settlement, clear to the Santa
Ana. It IS a land of homes, schools and
churches. Along the streets, under miles
OF shade, the currents of healthy life con-
tiDually flow. The colony has gained The
victory Of toil-suficent leisure for tha
higher ends of existence Underneath all
the happy outdoor living, the walks, the
drives, the n0Ontides on shady porches, the
morning hours in gardens of roses and
chTysanthemums, there is already planted
the seed whose 0l0ssOming justiies any
tell. Large, indeed. is the promise of the
young men and women Of tEis great River
side group Ct colonies. The colleges and
universities Of America draw some of their
best material FROM such homes.
Although the frOsts OF last winter prob
ably cost the alley q million dolarsl in
ruined fruit, yet the town has the air OF
growth and strength. New buildings are
being built; eight brick blocks and more
than 80 residences and other structures
have been put up since January. The
truth about the frost question, as | under
stand It, is that in California, as ia Florida.
tTOsts that iDlure the fruit of the orange
occasionally occur. While small districts
may be safer than the Riverside Valley,
which doubt there is certainty no large
district in the world that offers superior
advantages In this regard. One must re-
member that the real test is, docs the
fruit ever suffer-? Young trees will thrive
IN many places when there is occasionally
danger OF INJURY 10 the fruit. California
horticulture Is even yet in its infancy. The
orangegTOTers OF the twentieth century
VIII make use OF appliances that now seem
impossible. Riverside has made an effort
toward safety by the artificial heating
OF the more exposed orchards. One
gentleman, whose orchard contains some
thing ike $4,000 worth of oranges, is put
ing IN pipes at cost of $4,000 or S12, 900,
and y Ill burn Jets of petroleum among the
trees. The great freeze OF 1891" when
Inc temperature fell TO 2l0. could have been
prevented, SO these experimentists say, by
burning cans OF coal or crude petroleum in
the orchards, or by some pipe system. The
details, OF course, are only CT interest to
truIt-gr0weTs, but the broad fact that the
industry justifes such expensive protective
investment is certainly impressive. Mr..
blanchard OF Santa Paula. Ventura
County, the famous grower of lemons and
Seeding oranges, is likewise experimenting
with methods OF warming up his orchards
at such dangerous moments.
The growth OF Riverside is we'll illustrated
by the commercial test. In 16S0-81 the
valley shipped fifteen carloads of oranges,
the next season forty-two, and in 18Ss-90
over 1900 carloads. The total of the new
acreage planted in the county of San Ber-
nardino 10 1891 was 15.024, of which more
than 5000 acres were devoted to the orange
and lemon, mostly In small tracts of from
five to forty acres. About 5000 acres in and
around Riverside were planted to the orange
last season. 1t would seem as il the Oft
quoted remark OF DR.. Gally. the author of
big Jack Small" that Southern California
had enough orange trees ITO carpet the
State with orange peel" were becoming e
literally true. But the American energy
that watered and cultivated these desert
mesas is capable of developing new and
wider uses and greater markets for the
products Of the golden colony of Riverside.
To such communities "all things are pos
5ible."
Lastly, it may. perhaps. occur TO some
student Of political economy that California
Is making certain important contributions
10 that department Of human knowledge.
Over against the sad story OF the Kaweah
socialists we can set the perfectng har-
monies OF Riverside. Both colonies alike
were founded by poor men, but how different
have been the results. There is room fol
some one TO write book upon the varlou:
types Of the California colony idea, as the
contribution of this land of horticulture tC
modern sociology. Riverside will have 6
pre-eminent place in such a volume.
CHARLES HOWARD SHINN.
Riverside, Nov. 10.