The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-01-04
BAD FOR ORANGES.
Part of the Seasons Crop De-
stroyed by Frost.
Citrus Centers in Many Counties OF Southern
California Visited by Disastrous
Cold Wave.

number Of Southern California orange
orchardists are in this city just ne"' anu
were asked for testimony yesIeIu"y re-
pardins the reputed damage TO inc run On
+Ia trees by the frost Almost every inter-
view developed the fact that there hau been
q severe ana disastrous frost in nearly all
tile citrus localities, except that IN Wnieh
the speaker resided.
The season thus far has been most us
astrous for most fruit centers, said A. j.
johnson Of Pomona First came lhe hisI
wind storm few weeks ago. which, al
though It's effects were grossly ana at'-
nareutIv wiIfully exaggerated, did consid-
cradle damage at many points ana p"IIlcu-
larIv NJ Pasadena, AzuSa and MonToFla.
the wind swept down through the noun
tain cauvons. striking with all its gathered
. force these towns, y hich are located nearthe
foothills. Many buildings were damaged
the trees broken ana Inc run Ah0OAeu
down OF bruised
s\o sooner were these injuries repaired,
as far as was possible, when frost one
night damaged the oranges. which were
l.eaTly ripe. The frost was only severe
mean fLe coast but the general quality OF
the oranges everywhere was not improved.
Less than week ago another ana more
spriaus iTc>t has absu utely rendered un-
ssleabIe the oranges except in few favored
Near LIS Angeles and around San
. Diego the crop viii be practically failure,
and nj Nor;h Pomona. San GABRIEL and
Ftwand8 the unanimous judgment IS that
Tie frost las been The worst ever had since
Southern California became known as a
citrus country.
ICE FORMED.
Henry a. James, whose ranch IS near San
Beruarlin0, stated that the day after
Christmas ice was formed on pools of water
of sufficient thickness TO allow the children
TO slide for several hours during the morn
ug.
'AIl Of the surrounding mountains are
covered with snow be said, and IN some
Of the higher canyons it has piled 10 a
depth Of forty feet On the SUBMITS the
snow is SIX and eight feet on the level IN
many places The effect OF this has been
10 make the weather IN the valleys exceed
lngly cola.
II here seems to have been no natural law
governing the track of the frost blight. In
East Riverside, winch Is nat upland, Two
thirds Of the crop Is Injured 10 a greater or
less extent. while on Arlington Heights,
few miles distant, where the altitude Is the
same and similar conditions prevail, COM
pete immunity from frost was enjoyed.
Bedlanis and Cotton Terrace are both above
the frost level, ana 50 escaped serious dam
age, bat in the Highlands district many
ranches have frOst-bitten trees
TIE PRICE ADVANCED.
81. 3. Osborne, a fruit commission man Of
Los Angeles, says he was at loss ut nrst
TO understand Why the ranches were so
ready 10 discuss their losses and y by the
local papers did not suppress accounts OF
tue ITn>c calamity.
about I'VE years age he continued,
reports were circulated, and with truth,
that Riverside oranges had been FROST
bitten. I he people OF that locality indig-
naut.y denied the statements, ana appointed
local committee 10 visit the ranches Of the
D. uegLbcThOod and REASONABLY inspect the
trees. With considerable parade this was
done. but the gentlemen Of the committee
were careful 10 20 only 10 those ranches
which had escaped frost. a letter was then
published by the committee stating that
they had found no evidence Of frost l
could IN i've minutes have guided them to
.. ranches where there was cumulative evil
GtnCe enough 10 silence Tral-estate agent
This season the OTchaTdists pursue
different policy. They generally admit the
lInst ana enumeTate lis damage HE rel
son is not hard % ind. Five years ago they
had land to sell; nov they have oranges
they VISA 10 put on the market Reports
OF frost would depTeciate the value of
orange lands for sale, but It las raised the
market price Of navel oranges 81 per box.
They aIe cOoney people, and know what
they are about"
FROST AND WIND.
The frost is the most severe seen in Cali
f0Tnla for twenty years" said Scpi0 Craig,
editor OF the RedandS CitrOgTaph. Hardly
any community escaped, and the damage TO
the oranges varied from to p per cent
according to the locality. In Redlands the
percentage was about ). in Riverside 20 in
Pomona 10. In the neighbOTho0d OF Los
Angeles the wind did more harm than the
frost which seemed lighter nearer the
coast | estimate that the aggregate orange
crop has lost 300 cars of fruit. This will
increase the market price, but will result in
an aggregate loss.
10 reason has been advanced to account
for the frost, which operated injuriously
without respect to altitude OF localities,
skipping a ranch or a section here and
there We must expect to have such bad
luck every five or six years. No, | am sure
tbat It's effect viii not be to lower the value
OF citrus lands throughout the State"