Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-05
A PICTURE WORTH CONTEMPLATING.

PICTURE WOhTh CONTEMfLAllNu.
We have interviewed number OF
leading farmers in order to get their
views about the agricultural outlook.
They all declared that the rains have
come Just at the time when they would
do the most good, and that the yield
OF the field and the orchard ought to be
phenomenally large this season. There
might, in some places, be shortage of
the acreage OF grain planted on account
of the difficulty of plowing dry soil early
in the season; but whatever shortage
there might be on that account would
more than be made up by the fullness
of the crop sure to DO harvested. Mr..
Freeman, who is amongst our very
largest grain farmers, says that the
Sausal Redondo and the Centinela
ranches will have nearly the usual num-
Der of acres planted, whilst there will
be considerable acreage OF volunteer
grain that can be depended upon for
half crop. But, he says, there is no
reason why the farmers who have been
tardy in blowing should not commence
to break ground now. There is plenty
of time to put in the seed within the
next few weeks with the assurance that
crop will follow.
On this hint we would urge the farm
ers to increase their acreage by plowing
and seeding all the land they can
handle. 1t will pay, for with the moist
ure already fallen, and the fine condi-
tion of the soil, the certainty that they
will reap'a good crop is as absolute as
any proposition of the kind can possi
bly, be. All those who have been kept
back IN breaking ground should increase
their acreage at once, and participate to
the utmost in the bright promise of the
season.
This is model spring to plant out
trees, and information reaches us from
all directions that there will be greater
number of fruit trees of all kinds set out
this year than ever before. At Pomona,
Ontario, Cucamonga, Etiwanda, and in
all the great fruit lands of San Bernar-
dino county, the demand for trees is
unprecedented. Orange orchards
will be very measurably increased
this year in all the country
reaching from the mountains to the
sea. The number of trees set out will
only be limited by the supply of suit
able plants to be obtained from the
nurseries. 1t is very encouraging to
know that the interest taken in setting
out orchards is constantly increasing.
and that the great number OF new
corners who have purchased land in this
and the adjoining counties are entering
at once upon its improvement. There
will be great number of charming
fruit centers added to these counties
this year; and yet we may say that
although it took four thousand cars to
carry our oranges to eastern markets
last year, yet the fruit industry of this
section is in its merest infancy. 1t will
grow to colossal proportions in few
years, and then the question of trans
porting it to market will be one that
will present serious problem to the
railroads.
If there is another section of territory
in the world that can show the variety,
richness and extent Of resources that
ours can, we have never heard OF it.
We have barely entered upon our career
of horticultural and agricultural produc-
ton, and yet we can already compare
results with any equal extent of country
in the world. If this is true of our
locality now, what will be its presenta-
tions in results, say a decade hence?
With a million acres of citrus orchards
in these three southern counties, a mill
ion and half in deciduous fruit, and
vines, and two millions or more in grain,
vegetables, tubers and all the other prod
ucts of the field and farm, our section
will become the most wonderful locality
in the world, both for the value of the
products of its soil and for the extent of
its cultivated acreage.
The splendid season we are now enter
ing upon will be the stepping stone, as
it were, to the constantly increasing de-
velopment of our productive power, and
to the evolvement of growth and pros
perity that will be the pride OF Califor-
mans and the envy OF less favored local
tiles in other parts of the union.
THE most sensational trial New York