The herald., 1893-10-29
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AGAIN,
An Eastern Writer'S Views of
This Country.
The Flavor and Quality of Fruit
That Is Irrigated.
Olive OIL and Artich okes-Crops All the
Year Round-Samples of Profit.
The Summer Climate-Cat-
alma Island.

WI. 1oufy L. cihCh, a OOiioSpohuOh
of the New York Evening Post, writes
to that journal as follows
There is still widely prevalent notion
In the east that California fruit, whils
large and juicy and pleasing to the eye
is deficient in flavor. 1t cannot be de-
MED that in New York it is not apt tc
be as luscious as eastern fruit, but this
is largely because it has to travel 5000
miles and must therefore be picked be-
fore it is ripe. All tropical and semi
tropical fruits are infinitely more
luscious eaten ripe off the tree than
when picked green and made to ripen in
q aunless car or ships hold. 1t is also
to be borne in mind that ignorant buy
ers make it more profitable to cultivate
large and beautiful fruits, which are apt
to be comparatively insipid, than varie-
ties more highly favored but less at
tractive to the eye. / lived for ten
years in an Oregon apple orchard,
and Oregon apples are perhaps
the best in the world yet l
know that it was always the most beau
tiful apples and not the best favored
that fetched the highest prices in the
market. In various parts of California
have eaten peaches, cherries, melons,
figs, etc., that were as richly favored as
any l have tasted in Italy or Spain, but
/ have also eaten much insipid large
fruit which looked we'll in the market.
The growers, however, are now learning
that there are varieties which combine
beauty with flavor, and by cultivating
these they are teaching their customers
that rich taste, or fragrance Gall CO.
called "tastes" in fruit, except sweet,
sour and bitter, are really matter of
fragrance), is not naturally denied to
California fruits, as it is, for example. to
the fruits of Japan-an instructive COM
parison. The fruits and vegetables OF
Japan are insipid because it rains too
much there in summer. Now in
California it never rains in sum-
mer. Why, then, have 80 many of its
fruits been more or less insipid Because
apart from the selection of inferior
varieties-most of them were raised with
the aid of irrigation imferfectly applied.
1t is only within the last few years that
it has been discovered that too much
irrigation is almost as bad as too little,
damaging the trees and impairing the
flavor of the fruit. A notion thus arose
that irrigation itself is injurious to
fruit, but this is absurd, ior irrigation is
simply the application of rain-water at
the right moment instead OF leaving it
to chance. Barely half as much water
as formerly is now used by irrigators,
who have also learned how to regulate
and apply the flow with mathematical
precision. The results are already evil
dent in the superior quality and flavor
of the fruit. The state now has more
than 10000 acres under irrigation,
and in few years this figure will be
doubled.
With the exception of the grape,
probably everything grown for profit in
California has made progress during the
last few years. Raisins are, indeed,
grown on larger scale than ever before,
and there is no diminution in the ex por-
tation of ripe grapes for the table, but
the wine industry is not as fourishing
as could be wished. The mysterious
vine disease which arose at Anaheim
appears, indeed, to have lost its viru-
lence, and some young vineyards in that
vicinity are doing we'll, but the phyllox-
era has now spread from Sonoma and
Napa counties to Southern California, to
the encouragement of the growers. These
men have otherwise suffered unreason-
ably from the avarice and dishonesty
OF the middiemen anu whoissfe dealers,
who refuse to pay more than Is cents a
gallon for wines which they sell in the
east for 10 to 20 times that sum, the
best of them under foreign labels, thus
the formation of frst-class
Californian brands and helping to sus-
tain the fictitious reputation of French
wine -adulterators. Nevertheless, prog
ress must be noted in the diminution of
the supply of unskilfully made rough,
sour wine, and in the more careful selec-
tion of grapes of superior quality for
bottling purposes.
If the supply of California wine equals
or exceeds the demand, the same is not
true of another luxury ior the produc-
ton of which the climate is specially
suited. 1t would be well if all the dis
appointed vineyardiets should turn their
attention to the olive, which flourishea
we'll in the state, and for which, as oil
and in the picked state, there is an un-
limited field, as may be inferred from
the fact that the United States imports
almost million gallons year of what
is supposed to be olive oil, though it con-
tains but "a per cent OF pure oil. Cali
fornis is expected to produce this year
about 10000 gallons-a mere drop in the
bucket wanted. Of the 800 varieties OF
the olive in existence, about 70 are said
to be now growing in California; when
the kinds best suited to climate and de-
mand shall have been definitely ascer-
tanned, the profits and benefit to the
country will be great. An olive tree over
years old is easily worth $40 a year,
while 100-year-old mission tree at San
Diego has yielded $145 in one year Q92
gallons OF olives). 1t must be remem-
bered, too, that the American people
have hardly yet learned tithe of the
value OF olive oil, which, for cooking
purposes Is far superior to lard, and
even butter. We do use it for salads,
but even here We have much TO learn
from the French and Italians, who would
not for moment tolerate our cotton
seed sdulterations. Californians could
also enlarge the market for their olive
by advertising the excellent French arti-
chokes they raise, which make the best
OF ali dishes with oil and vinegar. In
New York restaurants we get half
OF one artichoke Tor 25 cents,
while in California markets you get
dozen whole ones for about 35
cents. AS artichokes keep well, here is
a chance TO make a fortune. The arti-
choke Is the most tender and delicious
OF all vegetables, and the day will come
when 1T will be as common as aspara-
gus.
After all, in spite of the amazing de-
velopments OF the last decade, Southern
California ie still in an experimental
state. fruits, trees, vegetables, flowers,