The record-union., 1893-12-29
FOOTHILL ORANGES.
Those of Placer County Already
Marketed.
Central and Northern California Citrus
Fruit Earlier Than Any Other
in the Market.
Especial Correspondence REcoRD-UNIoS.l

J i N,
during the past few days has given some
attention to the orange-growing interests
of the county, visited a number of the
largest citrus fruit orchards in this
vicinity, and has become very favorably
impressed with their profitable charac-
ter. In fact, as the results of his expert
ence, he would engage extensively in the
business did his means permit his doing
SO. Although there are many small
groves and ornamental groups of trees
scattered through the southern part of
the county, the only considerable tracts
known to the writer, and which he has
visited, are those of the Auburn Orange
Company situated about four miles north
east from Penryn, comprising thirty
acres and $500 trees; and the adjoining
tracts of Ii. 5. Kirk of twenty-five acres
and 1900 trees. OF Robert Hector of tif-
teen acres and | soc trees, of T.. w. Made
! ley OF JWenty-eight acres and 5000 trees,
and the several tracts Of j. Parker Whit
ney in the Citrus Colony and at his vine
! yard tract, comprising forty acres and
| 1900 trees.
None OF the tracts mentioned have been
planted more than from four to five
years, excepting portions of Mr.. Hector's
orchard, and large proportion of the
trees are not yet in bearing, in fact tax
| ing in all of the mentioned tracts COM
prising the 13S acres and IA, $50 trees, it is
! doubtful ii more than half of the trees are
yet III bearing, not counting those which
in their Juvenile efforts have given out
| half dozen or so oranges.
In the instance of Mr.. Whitney's 1000
trees, mostly planted within two or three
years. scarcely 1.2O0 have come into bear
ing as yet, The product of the 1873 acres
partly bearing, SO far as your correspond
ent has been able to sum up, and he be-
| lieves his estimates to be substantially
correct, is 1920 boxes. or about ten car
loads. which have already been nearly
all marketed in San Francisco and Sacra-
mentO at top prices, commencing at 50
per box down to 50. In fact the average
has been about So 90 per box, or result
of $ll 200. When you consider the tender
age OF the orchards, with perhaps not
| more than half of the trees in bearing. it
being the first substantial offering in
fruit from trees which are likely to pretty
near double their yield another year, and
the present generally depressed condi-
ton of affairs, the result appears very
promising.
1t may also be taken into considera-
ton that a large proportion of non-bear
| ing trees in the orchards will give yields
|
creasing yield of the present bearing trees,
will be likely to give a total of 5000 boxes,
which If sold at the average price of s.
! per box would give sum Of So, 900.
| This estimate of fruit yield for another
year is not in the slightest degree eX-
lravagant for the product of the present
year, 50 nearly as the writer is able to
estimate, is over 500 per cent. in excess OF
that of last year, nor is it beyond con-
servatiye estimate TO expect in two years
| from the orchards mentioned, with an
ordinarily favorable season, a yield OF at
least 49, 900 boxes, which, at So per box,
would net $4,000, or gross yield of
nearly $3.50 per acre.
The writer has knowledge of a tract of
seven acres of well-cared-for orange trees
in another part of the State, which gave
last year gross yield of y, 800, or 500
per acre, and from which the average
price received for the crop was little
under 81 % per box. There is an i'm
mense advantage in favor of orange.
growing in Placer County, which has
| hardly been estimated, or properly con-
sidered before, that they sell for about
double the price realized from the south
ern crop, as the latter hardly reaches the
market in any quantity until well into
| January.
AT the present time, with several car
| loads OF southern oranges in the Sacra-
| CONSEQUENT
duction ofthe first ruling prices, the rem
nants of Placer County Navel oranges
readily fetch half a dollar box over the
| southern oranges owing to their superior
coloring and ripper qualities. The aQvan-
| tages OF orange-growing in the north, or
central part of California as shown by
the successful results in Placer, indicate
| possibilities which have been overlook ed:
| That of supplying the orange market
with ripe fruit earlier than can possibly
! be supplied from the Los Angeles and
| Riverside regions. Anomalous as it may
seem, the well colored oranges from
| Placer County can be put in the market
| from three TO five weeks earlier than
| from the south, and are, therefore, mar
keted at prices nearly double those which
the average orange crop from the south
has averaged, filling up and glutting the
| market as it does. 1t is seldom that the
southern part of the State can supply we'll
colored oranges before Christmas, and
comparatively few at that, while the bulk
of the crop does not come on the market
until February.
Looking at the field in this view. is not
good orange land in Central California in
! the warm belt, which produces so early,
and which can be bought at moderate
| prices from SO to S75 per acre, compared
with southern orange land which is esti-
mated at a value Of hundreds of dollars
|
| table results?
| There has always been the cry of over
| production OF oranges, but l AM of the
! opinion that it will take a great many
! years to make orange growing unprofita-
| ble. We need not look for it. One of the
! largest dealers in fruit in the country re-
marked not long ago that the country
could take, in normal conditions, 10000
carloads from California, and that he did
not look for any limit to the consumption
| of oranges from California, compared
| with its ability to furnish, for oranges, at
moderate price, were eaten more uni
versally than any other fruit, and that
the supply, despite the productions of
! Florida and California, was by no means
distributed as extensively throughout the
| country as it could be-. and was steadily
being introduced, while but a moderate
consumption existed, compared with the
| probabilities of the growing demand,
with rapidly increasing population.
| Southern California is superior sec
ton for oranges and a glorious region
and deserves its popularity, but the geo.
graphical climatic fact is that the foothills
of Placer County average month earlier
/ for ripe oranges. The first carloads of
| southern oranges arrived few days be-
fore Christmas, when about all the Placer
| County oranges had been marketed, and
| the price fell to 81 % per box.
n lew boxes Oh hlFerslue oranges ar
rived in San Francisco in the early part
of December. 1t may be worth while to
examine the San Francisco market re-
ports from December 9th TO December
! 18th, which are as follows: Oranges, Ma
vels, per box: Riverside, S2 80 to 50; Los
Angeles, 81 to S2 90; Oroville, g 30 to So;
Newcastle placer County,, S4 to 81 80.
FooTHILL.
JEFF WILLIAMS ESTATE.
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