The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-21

Florida orange growers will take the ad-
vice of one who, as yet, only hopes to be
rancher, they will pay more attention
to this same matter of varieties, and cul-
tlvate only the best kinds. They need not
fear their California rivals.
A Florida rancher, having a grove of
the ordinary seeding oranges, should each
year supplant as many of them as posi-
bic with some improved kind.
1t should not be supposed orange cult
ure in Southern California is without
drawbacks Chief among these are the
insect pests; the so-called white or cot
tony-cushiou scale bug has disappeared.
Were 1T still unconquered it is not too
much to say the orange would have disap-
peared. But there remains the red and
the black scale. These do not kill the
trees, but retard their growth and injure
the appearance and sale of the fruit Va
rious and many have been the plans
devised to rid the orange trees of these
scale bugs, so far with little success.
hear, however, of an olive orchard near
Santa Barbara which has been cleaned of
the black scale by a lately imported Aus
tralian lady-bug. Should this lady-bug
thrive here, and find the black scale
wholesome diet, the latter will disappear
like his white relative The red scale is
fairly well held in check by its appro-
pirate lady-bug.
Another drawback is the distance to
eastern markets, and as if to
include the California rancher in
the general depression of the
times, Dame Nature is now visiting
them with the severest frost known. The
thermometer got as low as go, ranging
up to 800 in more favored places. The So
called ''frostless belts" are few and far
between today, but there was no frost in
Southern California this year, until after
Christmas 1 have not shown the ad-
vantages of orange culture, and have
dwelt somewhat on the disadvantages,
but have shown that oranges are being
largely planted, and they don't plant
them for fun. To sum up, then, the
orange situation, am of the opinion that
the Florida orange grower can compete
very favorably with the Californian
Florida has the advantage in cheapness
of land, proximity to the larger markets
and in the fact that her oranges ripen
fully month sooner than the California
product.
In regard TO other fruits, the best opin-
ion seems to be that the olive is the com
ing crop of Southern California. If the
black scale can be gotten rid of the olive
will grow faster and bear better than it
does now, and there is splendid demand
with good prices for this fruit English
walnuts and lemons do well in places
suited to them, and keep their share of
attention. The vineyards are holding
their own, but for some unknown
reason the dry wines made
in Southern California are not
so good as those of the northern part of
the state OF the raisin grape, know too
little to write.
Peaches and apricots grow almost
everywhere; besides the quantity
shipped, tons and tons go to the local
canneries and other tons are dried.
Ranchers are devoting much more atten-
ton than formerly, to vegetables, with
marked success. Selecting land up
among the foothills of the mountains,
they grow straw berries "all the year
around" two crops each of blackberries
and green corn and a long succession Of
green peas have seen the latter served
frequently during the past month-De-
cember.
When the Nicaraguan canal is finished
and fast steamers can ply between New
York and Los Angeles, raising vegetables
ssout of season" will become big ousl-
ness here.
No letter from California would be COM
plete without some allusion to its climate:
The rancherf here lives in a delightful
climate; no malaria, no chills and fever
and no mosquitoes Besides the climate
the rancher has some other advantages
over his Florida friend. For one thing,
he, can make his home prettier