The herald., 1894-01-10
MUST HAvE DIVERSIFIED CROPS.

There has been great deal of growl-
ing in California because crops have not
been uniformly profitable. A marked
misfortune OF large number Of Califor-
mans is that they all wish to get rich at
once. This inherent vice will always
make some OF our people miserable, but
there is no reason whatsoever why many
-and very many more of them should
not achieve that desideratum. In
Southern California the practice Of or
chardists has been to devote themselves
almost entirely to the citrus fruits. The
farmer has developed an equal fondness
for wheat and barley. This has been on
the old-time principle OF putting all your
eggs in one basket.
What the people Of this state need is
diversified farming. Orange and lemon
culture will always remain profitable
crop if the pursuit is intelligentiy fol-
lowed. Large profits have already been
made in these specislties. In some
cases they have run nearly as high as
$4,000 an acre. This, of course, was the
exception that proved the rule. They
have frequently run up to $500 an acre
when the location was favorable, the
stock fine and the exposure good. All
this kind of nonsense must, of course,
have an end some day, and it has had it.
People must come down to common
sense figures. DR.. Garcelon told the
writer that the profits of q lemon ORCH
ard even surpassed those of an orange
grove. We have been told the same
thing by the late Don Mateo Keller.
But lately the attention of the lemon
and orange growers OF Sicily has been
called to the advisability of making a
desperate struggle to maintain their
hold OF the American market, with the
result that the prices have ruled low for
some time past. In addition. our South
ern California orchardists have met q
number OF misfortunes during the past
three years. They have suffered con-
sidersbly this season from the cold, the
lemon growers particularly fsring badly.
Such misadventures are sure to occur.
They have happened in Floiida and in
Louisiana. In 1885 the Florida orange
CROP was not only damaged but most Of
the trees in that state were completely
ruined. The culture of the orange was
almost entirely extirpated by ths frosts
that would occur, and compared to which
our own were mere bsgatelle.
But what sense is there in attempting
to dedicate the richest country in the
world to single staple-a country that
can grow from six to eight CROPS of al
fslfs-a rich Chilian clover-in single
year? Here we have a condition that
would make Los Angeles county the
greatest cheese and butter country in
the world. We might add that it should
make it the greatest beef and mutton
country also.
But everything psles when it comes to
the American hog. There ia really no
limit to the amount of money that may
be made from this animal. The whole
world is short of him and desires him
most ardently. He is in demand on ali
hands. and he fo.m slch delicioue
article of food that even an occasional
Hebrew is willing to take slice OF him.
But why have not oar farmers taken an
interest in this animal to greater ex-
tent than they do now? The hog sup.
ply OF the United States is deficient and
the price is high, and will remain high.
When everything else goes down the
American hog goes up.
Here 10 where the farmer ought to
put his wheat and barley, and then he
would be sure to make money off of his
crops. There is certainly nothing saga
cious in losing money where it can be
readily made. Then what is the matter
with chickens and all kinds of poultry
and eggs?
The. sooner our farmers get down to
diversifed staples the better for all par
ties in interest. There are more things
with money in them that can be raised
here than in any country on earth, and
with less labor and expense. There is
some little trouble and outlay involved
in ilrigating farm, but then how great
the returns? What rich contribution
Los Angeles and Southern California at
large could be made to pay to the neces-
sitles and luxuries of mankind. We
have done something already in that
line but it could be immeasurably in
creased both in quantity and variety.
Let US apply ourselves to the work
with the industry that the rich returns
invite.