Arizona republican., 1894-12-12
The Improvement Ranch
Trees Heavily Laden.
Crowds of Visitors from PhOe.
nix View Them.
Almonds Too are Doing Finely
Leaves of the Olive Trees Appear
as if Each Was Hand Polished.

There are many residents OF Phoenix,
some of them old residents, who are
skeptical upon the subject of Salt River
valley oranges. A large majority OF
them are doubtful and have never en-
Unused because they have not seen.
When the visitor from the east, the
critical, cynical, scornful representative
of capital, perhaps, asks: "Have you
ever seen any of the oranges; have you
ever tasted them?" A large majority
are compelled to say they have not.
1t is one thing to have seen oranges
displayed in the fruit stores with tags
upon them saying they were raised
right here under our noses, even to
sample them and find them highly
palatable, but it is quite another and
Tar more convincing to see them rich,
ripe, round, large and heavy and stud
ding the branches of the vigorous young
trees.
This is subject upon which every
loyal citizen of this valley should in
form himself. The truth need not be
expanded in the slightest measure. To
know the facts regarding the astound-
ing, highly gratifying success which
has rewarded the enterprising gentle
men who have risked large sums in the
orange planting, is to become an en-
thusiast.
Now is the time to visit the grove of
the Arizona Improve ment company a
dozen miles from town under the Ari-
iona canal. To 60, to see, is to be
conquered and to become an ardent
champio of orange culture in Arizona.
There, 100 acres of the choicest land
of the valley sheltered from chilling
winds by the ugh boring hills and least
susceptible of all to frosts, are
planted with orange trees. Eighty.fye
acres are covered with handsome young
trees, 5000 in number, brought here
from California, and now in their third
year. The loss in these trees in course
of transportation, from accident and
from any and all causes has been less
than one half of one per cent, and today
they represent condition of healthful.
ness and uniformity of growth that
commands the admiration of all who
visit.
But it is the dozen or so acres of FIVE
year-old trees now heavily laden with
the large ripe fruit which is most de-
lightful'to look upon. The oranges are
so heavy upon the trees that frequently
they have borne the boughs to the earth.
They are of superior flavor, free from
an over abundance of fibre, and alto
gether delicious.
An idea of the possibilities of the
financial rewards of orange culture may
be gathered from a little calculation.
There should be SO trees planted to an
acre each tree six or seven years old
should bear six boxes of oranges; at 81
a box the wholesale price now being de-
rived, an acre will yield 81 ,656; quite
q decent sum. Half crop will yield |
1928 an acre and a quarter of a crop |
will yield $4l4.
There is not the least particle OF scale |
about the fruit of the Improvement |
ranch, on the contrary in |
case of trees which were in the begin
ming afflicted with scale, upon being
transplanted in Arizona every vestige
OF the disease soon disappeared. An
other point to be remembered in con-
nection with the Arizona oranges is the
fact that they can be gathered as early
as Novem Der Is. Mr.. Fulweiler, the
and studious manager of
the ranch, upon experimenting found
the green skinned fruit of mid Novem-
Der perfectly sweet and that upon being
laid aside a few days it turned ex-
terlorly handsome ripe shade This
places the Arizona orange beyond all
possibility of competition With any
thing that can be produced in Califor-
MIA.
Last Christmas Mr.. Fulweiler sent a
box of his oranges to Congressman L.
+. Payson at Washington. They were
served at dinner at which was also a
ooz of the famous Indian river sweets