The herald., 1895-02-05
THEIR OCCUPATION Is GONE.
Hnis Is a Bad Season for the
Crackers.
The Outlook Is Bri ght Even for
Pess mlsls
Everything Going the Orange Growers Way.
Notes About tn, Crop and the
Market.
Los ANGELES, Feb. 4


to order for the maturing and gathering of the
fruit. Exceedingly cold weather at the east,
however, has bad tendency t, CHECK ship
ments to considerable extent, as It is not safe
10 sand oranges into the blizzard b. when the
mercury stays below zero a good portion of the
time, as is the case now Blu or lers for fruit
to be shipped when the weather conditions are
favorable are still being received. There is no
letup in the activity at the packing houses.
Fancy navels are quoted in New York as high
as 81. so. AS the highest price here, delivered
aboard cars, is only S2.25, and this freight is
only SIX cents it is seen that taers is hand
rome profit for the dealers.
The newspapers throughout the citrus belt are
filled with cheering news for the citrus grow
ers. Following are some of the jubilant ex-
prssslons OF the rural press:
STRICTLY IN IT.
The orange grower OF this favored section is
Hstrict'y in IT. this season, says the Ban Ber-
nardno SltuIdAy Review. Along with tn g
Florida freN~e comes the announcement that
tn crop in Southern California is the best in
years, not only in quantity but in quality, tn,
o. ortlou of culIs being very small. An au-
thority estimates that the crop will bring the
The crop is estimated at 1000 carloads. And
now who says that orange gro wi ns doesn't pay?
Horticutura Commissioner MuscoEt while
en- route to Los Angeles Tn n day, met on the
traia Mr.. Barnes from Florida, VINO gave spe-
C fc details OF the recent freeze Lh-re
alr. Barnes has been engaged for some years
past III handling the orange crop of Florida.
and hence his opportunities for aequsinting
h1msef with the orange predicting sections of
the state nave he N such as to give ms opinions
g.eat weight He st tied that The orange crop
"a 4I n mi cd al n hn
sDout 100000 boxes OF which hao baen mar
kettd NJ lne time OF the freese. and that the
balance Of the crop OF 100000 bo2sswas
freeze. total loss aud that eli the nursery
stock in the state as well as all the padded
lutely killed.
he thinks the older groves will mainly sur
yive, though so seriously injured that the crop
from them WILL not be factor again in the
market for four five years and says that
every Tree bearing Crane fruit (Which was fast
becoming great industry with them) and ev-
cry lemon tree in the state was killed. Here
after California will be the only section in the
United states that can be depended upon to
grow lemons.
Florida will never again prove neld for in
vestment in citrus cuiturs Growers were only
Just recovering from the freeze of 1886, which
was almost as great in intensity as the last
freeze, but not of such long duration, this last
one continuing two days. Hence they reason
that as history has repeated itself in nine years
In Florida orange growing, 1t is a fair presump.
proposition II is unsafe to venture further.
THE SITUATION At ONTARIO.
= Ontario never hade finer crop of oranges,
says the Observer. Indeed the quality of all
the foothill oranges from Duarte to Redlands ia
OF The highest. The report that oranges have
been mi 1red by excessive rain is without foun-
dation, and WAS only started by middlemen
whose object is to cinch the gro wefs
Alta meeting OF the directors of the Ontario
fruit exchange. held last week, the resolution
which had been previously passed. directing
payment on December picking OF navel oranges
OF lie pee pound on fancy and &c per pound on
choice, wss resoinded and another resolution
was passed, ordering a payment of &c per pound
on fsncy and 80 per pound on choice nsvels
of December picking.
OUTLOOK FOR RIVERSIDE.
Says the Riverside Enterprise; 1t is only the
veriest croaksr who can talk of hard times in
view OF the present outlook for the Riverside
valley. Nothing short of catastrophe can now
pr ,ent the people of this city aud vicui
from receiving within very few monIhs an
amount OF money such as has ratey, If ever.
been paid to II community of our size.
The orange crop OF this valley will bring in
during the next six months a sum OF money
which will certsiniy not fall below 81 ,000, 900
and may reach as high as Yl,500,0U0 Esti-
mates of the total yield are still incomplete.
There 1s always mole or less uncertainty as TO
prices. But enough Is now known as 10 each
OF these factors of profit to enable people 10
figure out very closely the mini mum profit that
mates need only be employed. For example,
we may compute The yield az $500 carloads
which IL probably considerably below the real
1gure-then let us see how much the net re-
turns should amount to. The present price OF
So per box for nave.s, + o. b., is only fair one
that choice fruit will sell for less; unless every
calculation fails the price will advance-nou
far is mere matter of conjecture. seedlings.
OF course, will not bring the figures that The
choicer fruit co mmands, bnt the proportion OF
the crop thes Is seedlings is very small In
view, then, of the present prices and the pros
..OfrT 6Na m Il1A 10 tall f.
to estimate the entire crop al So per box. This
means at the very lowest $500 net per car Dad,
under the eIshsnge gisp ana the 1000 car
THESE figures will be un satisfactory to many
grower. They WIN say that more than 1900
carload viii MT over $500, and tnaIly thst the
entire crop may net 81 so per box, or even
more, the bulk OF the fruit will go forward at
q time when the best prices will rule These
extremely rosy predictions may be erifed, 1t
Is our purpose now, however. only to present
the least sanguine aspect of the situation. it is
certainly one that should encourage every resi-
representative of the Enterprise enjoyed a
quite extensive ride down the valley among
and in every grove the orange trees as well as
the golden fruit looked in the very PRIME of
0onditi n. Samples OF fruit were examined in |
great many different orchards, and in every |
instance it was found heavy, smooth and full |
OF juice. 1t is safe to say that Riverside or |
Southern California has never seen bet er iIuit.
indications of picking fruit In few localitie,,
but the rush in that line has not besun
The Enterprise has advices from Its corre-
BpOndents at a number of settlements In the |
county in refersnee to orange growing. The |
result will probably surprise many-no. so |
mneb, however, at the quantity OF fruit pro. |
duced In these localities this season as al the |
pr0sp cts for large increase in the product in |
the near future
IN THE ALEssANDRo VALLEY.
MORENO, Feb LIN the Alessandro valley, |
soh hfS tour Ian taI
Der of orange gtoves, most of them young, this
Icing the first year of number Of them bear
ing. OF the zoos acres set out 10 oranges it lisa
fair estimate that about two-thirds OF them are |
bearing fruit. and it being the frs year with
many of them the crop for shipment will |
amount to but very little. II is true, a few bore
fruit for the first time last year, and conse-
ouently have fair crop for this year, but it ia
81 fe to say that a few carloads would cover all
there would be for shi pment this season But
next year this SCI ton will BIS heard from, and
the following year the crop will be much lar
ger yet, as by that time all the groves in this
Vicinity will be bearing.
In this valley there are 3143 acres, including
oranges, set out to fruit. The orchards are for
com ng in one by one. and in few years from
now this valley VIII ship her quota to the mar
keLs of the world in com pet ton with other
places. With the Bear Valley irrigation system
completed, which will furnish an abundance
Of water to fine soil, eqnable climate; and
withal its general adoption to fruit raising, TINS
valley is bound to ra k among the hrst fruit
raising sections of the state. The time is not
or distant when the already dotted val ey of
Iruit trees will be one vast orchard, and the
grain fields will be thing of the past The
only thing needed to have the valley go ahead