The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-10
KNACKOFORANGECULTUR
cALTFoRNIA,s EIPERIENCE OF
THEYTT YEARS AND IT'S RESULTS.
Large Pronts for Groves that Yield Fruit
oftbs First grnde-Ths Navel Orange
the Rest Proasct- Cultivation Needed
as Much rs Irrigation.

as n producer OF UFnngcA. FROM inc tline ina
the lowering Of freight charges In 1885 mad,
shipments to the East profitable the produc
tion Of the orange has increased steadily. unit
in the last three years II was almost uni
formly profitable. even In very low grades.
Some of the low grades, for tho credit Of the
STATE. should have been destroyed In the or
chard. Some OF the orchards pay rs high as
5000 an acre net profit. while the worst frui,
that any one dared TO ship rarely cleared less
than 800 nm acre. Tho books of the fruit
buyers show scores Of purchases Of fruit on the
trees at $500 and 5000 an acre. and II Ia beyond
question that more than 81 900 an acre has
been realized in many cases from fret class
Iruit. Budded trees, ak years old from the
bud and eight from the seed, or five years
from tho nursery. have steadily yielded $500
an acre, and have often run up 10 $500. Tho
ground bet ween the trees may DO used during
mcGt Of he period Of waiting. and $50 an acre
from the trees was not uncommon In the sec
ond year. and 500 In the third.
The worst mistake growers made was plant.
ing oranges on thousands OF acres subject to
an occasional freeze. Freezing is dependent Ell.
tlrely upon relative elevation. There are no
Polar waves no time when II freezes In the
daytime In the low country. The cold period
Is only in the long. clear nights OF winter when
the air is dry. The cold sheet Of air formed
next to the surface slides Off the higher eleva-
lions 10 the lower ground. Where IL reaches the
tops Of the highest fruit trees. II this place is
quite fat. co that the flow OF the cold air
toward the sea is slow, or II II Is n valley with
n narrow mouth to obstruct this flow. IL may
be so cold for many nights as to Kill an orange
tree. And yet upon the sides of the valley 100
Ieet above this flow n tree may never be in
Jured except by q white frost or "A freezing tenn
p~eratGre. And a hundred feet above this
trees may die of old age. and never feel even a
white frost. In places these three belts are
not over one mile apart; in others they run
from three to ten miles from one extreme to the
other.
The high profits Of orange growing led too
many to crowd upon the lowest OF these three
belts They were warned over and over by old
growers that 1t was unsafe. but many thought
the warning insincere, and a larger number did
not care. and planted the orchards only to sell
to newcomers. Thousands OF acres were thus
planted where the orange should never have
teen put.
Mean while trees planted on ground safe
enough from frost. but not productive from
want Of proper drainage. we're coming into
bearing. Next to freedom from frost, perfect
drainage for the roots Is the essential condition.
The soil must hold moisture, but no water. II
water stands about the roots. either in a con-
slant subtcrranean sheet or In q temporary
sheet formed by clay OF any kind Of tight
stratum in the subsoil. the orange will be
thick-skinned, sour, light, or spongy, and gem
orally all four. And a very thin sheet or
water lasting only a few days Is enough to In
jure the fruit. The poor fruit from these
trees was thus added to the large stock coming
from the old Seeding orchards Of early days,
which were planted generally on badly drained
ground, because 1t was SUPPOSE d the soil
must be rich. and because the hillside soils
were supposed to be too thin to be of value. To
this quantity Of poor oranges was added much
from trees planted on ground with an insufi.
sient water supply, some for ''tenderfoot bait"
some by persons who thought a windmill
would pump all the water required, and many
more by persons with an 'inexhaustible WELL"
who never can learn that every wen is mex.
haustfbls as long as you don't exhaust IL.
The first heavy freeze In many years came in
1900. Thousands OF acres In the dubious belt
suffered, while those In the true:belts were
untouched. Every one with frozen or sus.
pocted oranges rushed them upon the market to
got something out of them. and this was
winked at by those who should have done much
to suppress It. Three years Inter this operation
was repeated. and again last winter to an eI-
tent that probably will not be seen again.
TIE effect of all this has been to break the
market for low grade oranges. Its effect has
cen felt q little. but not much. on the higher
grades. The want of harmony among pro.
dusers as to tho best methods of. selling has
also broken prices a little. But, on the whole,
the prices of good fruit during the winter lust
passed were satisfactory to the growers, md
about double what Is necessary to make a we'll
kept orchard pay.
For several years many persons have be.n
planting the Seeding on account Of its great
the tree Is we'll grown. This would
more than compensate for the lower price and
longer period of coming into bearing. The
navel brought the best price. but the tree never
very large, though 1t bore very early.
Many others planted the ''St. Michael, ~ Med
tsrranean Sweet" and Malta Blood" all
nne varieties and early bearers, but In general
appearance resembling the Seeding, and
easily COMPOUNDED with II. The Seeding IA a
fine favored and good -orange when grown
under the right conditions. But the nayel's
freedom from seeds In addition to It's other fine
qualities made a distinct fruit of II. 1t went
on the market under the head OF "Nayels"
whereas the others, looking like the foreign
went under the general name OF
oranges. The navel was thus Judged by r..
merits, while the others, however fine. suffered
In comparison with the lower standard Of the
imported rruI"
1t is easy t. see. then. how the report sta tied
that orange growing in California had been
overdone. The raising Of poor fruit has been
and none are more devoutly thank. ,
full than the Californians themselves that it's
profits have so dwindled rs to keep It out of
the market, at home as well as abroad. There
is small profit in the growing OF any variety ex-
cept the navel. but the time probably will
never come when a good Seeding will not pay.
The. results OF twenty years. experience In
southern California, which until very recently
has furnished practically the entire product OF
the State and worked out about all the problems.
are now very generally agreed on. and II is
not probable that they will be modified for !
many years TO come. They show thai the navel
ORANGE Is the most profitable fruit next TO the !
emont that can be grown. Other varieties are =
stu! profitable, but not as much 30 as in the !
past, and there Is no reason to look fora re- :
turn OF the old conditions. All fruit mus he !
OF the first grade 10 bring much profit; the !
second grade may he tolerated, but the third a
and any ono Is a fool TO raise even the second :
grade II he can possibly avoid IL. =
There Is no use In planting orchards excant +,
upon proved belts OF safety; no use in plant. .