The herald., 1897-12-24
ORANGE CROP
Later Reports Bring More
Hopeful Feeling
THE COLD SPELL MODERATES
REGULATION OF SHIPMENTS
SUGGESTED
THE COLD SPELL MODERATES
Conflicting Estimates Of Damage
Done by Frost-Reports From
the Producing Districts

Reports of the effect of the cold spell
upon the orange and lemon crop were
more favorable yesterday than on the
day before, and a more hopeful view of
the matter prevailed among interested
parties. 1t will be at least three or four
days yet before accuracy can be ap-
proximated with certainty in esti-
mates of the damage, and perhaps as
many weeks before the full effects of the
frost are felt.
In the meantime estimates Of dana ge
are ranging from less than ten per cent
to a third of the entire crop, and Sec
tional reports vary from no damage at
all to two thirds. The present yield be-
ing the largest ever grown here a fun
ordinary crop Of good fruit still remains
apparently uninjured, and the thing
most needed is immediate concert of ac-
ton by all concerned to prevent the
shipment of frozen fruit and the de-
moralization of a good market, which
would cause outlay and expense far in
excess of any temporary profit.
All available sources of information
were again sought yesterday in the en-
deavor to arrive at the truth of the situ-
alton. Marshall V. Hartranft, secretary
of the Fruit Growers and Shippers AS
sociation of Southern California took q
conservative view of the situation, and
was of the opinion that to estimate one
third of the crop as being damaged by
frost was too high. He said:
I'VE have had some cold weather,
which has done some damage. The crop
of oranges in many groves has been en-
tirely destroyed, but we have several
thousand carloads of oranges in sight
that have not been damaged at ALL
call to mind the fact that after
the last freeze one large shipping con-
Germ pronounced some very important
groves in Riverside as damaged, and un
fit for shipment. and purchased .heir re-
lease from contract. Within six weeks
the oranges from those very groves were
selling at $3.50, fob. California. and
were shipped with an absolute guaran-
tee to be free from frost, and were ac-
cepted by the eastern trade as such,
there being no damage done by frost in
those particular groves. The same will
prove to be the case this year, and while
our estimate is open to the same question
as yours is, yet we believe that not over
tenth of the fruit has been damaged"
A. H. Naftzger. president of the South
ern California Fruit exchange, thought
that the estimate of one-thrd of the
crop lost by frost was altogether too high
and that anyone who gave an estimate
and withheld his name wanted to bear
the market. His statement that the
thermometer fell to IS degrees and there
abouts for ten hours in January, a.
should be corrected to '1S degrees and
stayed below freezing point for ten
hours"
'The thermometer is, however, no cri-
terion of damage DONE" said he, land
don't believe third of the crop is frozen.
l doubt If there is ten per cent frozen.
Yes, l believe there has been some dam
age, but how to measure it don't know.
Monday may have been the coolest day
in years in Los Angeles, but the wind
blew all night at Cucamonga, Cotton and
Covina. AS soon as heard that knew
the orange crop there was all right even
if the thermometer went to 20 degrees.
Any man who can invent way of rails
ing the wind will be benefactor to the
OTdHSe SIOWcI udNC oSCAi iSC iieiii etii
inch thick where no damage was done,
and ice only a quarter of an inch thick
and great damage done.
"a friend of mine went through the
Union orchards at Ontario and reports
no damage there. Something ought to
be done to stop the shipping of frozen
fruit. In one of the lowest spots in Riv
erside where in thirteen years there has
never failed to be damaged oranges,
concern is stripping and shipping every
thing. l don't know what can be done
to stop it,
I. M. Simpson of the Earl Fruit COM
pany admitted that there had been sorSe
damage done, but said that nobody could
tell how much as yet. Estimates made
now are mere guesswork," said he. Our
men have been out for several days
gauging the damage and we know there
is lots of good fruit left. We had plenty
of good fruit left in 94, too. My estimate
of the damage is that it is not over ten
per cent. One thing that should be con-
sidered is that nobody seems to be rush
ing off their fruit now"
T.. Il. Earl, president Of the same COM
pany. later said that he knew of one con-
Germ that had fifty men out picking and
shipping frozen fruit, but knew of no
way to stop it.
The manager of a shipping firm oper-
ating in thirty odd districts said yester
day: 1--WE find it very hard to learn the
exact condition because of general in
clination among growers to cover it up.
Our field reports vary exceedingly on
that account. For instance, they indi-
cate today that the general loss is within
rs per cent, while yesterday fully one-
half the crop was reported as damaged.
"Our reports today are that at River
side the loss in the lowlands below
Magnolia avenue is 25 per cent. On the
Casa Blanca side 10 per cent, and on
the East Side no damage done. At
Redlands and Highland, no damage. In
the lowlands adjacent some damage,
ranging from 10 to 18 per cent. Perris
people say there is no damage there, ex-
cept in the lowlands, and there about 10
per cent. At North Ontario and Clare
mont, no damage. Lower Pomona, some
damage; extent unknown. Lordsburg,
Glendora, Covina and their foothill dis
tricts, no damage, except in the low
lands. In Covina and Duarte. some dam
age. At Santa Paula and San Fernan-
do, no damage. The weather Is generally
reported warmer but is colder in some
few places. The most serious damage
seems to have occurred in a portion Of
Riverside and lower Pomona.
In assuming that. other things being