, 1900-08-23
GROWING ORANGES.
HOW cALIFoRNiAns DO 1T.
In Order to Make Big Profits the Raiser
Must he Industrious aud Enrerprising
Five Hundred Dollars an Acre In
Average Crop.

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Many people going from the East to
California have an exaggerated dea of
lie profits of orange raising. They also
underestimate the amount of work
necessary to success.
While general farming in the
eastern portions of the country calls
for harder work, the successful orange
grower must give constant care ana
attention to his crop and much tillage
of the soil Is necessary. The profits
will not be extraordinary without ex-
traordinary effort on the part of the
owner.
Orchards nov command n lower
price per acre than they did eight or
ten years ago when the industry was
younger and the price OF fruit was
higher. Very good orchard lands with
ordinary improvements upon them can
now be bought FOR $500 to $500 per
acre. Most of the orchards consist of
ten acres, though M industrious man
ear care for thirty acres il he employs
help during the picking season.
Except during the rainy season it Is
necessary to thoroughly irrigate the
trees Once n month. The cost of water
IN some districts is gate heavy. run
ming up as high as 5000 a year for ten
acres. The ground between the rows
of trees IL be f'Trowed for irrigat-
ing, and afterwtrd narrowed level
again. This. with other borrowings. is
done upon the s owing belief that fire.
quent breaking Up of the top soil tends
TO conserve the moisture in the ground.
Most orchards; s enrich the soil every
year with manure or other fertilizers.
Trees are set from twenty to twenty
five feet apart, and about 100 to the
ac~e. The average tree will bear four
or five boxes of range per year,
Which sell for S1.2J per box. Thu cash
value of the ordinary crop averages
from $500 to 5000 per acre.
Oranges begin to ripcn in December
n the last are ripe in March. but
they can he left on the tree until May
or June without serious deterioration.
This gives opportunity for placing the
crop on the market during the larger
part of Ii year. Both oranges and
lemons have to he picked with care to
prevent bruising. Lemons are the more
perishable. as the slightest bruise leads
to speedy decay. Heavy winds do
great damage to these fruits, but are
of infrequent occurrence. Lemons, I'M
like oranges are constantly maturing,
n picking zoe on the year round.
While oranges are allowed to ripen he
fore picking, lemons are always picked
while green The pickers are partic-
ular to take them from the tree when
they are of the right size. n ring being
used to determine if they are of the
right diameter. Lemons hat are larger
than the standard command n lower
price, because Il certain number Is re-
quired in n box to bring Il given re
turn as they are sold by the dozen.
Lemon raising Is about as profitable
as orange raising, some men prefer
ring one. some the other fruit.
The figures given above exceed the
profits received by many fruit r~aisers,
Lut on the other hand some men do
much better. \ man mt North Ontario,
which is the center of II district. re
ceivCd $500 from Il crop of lemons of
ten acres two years ago. Last year
the crop was small and prices low.
This year lie eXpetcs to get $4,000
for his crop. He gives his orchard the
closest attention, and this year eX-
pended 1000 for fertilizers.
The fruits of the district are handled
in II cooperative way. being turned
over by the raiser to the company at
North Ontario, which does the packing
and shipping. The fruit is washed and
carefully sorted, according to size. and
then wrapped in papers as it is placed
In the boxes An expert packer will
wrap and pack forty lemons in a min
ute.