The Holly chieftain., 1900-08-24

Many people going from the East to
California have an exngRerated ilea OF
the profits OF orange raiAing. They also
underestimate the amount OF work
necessary to success.
While general farming In the
eastsfn portions of the country calls
for harder work, the SUCCESSFUL oranss
grower must give constant care and
attentlon to HIS crop and much tiliage
Of the soil 10 necessary. The profits
will mot be extraordinary without ex-
traoriinary effort ON the part OF the
owner.
Orchards now command . 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 an Industrious man
can care for thirty acres II he employs
help during the picking season.
Except during the rainy season It II
necessary to thoroughly irrigate the
trees once month. The cost Of water
In some districts 10 quite heavy, rum
ming up as high ~ 500 Z year for ten
acres. The ground between the rows
Of trees must be furrowed for irrigat-
Ing, and afterward narrowed level
again. This, with other harrowings. is
done upon the growing belief that fire.
quent breaking up Of the top soil tends
to conserve the moisture In the ground.
Most orcharlists 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
acre. The average tree will bear four
or five boxes Of oranges per year,
which sell for $1.25 per box. The cash
value OF the ordinary crop averages
from $500 to 5000 per acre.
Oranges begin to ripen In December
and the last are ripe In March, but
they can be left on the tree until May
or June without serious deterioration.
This gives opportunity for placing the
crop on tie market during the larger
part Of the year. Both oranges and
lemons have to be 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, un-
like oranges, are constantly maturing,
and picking goes on the year round.
| While oranges are allowed to ripen be-
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, ring being
used to determine II they are Of the
right diameter Lemons that are larger
than the standard command = lower
| price, because a certain number ID re
quired In q box to bring a given re.
turn as they are sold by the dozen.
Lemon raising Ia about as profitable
MS orange raising, some men prefer
ring one, some the other fruit.
The figures given above exceed the
profits received by many fruit raisers,
but on the other hand some men do
much better. A man at North Ontario,
which is the center Of one district, re-
ceived $500 from q crop Of lemons o6
ten acres two years ago. Last year
the crop was small and prices low.
This year he expetcs to get $4,000
for his crop. He gives his orchard the
closest attention, and this year ex-
pended 81 1000 for fertilizers.
The fruits OF the district are handled
In 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 rs 1t is placed
In the boxes. An expert packer will
wrap and pack forty lemons In min
| ute.