The Washington times., 1901-09-27
ARlzOHA's ORANGE DROP
The First Fruit Of II. s..... 49,.
to BE Sent East.

Il
to BE sent East.
| PHOENIX. Ariz.. Sept. 2s.-The first
Arizona oranges, first on the market. first
In price. and first in size. favor, and color.
are rapidly reaching the gathering point
and In about five weeks the first car will
be Sent TO New York, to astonish and de-
light the connnisseurs. many Of whom
| still believe Arizona to be waste OF sand
and mountains.
The iirst oranges in Arizona were plant
| ed in 1883, ten miles northeast of Phoenix.
The first trees were of Florida stock, but
| resulted so unsatisfactory that the next
year California trees were planted. The
first crop was picked In 1885, and at that
time there were two hundred acres plant
ed in oranges. In the valley. Then Ari-
zona oranges first t1-san to attract at
tention in the East, and the following
year, at the midwinter fair in San Fran
cisco. they were awarded the first pre-
MUM. California judges making the
awards The acreage planted has steadily
increased. until now there are about loco
acres in oranges in the Salt River valley
and 100 In the vicinity OF Yuma. From
this valley about twenty cars will be sent
Eass This year. a total of nearly 5000
boxes. and several cars will go from the
Yuma district.
The orange district proper in this valley
is contained in strip Of land about three
miles wide and running for eleven miles
along the south side of low protecting
range OF mountains north of Phoenix.
There are groves In other 5irts of the
valley. but In no place are thes- sufficient
ly protected to become as valuable as the
orchards near the mountains. Here the
Washington navel and seedlings grow
best, while at Yuma the most profitable
fruit is the Mediterranean sweet The
Mediterranean sweet is a late variety Of
orange. maturing in California in January
and February, but at Yuma is ready for
the market by the 10th of November. Ex-
periments are now being made with the
Parson Brown, a Florida variety. and
with Oonshuns and Quamquats, Japanese
varieties. in hope Of getting as early a
producer as the Phoenix Navel.
The exact conditions which combine to
make the superior qualities Of the Arizona
orange are hard to define: but the equable
climate and the warm nights and days.
together with the rich. alluvial soil, are
probably to be credited with the produc-
tion of the thin-skinned. aromatic oranges
which are or the market a month before
the CduIOrnla prOduct- ara Wnlch brought
last year s6.25 per box in New York, near
ly $l-50 more than the California Navel.
By long odds the orange is the most
profitable crop in Arizona To be sure,
the insdustry is still in its infancy. and
not practicable, except in comparatively
limited locality, but the profits on an acre
of ten-year-old oranges. In the proper To-
cation. are far too great, proportioaa:ely.
Tor comparison with any other crop.
1t Is difficult to estimate an acreage
profit. but several growers, with nine
year-old trees, sold their oranges at the
rate Of over $500 an acre last year, in a
season that was considered an extreme
ly poor one. The results in the future
are to be surnised from the fact that an
orange tree is not in Spain and italy con-
sidered matured producer until it at
and is in its best bearing from sixteen
to fifty years. and brings forth fruit for
as many as 800 years
Implanted orange lands in Arizona are
valued at prices ranging from $50 to $500
per acre, and with orchards in bearing
as high as s.. 600 per acre. Sufncient water
for proper irrigation is the main requisites
to success, and there is little danger from
frost and none from scale. the two
main difficulties in orange culture nearer
the coast. 1t has been found that the
shading of trees from the heat of midday
during the summer has aided the growth
of the trees, and one grower Is building
canvas covers and frames for his forty
acre grove, an experiment that will neces-
state an outlay of $500 per acre.
It is certain that as better methods for
waters are put into operation. many
more acres of land In Arizona, northern
Mexico. and southern California will be
planted in oranges.