Arizona republican., 1904-03-29
Depression In the California Orange
 Industry.

The citrus fruit growers of Southern California are blue and discouraged This years orange crop Is the largest on record. and i- is bringing the least returns. So unsatisfactory. in fact, are the prices realized. that half the crop is still on the trees It is alleged that in many instances shippers have not received enough for the fruit at desti- nation to pay the freight charges. Generally. though. the prices realized after the payment of transportation charges and all expenses of selling have been about 75 cents a box. but after deducting the cost of the box and the cost of picking and asserting the oranges. there has been practically nothing left for the owner of the or chard. It ls not alone the orange grower who Is affected. All southern California feels the effects of the low and stagnant market, for the 24.O99 carloads which represent this years crop Of oranges ought to have put nearly gIO.0O0.OO in circulation in the immediate vicinity of the orchards
 There seems to be a wide variance of opinion as to the cause Of the de- pression. It Is admitted that there has been little demand in the east for oranges during the past winter, but there are many guesses as 10 the req son. Some of the shippers have in- sisted that the underlying cause of the depression !s the high" freight rate. but in ar interview with the fruit men at los Angeles a few days ago Presi- dent Ripley Of the Santa Fe showed that this theory has no foundation. The freight rate on a box of oranges from California 70 the Atlantic seaboard amounts Co abou: 90 cents. and as President Ripley pointed out. were this rate reduced the eastern con- sunies and not the western producer would get the benefit. Besides. he as- serted. the rate is already as low as the railroads can afford to make it. And. indeed. lt seems clear that the trouble ls not one Of freight rates. for the truth is that the eastern market has been entirely demoralized. with lit- tle demand. and it IS difficult to figure how conditions could have been improved by lower transportation charges. The glu;ted market simply would have been stiI more congeste1 l with unsalable fruit
 The most plausible explanation is that the extraordinary weather of the past winter has been at the bottom of the trouble. To begin with. the east ern apple crop was the largest ever known. ard apples compete strongly with oranges in the popular taste. But as fhe winter came on one blizzard succeeded another. and the entire east was in inc grasp of ice steadily for three months. The cold was so in tense that the distribution or orange was almost impossible. Reshipments had 10 be made under conditions that meant frozen and undesirable fruit at destinations. IL ss reasonable to sup pose that if normal weather had pre- vailed the prices realized would have been up to the average Of former years. hence there is no reason to fear that the prosperity Of the citrus fruit growers in California has come to an end.
 The discouraging situation iH which our western neighbors find themselves just now but emphasizes. however, the radical difference bet|een orange growing in California and in the Salt River valley. Here the oranges ripen in November. and are in prime con dition for the eastern holiday trade. at the season Of greatest demand. while at that time California oranges are stll green What this means to the grower is told by the market returns Sait River valley oranges net about @ @ box "on the trees. while this year southern California oranges have net ted rcarcely 75 cents a box, free on board And still. HOtwithstandine this excellent showing. our ranchmeu have not been disposed to grow ex- cited over the orange business. That old standby. the alfalfa field. beats them all.