Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-21
C|TRUSFRU|T VEAL TIL
MOUNTS TO MILLIONS
FIGURES ON BIG CROPS IN
CALIFORNIA
THE COAST A SECTION FOR JOY
AND PROFIT
"Chanoes for the Eastern Homeseeker"
Discussed by Producer Who Has
Been Identified with the Bus
mess Many Years

on Citrus Fruit Industry" which ap-
peared In a local publication. Mr..
Webb placed the citrus fruit crop of
1867 at $20,000,000 In valuation and
the estimate of the 1907-8 crop at
$25,000,000 to the growers. Mr. Webb
says:
come the necessity Of loading his bank
account to overfiowing and look
ahead makes him wonder what he will
do with the money coming In to him.
TN view of these facts-and they are
simply bare facts--it Is small wonder
that this region Is flooded with queries,
the sum and substance of which are;
"'What are the chances for an east
ern homeseeker to prosper by orange
culture in Southern California?
"A satisfying answer to the question
is possible only by presenting in detail
all the data that my long experience in
the business makes available. Such
presentation, together with an accurate
showing of conditions in the orange in
dustry, is the purpose of this article.
'In taking up the broad question
above 1t Is necessary In the first place
to consider the equipment of the per-
son who desires information on the
subject. How much money has he al
command? Has he anv knowledge of
agriculture; any aptitude or liking
therefor?
"As a basic proposition 1t may be
said that no homeseeker should think
of engaging in orange culture without
a minimum of $1,000 cash in hand.
with that sum, backed by industrious
and frugal habits, he may attain sue
cess within a few years. The task Is
easier just in proportion to the avail
able cash at command in excess Of the
minimum sum stated.
Good, unimproved orange land can
be bought, even in the best of the Red
and Rtuaraida hatte
tional cases at as low a figure as S25
an acre. That, of course. does not in
clude the essential factor of water
right. The first consideration is the
means of procuring sufficient water
for irrigation either by a right included
in the land sale or proximity to
water service that may be had by
annual payments.
For 500 an acre the housekeeper may
expect, by careful investigation, to find
five-acre tract with guaranteed wa
ter service. With half his scanty cap
ital of $1,000 he can pay for his land.
He must then husband the remainder
of his money by getting along with an
inexpensive shack for living accommo-
dations
with $3.50 or more he can buy young
orange trees sufficient for half his land
and also pay the expense of cultivation
and planting. Between the rows of
trees, usually planted eighty to the
acre, he can raise crop of barley suf
ficient for COW, and also cultivate
patch of alfalfa for chicken feed.
Begin at the Bottom
The orange grower, starting thus at
the very bottom, will be obliged, prob
ably, to work for wages at such jobs
as he may obtain In the early years of
his experience, but in the second year
he should have all his land set In trees
and be fairly on the way to prosperity.
When his trees are five years old they
should yield at least an average of one
box of fruit to the tree-400 boxes in all
worth a net minimum of $3.50 box or
$1,000 for the crop And thereafter ev-
cry succeeding year will add largely to
the yield of the grove and to the income
of the producer.
"The cost of planting a f1ve-acre or
ange orchard and caring for 1t for three
years may be safely estimated as fol-
Trees, 50 to the acre. at s5 cents. ss4o
Preparing land and setting. g........... 110
Care at s25 an acre per year. S75
Cost at end OF three years. ........ ss25
ITO this must be added the cost of
land, whatever that might be, of water,
assessments on water stock, or In what
ever form the cost may come.
"But this showing, easterners may
say, makes no allowance for crop fall
ure, wholly or partial, such as occur in
the deciduous fruit and grain culture of
the east. The response to that intima-
tion is the fact that within the twenty
five years since orange culture in
Southern California assumed CONNER
cial Importance there never has been
a failure of the crop. The crop calami-
ties so common east of the Sierra are
unknown here.
"The citrus crops. oranges and lem
ons' vary somewhat in output, conse-
n,,t hoc
not been a single year in the quarter
century of production for the general
market when the crop failed to return
a fair net profit to the growers. Conse-
quently the citrus fruit producer is free
from the intense anxiety that besets
the eastern soil tiller from seed time
to harvest. based on the chances of
sudden crop destruction.
"The marketing of oranges and lemons
is a matter of 40 concern to the grower
aside from the general question of
prices. That is to say, the grower may
sell his crop on the trees, before ma
turity, pocketing his cash without
further thought. Otherwise he will
harvest the crop and deliver 1t at con-
venient packing house. With that act
his connection with the fruit ends until
the association with which he deals
hands him check for the sale price,
less charges
1.-THE whole citrus fruit business is con-
Quoted on a strictly cash basis. The
grower always can estimate approx
mately. when the fruit is maturing on
the trees, what the crop will yield in
cash. He also knows certainly that the
money will be in his pocket soon after
the crop Is marketed
Has No Equal
mo agricultural district in the world
EQUALS the Southern California orange
belt in financial returns. per acre, to
the producer. Market gardening dis
tricts in the vicinity of great cities are
excluded in this statement because they
are not fairly within the scope of COM
parison. Taking into account the labor
and money expended per acre In culti-
vatioii, there is no city market garden
district that approaches our orange belt
in profit to the producer.
But In view of the enormous present
output of oranges in Southern Califor-
mia, aproximating $1,000 carloads this
year, Is there assurance OF market for
increased production?
"rhe answer to that question is seen
in the fact that the demand for the
fruit is as stable as the demand for
wheat or corn. More oranges will be
required in proportion to the increase in
the number OF American mouths.
According to the figures OF the CEN
sus bureau. the population of the
United States has increased about TO-
100000 within the seven years Of the