The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-12-10
ORANGES AND APPLES.

Reaned Success" While telling OF as
tonishing yields per acre, and of the profit
If 25 per cent on $780, 900 invested in
ranch from the orange crop alone, this
article also tells of the disappointment
and financial losses of the old-time orange
growers, and of the labor and expense
entailed in getting the best results from
an orange grove. For instance, one man $
experience cost him $50, 600 in good hard
cash, The coast region where the hrst
groves were started was found insult
able. and scores of orange varieties were
exner;mented with to discover whether
thew were adapted to the California SOIL
and climate. Then, when these difficult
ties had been overcome, an insect pest,
the white or cottony cushion scale, began
to anpear ''In the winter of 1884 two
hundred and fifty acre grove near San
Gabriel produced fruit that sold for S'o'-
600; year later not one orange grew on
the trees. The white scale had taken
nossession." This means expense to the
orange grower. Every second year the
scale-infested trees are covered with air
tight tents and fumigated at an expense
of 80 cents to 81 per tree. There are W
trees to the acre. An illustration is given
of fumigating groves with the aid OF a
pasolene engine that places the tent.
Then, when the California orange grower
was fairly on his feet and raising an
abundance of good oranges, he did not
know how best to dispose of them. The
oranges grown in Italy and Spain and the
crops of Florida absolutely controlled the
American markets in the East. box
of oranges could be shipped from Mes
sina to New York for 80 cents and some
times as low as ten and seven cents a
box while to reach New York the Cali
fornia grower had to pay freight rate
of dollar per box. The italian growers
paid their laborers % or Is cents for ten
to twelve hours work; in California labor
cost 81. so for nine hours and was scarce
at that. How these obstacles were over
come through the organization OF the
California Fruit Growers Exchange need
not be told here.
Four readers of the Saturday Evening
Post who met by chance the other even
ing fell to discussing this article, and 1t
appeared that it had impressed all alike.
The immense profits of orange-growing
as carried on at the present time did not
attract them so much as the labor and
expense involved in reaching these re-
suits. The writer in the Post says: ''But
unless the newcomer is prepared to cast
aside all ancient notions and prejudices
acquired in Eastern decidious orchards.
to spend money unstintingly upon his
orange producing plant in manner con-
sidered crininally extravagant in Indi-
ana, unless he intends to take care OF his
grove as he would of a racing-stable full
of thoroughbreds, he had better leave
orange growing alone. The four read
ers of the Post had instinctively applied
the lessons of this article to local con-
ditions. Maine is as well adapted to
apple-growing as California to orange
growing. In quality, flavor and keeping
qualities it can compete with any country
or section of our own country. Yet States
South and West are sending apples into
New England, where Maine apples should
hold the first place. In considerable
section of Illinois the profits from raising
the Ben Davis apple are almost equal to
those of the California orange-groWers.
Oregon has invaded the eastern markets
with a high colored apple, attractlvely
packed, but inferior in flavor to the ma
tive fruit. 1t lacks the tang and juice of
the Maine apple. In going about the
State how many orchards do you see that
are well cared for? The writer has never
happened to see one; but instead has seen
old trees, filled with dead limbs, infested
by tent caterpillars, and with suckers
growing up around their trunks. Such
trees cannot produce good fruit, and I'M
less used for cider or fed to stock it IS
allowed to rot on the ground, and If mar
keted it brings the very lowest price and
tends to discredit Maine apples. There
are orchards in Maine that are not only
well cared for, but care is taken in pack
ing the fruit for market, so that buyers
are assured that the goods are first class
and just as represented. One Maine
orchardist of this class will, it is said,
realize this season $500 from his nine
hundred barrels of Baldwins and Bell
flowers, while others have been getting
two dollars or less per barrel. Would it
not pay to follow the methods OF the
California orange-grower; or perhaps we
should say to use the same care and labor
and go to the expense necessary to pro-
duce perfect fruit? Inferior apples are
never profitable, and some years cannot
be given away; but we do not believe the
day willsever come when fruit of the first
quality will not command good price.
Winter arrived in Portland last week
William Winter, the dramatic critic of
the New York Tribune
A Chicago educator says that Prohi-
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