Los Angeles herald., 1908-07-13
FRUIT GROWERS
ON EASY STREET
CALIFORNIA CROPS GREATLY
ABOVE THE AVERAGE
Shortage In Northwest and Middle
West Sections Leads to Great
Demand for Pacific Coast
Products

Statistics just compiled by the
Southern Pacific railroad show that
southern California has just passed
through one of the most successful
years in recent history, so far as the
output of its fruit crops is concerned.
Checks are still coming to the citrus
orchardist from far eastern jobbers
and the average farmer is wearing one
Of the biggest smiles of many sea-
sons.
1t is a smile that won't rub off, for 1t
is backed up by fat ard juicy bank
bills and also by the assurance, based
on conditions prevailing in the eastern
fruit belts, that California is going to
have one of the greatest and most sat
isfactory deciduous crops in Its long
and hourishing career as source OF
the succulent.
Fruit crops in many sections Of the
northwest and middle west, 1t is said,
are decided failure, owing to late
frosts and other handicaps; while the
deciduous crop in Southern California
has been especially smiled upon by Sol
and Fortune.
AS it's an ''ill wind that blows no
good" the crop returns OF Southern
California will be almost doubly in
creased by the deficit in other sections.
So far, although the season is but
Just on, the Southern Pacific alone has
shipped out 1912 carloads Of fresh fruit,
as compared with only s21 carloads to
the same date last season-and last
season wasn't a poor one either.
The Santa Fe, also, has carried east
195 carloads as against sixty carloads
to the same date last season. This sea-
sons total shipments, up to Saturday
night, aggregated 1927 carloads. No
wonder we're happyl No wonder the
orchardisfs are smiling and buying
automobiles and planning new cot
tages by the sea. It's enough to make
a pessimist happy-if Southern Califor-
mia ever had any, but 1t hasn't
In some respects the prices so far
have not been quite as high as last
season, because Georgia happened to
have good year on peaches and the
markets of the big eastern cities were
fairly avalanched with the red-cheeked
pride of the cotton land"
Georgia Beat Us to II
In fact, Georgia got in her work un-
expectedly and her crop was so great
that eastern buyers contracted for
unheard-of quantities. learning that
the quality was superior. When the
consumer had been fairly ''soured'' on
the peaches, the big jobbers found their
hands and everything else chuck full
of the fruit at a time when the South
ern California output Of other decidu-
GUS fruits was ready to pile in on them
Ia week or two ahead OF the expected
time, because Of the unusually favor
able weather In the southland.
Southern California fruits, therefore,
were sold at somewhat lower figure
than otherwise they would have
brought, because of the condition of
the market on Georgia peaches, which
the New Yorkers haven't unloaded even
yet. The prices were controlled, how
ever, in manner to prevent any great
losses, but Southern California grow
ers have had to stand for the differ
ence.
With the dumping of the Georgia
peach crop, however, the Southern Cali
fornia deciduous products will come in
for their own, and owing to exceed
ingIy poor crops in most other sec
tions, the later prices of the season
promise to go soaring. So the South
ern California orchardist is looking for
more fat cheeks from Wall street and
elsewhere.
With the ideal summer weather that
Southern California has had so far,
characterized by the absence of excess
sive heat or dry winds, the fruit crops
are ripening to perfection. Apples,
peaches, pears, plums, apricots, ETC.,
are large, very juicy and sweeter and
better than they have been for some
seasons-another fact which contributes
to the spirit of excessive optimism pre-
valent among the grower-folk.
After ALL we haven't got much to
complain about-we 'uns o. California
who can put it all over everybody
when it comes to raising things and
selling them. Or when 1t comes to
spending the money after we get It'll
Maybe these fruit growers haven't got
a right to buy automobiles and plan
new cottages on the seashore! Well,
now, we wonder.