The Dickinson press., 1909-03-20
HIS CALIFORNIA VISIT

Mo
Asa Gardner 4 Writes an Interest:
ing Letter Of Two Months Visit
at Coast. Many 1ntefestiing
Things Chronicled.
Editor of Hettinser County Herald
New England. N. D.
Dear sir;-
At your request T. will
try to describe my trip to California.
We left Dickinson January 4, going
by way of St. Paul, and the weather at
that time was about 30 below zero. It
was also very cold in St. Paul and down
through Iowa until W got to Kansas
City, where We ran out of the snow and
cold. From Kansas City we took the
Sante Fe to Pasadena. CAL. the weather,
getting warmer all along and by the
time we reached Upland, Cal. it was
like summer.
We went from Reinbeck.... Iowa. with
the Porter Land Co. in their private Cal.
At Upland, MI. Porter had autos to take
their party out to look at the orange and
lemon groves as this was the first place
we found oranges. 1t is almost impos-
sible to describe the beauty of an
orange or lemon grove. in full bearing,
also the flowers in bloom, trees, fine
lawns and everything pleasing to the
eye, especially to a person who was never
there.
The lands around Upland that are set
out to oranges, lemons or walnuts are
held at about ST, 500 an acre. This is,
of course. irrigated land. The land that
lies right next to these fine orchards,
covered so thickly with cactus and
tones that it is difficult to get around,
is held at large figures.
After we had taken in the towns of
Upland and Ontario. we went into the
packing plant where they sort and pack
the oranges and lemons. The first
process after the farmer delivers his
oranges and lemons is to dump them
into watts filled with water and a prep
aration to cleanse all the dirt and
dust from them. From this they are
run through a series of brushes which
polish them very nicely and then they
are run on an endless belt through a
sorting machine. which sorts each size
so exactly that there is not an ounce of
difference in them. After they are
sorted girls or men pick up an orange
in one hand and a piece of tissue
paper. in the other and pack a box III
a very short time, packing them in until
they stand about two inches over the
top of the box. Next they are put on
another endless belt and sent to be
nailed VI. The man who does the nail
ing first puts them in a press and presses
them down until you would think the
juice would all be out of them. After
they are nailed up they are put in cars
in rows about four inches apart so the
air can circulate freely. They put 4So
boxes in a car and nail a strip to. each
box so it cannot move. The fruit
growers have an association now and
regulate the shipments so that no
market is overstocked with fruit and
there is very little loss from spelling. !,
The farmers and every one connected
with the fruit business are making
money, while before they formed the
association, all the markets would be
elutted with fruit at one time or a
famine at another.
From Upland We went to Edison,
where Mr.. Porter had orange land for
sale. Everyone in the party bought 20
acres or more Of land at $50 an acre
and as long as l was in California this
was the best deal ] saw to get good
land at5that price. 1t will not do to
tell the amount that those folks realize
each year per acre from fruit and a
|H -. "rHft - ~ l'Hs~' ,tE
man with ten acres bearing fruit, nuts,
alfalfa or intact anything you want to
raise, can be Independent and not be
overworked.
Of course it is the same there as here,
the man who works is the man who gets
ahead. "a.
Leaving Edison we went to Pasadena
where we had relatives and stayed most
of our time. Pasadena is the ~cleanest
and prettiest city l ever saw and is about
ten, miles from Los Angeles, another
fine city of $50, 900 population. The
electric lines run all over this country
and you can take a 100 mile ride for
ST.. 90. There are SO many sights to see
here it keeps you busy to get around to
them.
We took a trip over to Catalina Islands,
81 miles out in the ocean. l took 1 "a
kodak along to get a picture of my wife
and sister when they got sick but I was
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