Omaha daily bee., 1910-04-10
LIFE IN SUNNY CALIFORNIA
Features that Appeal to the Casual
Winter Visitor.
ORANGE CULTURE IN DETAIL
PLANTING the Trees 60 Marketing IA
Crop . Pleasant Journey Through
ProfIts-whnt Los Angeles
10 Doing.

Of The Bee. Southern California has long
enioyed the reputation a. an ideal winter
resort and as one travels around about
Los Angeles. the surprising thing is that
so many Nebraska people have traded the
cold winters and fierce snowstorms for he
GLORIOUS climate" OF California. ] must
confess that / caught the fever 10 the eX-
tent Of trying out the winter among the
orange groves, and Mrs. Taylor and the
writer arrived at Upland, about forty miles
east OF Los Angeles. soon after the middle
Of January. Most Of the time since we have
thoroughly enjoyed life on a ranch at the
foot OF the mountains. The term ranch Is
used here particularly with reference to
new land. Since our arrival we have Wis
ited the fruit packing houses, a very IN
! taresting sight, and driven through "A great
many orchards. / presume Bee readers VIII
be Interested in some OF the details OF the
fruit business.
In the first place the old saying Is irue
that all that giitters Is not gold Every
country has its drawbacks. In southern
California are districts in which fine crops
OF oranges. lemons and grapefruit have and
can be profitably raised. In the past some
K mistakes have been made in trying to grow
crops on land wholly unsuited and never
d NntHn0eQ Dy HhkAAo y NAeAAt'Ff W %
ample. the old timer IL ready TO acknowl-
edge that the best land on which to grow
oranges. lemons, grape frult-cltrus fruits,
they are calIed-is the foothills OF the
mountain ranges surrounding the valley
east OF Los Angeles. Since the frosts OF the
last winter these lands are referred TO as
the "frostbItten belts" The best results are
obtained on land at an elevation Of from
200 to 1000 feet. Strange to say, II does
not get so cold in these f~oot1,ls rs It
does lower down in the valley.
Purchases of Fruit Land.
9 Further down, on the flat lands, the at
tempt to raise citrus fruits is beng aban-
aoned and these lands are profitablY ON
ployed, and quite successfully SO, in small
grain. vegetables. alfalfa. walnuts, decidu-
aus fruits. etc. Conditions have changed
for the better quite materially so since the
foregoing facts were realized and every
thing is more prosperous. In purchasing
property in southern California one should
be careful TO get located in a district espe-
cially fitted for raising he things the pur-
chaser desires to engage in. You cans raise
alfalfa on orange ground nor can you grow
oranges in an alfalfa district. Some cast
ern people, probably through ignorance,
sometimes try to sell cheap lands, and call
them orange lands, but they are not. The
land suitable for oranges is higher AMI hard
10 get. Even good land is Of little account
unless an abundance of water for irrigation
is provided. Nothing can be done in fruit
culture in southern California without
water. In making a purchase 1t Is Just as
important to satisfy yourself on wafer
supply as on the title.
The orange groves look very beautiful
with the deep green leaves, ripe oranges
hanging on the trees and the blossoms o
the next crop breaking forth In all thei
glory. Il lie said. and I think II true
that a good grove OF five acres will satisfy
the worldly needs of a good sized family
I certainly have never met a happier o
more contented people than the owners o
these orange groves. The growth Of tn,
, orange and lemon industry is wonderful
People had TO learn how to successful!
develop profitable orchards and through
the mistakes Of the past a great industr!
is now in successful operation. And II hai
all been accomplished in the lifetime o
one generation. Ten years ago the tota
shipments Of southern California ha'
reached 5000 cars. Last year they shipped
10000 cars. People are eating more orange
than ever before and prices are well main
tanned. The value OF the shipments ar,
about $40, 100000 per year.
Types of Oranges.
The navel orange is In the lead and NOR
are grown OF this variety than any other
II ripens along about Christmas and tn
crop is picked from December to April. a
wanted for the market. Along about Jun,
fhe Valencia orange ripens and is pickle,
and put on the market from June unit
fall. Lemon trees seem to bear all tn
year around and are picked at all times
Trees are usually irrigated once a month
The water required is one inch TO tel
acres for young trees and increasing iron
year to year until at eight or ten wears o
age the average comes up TO one inc.
for each four acres.
THE profits on a grove depend niue
hpon conditions, soil, environments, meth
DDS OF culture, packing, shipping, market
ing, etc. IL Is exactly like raising corn 1
1~Nebraska-a good crop on one side Of IN
ROAD and a poor one on the other side. TIL
net profits range all the way from S-
to 500 per acre, depending upon condition
and whether much work is done by tn
owner. l should say a good conservativ
beverage on a small grove, where the owne
Edoes not hire too much work. would b
$3.50 to $3.50 per acre on trees six year
Eoid or over,
Price of an Orange Grove.
The price OF orange groves. bearing, run
from $1,000 to 5000 per sore, according {
9RRe, location, water rights, etc. This seem
~ pretty high figure, but il not only cost
a good deal OF money to develop an orang
ltgTove. but when Il is developed a goo
grove is reasonably sure TO net the owne
SI5 per cent on these figures. These owner
ARE stiff on their prices and II an orchar
strikes the fancy OF a customer he
tpretty sure TO pay the price, Most every
body now coming to California to take u
a permanent residence brings a pretty goo
bank account with him and he Is pr,
pared to buy just about what he wants.
Good orange land is becoming scare
This means. OF course, land with wat,
facilities. Nothing can be done witho,
water. There is a soil OF decompose
granite. sloping south from the mountain
which Is said to be excellent for orang,
and lemons. This land, whore water ca
be developed by wells, is IN demand and
great deal is being improved this yea
These wells cost from $500 to $1,000 ar
with a good flow will care for a numbI
OF groves. This land is covered with sal
brush and rocks and II costs from 500