Imperial Valley press., 1911-11-28
BR'ER HARBIS0N'5
THIRD PAPER ON
VALLEYS RESOURCES

Following is the third article by
Editor HARRISON on imperial Valley:
Navel oranges hang on the trees IN
the valley today as sweet as the best
that Florida ever sent to the market,
Wait a moment-nOt on many trees,
for this is also one of the experiments
developing in this land Of q thousand
SURPRISES. But in its early develop
ment, the signs point to fruit with
all the characteristics of the FLORIDA
product, that is to say. very early and
very sweet, as compared with other
California oranges. For the Imperial
Valley has not the cool aights that
I lend charm to life on this side OF the
range, and which are also supposed
TO contribute the tang that gives a
favor to the California orange that no
other spot i'll the world can equal.
There are only a few orange trees
in the valley to the point of bearing.
and the best specimens We saw are TO
be found on the 8 Nj Bixby ranch. a
few miles east of Imperial The place
itself might have sprung up as one
of the entertainments of the Arabian
Nights tales. Five years ago it was
q waste. Today there are orange trees
that here in the San Bcrnlrdiuo Val
ley would be rated as at least seven
years old They have been planted
there, some four. some i've years old |
There are date palms that in five
years have exceeded d l0-year growth i
west Of the mountains. and | measured |
the butt of q pepper tree that III five T
years has reached . girth Of four and .
one-half feet
But it was particularly the oranges ,
that we went to see. The nayels are .
not yet well colored. but with half the !
skin yellowish green. the fruit is alb
solutely sweet. as sweet as any Indian
river orange that ever went to the |
market from Florida The fruit is
large. after the manner OF younger |
trees, SlucOiH, anu Ny SUN Ni~A4oN
experts as Nr. Kendall was pronounc
ed well nigh perfect in appearance.
From his Mediterranean sweet |
trees. Mr. Bixby gathered US a few !
specimens that are now as sweet as
a navel with us in March-indeed, with |
very much that flavor. although the |
skin is yet as green as the proverbiai |
gourd and the fruit hardly yet full
size These orange trees. four and
five years old, have never been fertil- |
lied except with a little stable ma
nure this year What they might be
made to do after a soil analysis and
the possible addition of just the plant
food that science. might suggest, Is
one of the developments yet to be un-
dertaken But the well-kept BiXby
ranch. which is a sort of private ex-
pertinent station. has demonstrated
that oranges. tempting in appearance,
sweet in favor, very early in season
and in full crop, can be grown there.
Grapefruit and lemons are likewise
producing il this sane plot Of ground
Less than mile away is the Or
chard that vas put out by A. A. CoN,
of this city, and subsequently sold to
one G: the valley land owners. That
orchard. while now growing thriftiIy,
demonstrated two years ago that
frosts may be q problem to contend
with in that location, for, chill night
got" the small trees, nipping the
young growth Cn all of them, killing
few of the trees, and putting the 9TH
ers back at least year. Had the or
chard been protected even slightly,
this perhaps would not have happened.
But there is q section of the valley.