176 



THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



THE NEW PEACH GROWERS ORGANIZATION, AND WHAT 

 IT MEANS TO THE PEACH GROWERS. 



By J. C. Rorden, Selma, Cal. 



You have heard the splendid oration of Mr. Weinstoek, our State 

 Market Director, who has just finished his discourse. Now, if you will 

 bear with me a little while, I will try to give you some of my experiences 

 that I have had in raising peaches in and near Selma. It has been a 

 sort of a "Knocks" College education to me and I am still a pupil, for 

 it seems to me that there are new things coming up to the peach grower 

 all the time. 



Yes, I am from Selma. the Home of the Peach, a prosperous little 

 city south of Fresno about fifteen miles. It is surrounded by splendid 

 peach orchards, vineyards and alfalfa. Selma was christened the 

 "Home of the Peach" about twelve or fifteen years ago and if you take 

 a trip down through the San Joaquin Valley on the Southern Pacific 

 Railroad, when the conductor calls "Selma" look through the window 

 and you will see Selma's slogan in an electric sign, "Selma, the Home 

 of the Peach." Less than a year ago they threw a good many slurs 

 at that sign. They said that the reason Selma was the Home of the 

 I 'each was lieeause we could not get rid of our peaches and they there- 

 fore stayed at home. My answer to them was that our slogan had 

 reference to Selma's young ladies. 



But things have changed in the last year. While the prices a year 

 ago were 2^ and 2i cents, they are now up to 6 cents and the reason for 

 the difference I will refer to later. 



Besides receiving in the neighborhood of 3,000 tons of dried peaches 

 in Selma this season, we have shipped out several hundred car loads 

 of green peaches. The Libby, McNeill & Libby cannery cans about 

 6,000 tons of peaches in a season. It averages 125 tons a day and 

 employs between 500 and 600 men and women. The plant is going to 

 be enlarged so that it can take care of 200 tons a day. It will then 

 be the largest peach canning establishment in the Avorld and will give 

 employment to 800 people during the canning season. 



Now, to get a peach orchard, the first thing necessary is to have a 

 good piece of land and it is necessary to pay in round numbers $100 

 an acre down our way. After making some very careful estimates 

 and consulting with other large peach growers, I have arranged a table 

 of figures which will give you a good idea of what it costs per acre to 

 get a peach orchard into bearing. 



First Year. 



Cost of laud per acre $100 00 



10S trees, 15 cents each 



Planting 



Plowing once 



Plowing twice 



Harrowing three times 



Cultivating two times 



Irrigating three times 



Water for irrigation 



Taxes 



S per cent interest on $100- 



Second Year. 



Pruning 



Planting and resetting 



Spraying 



Plowing two times 



Sulphur 



Harrowing two times 



Cultivating three times 



Irrigating three times 



Water for irrigation 



Taxes 



8 i"i- cent interest on $143.45- 



00 

 50 

 50 

 25 

 25 

 00 

 50 

 00 

 75 

 00 



$1G 75 

 11 45 



$28 20 



