AGRICULTURE. 101 



Most of the bearing olive-trees are in the town of Los An- 

 geles, and at the Missions of San Fernando, San Gabriel, and 

 San Juan Capistrano. 



The oliv e-tree resembles a willow in the form and color of 

 its bark, the shape and proportions of its trunk and branches, 

 and the size, color, and distribution of its leaves. The trees 

 are grown from cutthigs or shoots, which latter frequently 

 sprout from the large trees near the surface of the ground. A 

 large olive-orchard in full bearing would prove an excellent 

 income, for the fruit and the oil are in demand. 



§ 150. Oranges. — The orange is cultivated in Los Angeles ; 

 and, although the trees now there are covered with insects to 

 such an extent, that most of them bear no fruit, yet I think 

 til ere is reason to hope that the fruit will, at no distant day, be 

 cultivated extensively and profitably. 



A warmer clime than that of this state is undoubtedly more 

 congenial to the orange than ours ; but in those lands where 

 the climate is warmer, the men are less industrious and intelli- 

 gent. Cultivation, which is the first element in the develop- 

 ment of every species of fruit, is wanting there, while here 

 there is no lack. Not that our cHmate is so cold as to make 

 it doubtful whether we can cultivate the orange in the open 

 air : long experience has settled the fact that the orange-tree 

 will thrive and produce well from Santa Barbara southward. 



We have no exact information as to the time when the or- 

 ange was introduced into California, nor from what stock the 

 old orange-trees came. Probably tlie first missionaries brought 

 orange-seeds with them from Lower California, that stock hav- 

 ing come from the indigenous trees along the western coast of 

 Mexico. The seeds were planted at various old missions, such 

 as San Diego, San Fernando, San Juan Capistrano, and so forth. 

 The trees grew, were planted out, bore well, received little at- 

 tention or cultivation, and some of them are still standing as 

 monuments to the industry and enterprise of the old priests. 



There are now, so far as I can learn, about twenty-five hun- 

 dred orange-trees set out in orchard in the state, more than 



