15- 

 th e country into which thirty years ago were imported 300,000 boxes of 

 citrus fruit produced within its own borders last year 1,380,000 boxes. 

 What were the facts as to importation in the same year ? From the 

 report of the Senate Finance Committee, compiled for the use of the 

 Senate of the United States, in the discussion of the McKinley Bill, and 

 gathered from the most authentic sources, to wit, the custom-house 

 returns of the United States, it is shown and declared that in 1889 there 

 was imported into the United States of citrus fruits 3,354,963 boxes and 

 113,927 barrels. Thus, notwithstanding the contribution of Florida and 

 California to the volume of supply, the importation of citrus fruits into 

 the United States was more than eleven times that noted prior to the be- 

 ginning of home production. In the face of these facts, is it competent 

 for any man to predict overproduction of oranges and lemons in Cali- 

 fornia and Florida ? The entire demand of the United States thirty years 

 ago was imported. When this country becomes a producer to the extent 

 of 1,380,000 boxes, the importation in the same time has arisen to 

 nearly 4,000,000 boxes, thus constantly widening the margin in favor of 

 the home producer and forever silencing all prophecies of overproduction. 

 I take the liberty of introducing here the testimony of an intelligent 

 representative of Southern California. Major E. W. Jones, President 

 of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, under date of August 2ist, 

 says : . 



"The citrus culture of Southern California has been successfully 

 il prosecuted for so many years as to establish the fact beyond con- 

 " troversy that our climate and soils are adapted to it. Over 100 years 

 " ago the Mission Fathers planted orange trees at San Gabriel, ten 

 " miles east of Los Angeles, and some of these trees are still living, in 

 ' ' spite of half a century of neglect. In the past thirty-five years only 

 ' ' has citrus culture in California been engaged in as a commercial ven- 

 " ture. Sixteen years ago orchardists in the San Gabriel' valley and Los 

 " Angeles city found markets for their fruits and realized $1,200 an acre 

 " for oranges. The fruit on about thirty acres was sold at that 

 " price. That was the first opportunity for reaching the outside markets. 

 " Since then the planting of citrus orchards all through Southern Cali- 

 " fornia has been going on until now in Los Angeles county alone there 

 " are eighteen thousand acres. The shipments of citrus fruit, including 

 " lemons and limes, last year were 827,000 boxes from Southern Califor- 

 ' ' nia. Leading shippers of our section estimate the crop of next year 

 " to be 4,000 carloads. Markets for the fruits and facilities for reaching 

 " them increase in greater proportion than the production, while the cost 

 " of transportation is continually cheapening." 



The second instance to be cited here will relate to raisins. In 1874 we 

 shipped East 200 pounds of raisins. In 1888 we shipped 18,000,000 

 pounds, and the extent to which we failed to supply the home market is 

 fully illustrated by the report of the Finance Committee, already quoted, 

 wherein it is declared that there was actually imported into the United 



