2376 



ORANGE 



ORANGE 



boats which sailed for New Orleans, and, in this unat- 

 tractive fashion, offered the fruit for market in a 

 bruised and decaying state. After educating the 

 growers, they began picking carefully, but without any 

 method of grading or sizing. The first packing efforts 

 were made without using wrapping-paper, though 

 later they were taught how to wrap the fruit. Many 

 years passed, however, before our leading growers were 

 induced to install modern graders, cleaners and polish- 

 ers. The growers are now using labeled paper and 

 printed boxes, and compete in the principal markets, 

 and have been doing so for the past several seasons, 

 with the best oranges grown elsewhere. 



"Louisiana oranges are of the highest quality, being 

 thin-skinned, sweet, juicy, and have a delicious flavor 

 that is not found in any other orange. A number of 

 markets take them at higher net prices to the growers 

 than are obtained for either Florida or California 

 oranges. A vastly greater quantity than we now raise 

 could be handled to equally good advantage. The 

 opportunity to market so many more than are now 

 grown should be an inducement to an enormously 

 increased acreage. 



"Any number of growers who have shipped from 

 1,000 to 10,000 boxes of oranges are willing to testify 

 that results during the past five years have been from 

 $1.25 to $1.75 per box net on the trees. These prices 

 included culls and all varieties of oranges which they 

 grew. The production per tree compares favorably 

 with other citrous fruit-growing sections. Our real 

 industry, however, lies in our commercial varieties 

 known as the Louisiana Sweet orange. This fruit comes 

 on the market about the first of October, and shipments 

 continue until the first of January. The season could 

 be extended, but, on account of our limited crops, we 

 find no necessity to hold the fruit any longer. We grow 

 successfully the Satsuma, which begins to move in the 

 latter part of September, and shipments are made until 

 the end of October. Then follows our sweet high-grade 

 mandarin; these first appear in October and last until 

 the middle of November, sometimes extending a month 

 longer. The tangerine starts to move about the middle 

 of November and continues until the latter part of 

 December. The navel orange is also grown very suc- 

 cessfully, the only drawback being that they grow too 

 large, as the market is limited for extra-large sizes. 

 Valencias are ready for market in February and the 

 season extends until March; they usually command $1 

 per box more than Louisiana Sweets for the reason that 

 the bulk of the sweet crop is then sold out, thus leaving 

 a bare market. Grapefruit is perfectly adapted to our 

 soil and climate. It is a large producer and of a quality 

 equal, if not superior, to that grown elsewhere. Our 

 prices have been very high, on account of which our 

 growers are generally increasing their acreage of this 

 fruit tree." E. S. TUCKER, f 



Orange-culture in California. 



Orange seeds were brought into California by the 

 Jesuit missionaries who planted the first orchard at 

 San Gabriel Mission in 1804. The success of these 

 trees so impressed William Wolfskill, a Kentucky 

 trapper of German blood, that he planted the first com- 

 mercial orange orchard in 1841 on the ground now 

 occupied by the Arcade Passenger Station of the South- 

 ern Pacific Railway in the city of Los Angeles. Wolfskill 

 was highly successful and gradually enlarged his 

 orchard of seedling trees from 2 to 70 acres. It was he 

 who, in 1877, shipped the first full carload of oranges 

 across the Rocky Mountains to eastern markets. 



Thomas A. Garey, of Los Angeles, established the first 

 citrous nursery in 1865 and by propagating trees and 

 introducing new varieties, played a prominent part in 

 establishing the industry. 



Extensive commercial development of orange-cul- 



ture may be said to have begun with the completion 

 of the Southern Pacific Railroad's connections with 

 the East in 1876. Three years later, the exhibition of 

 the first fruits of the Washington Navel orange at 

 Riverside gave another impetus to citrous planting, 

 but the greatest development came with the comple- 

 tion of the Santa Fe's competing line of railroad which 

 was opened about 1885. 



The strong demand for California oranges in the 

 eastern markets and the high prices received by some, 

 brought on a period of frenzied planting and specula- 

 tion which culminated in 1882-1883, when drought, 

 frost, scale insects, and the lack of a coherent market- 

 ing organization, conspired rudely to awaken from their 

 golden dreams many who had rushed into the business 

 with insufficient knowledge and capital to weather a 

 period of depression. Since 1890, expansion has been 

 rapid but conservative; better distribution and in- 

 creased consumption have taken care of the increased 

 production. At present (1915) production is increasing 

 much more rapidly than consumption. The growth in 

 production may best be shown by the shipments for 

 the past twenty-four years: 



CALIFORNIA CITROUS SHIPMENTS. 

 (Including all citrous fruits.) 



Season Carloads 



1890-91 4,016 



1891-92 4,400 



1892-93 5,871 



1893-94 5,022 



1894-95 7,575 



1895-96 6,915 



1896-97 7,350 



1897-98 15,400 



1898-99 10,875 



1899-00 18,400 



1900-01 24,900 



1901-02 19,180 



Season Carloads 



1902-03 23,871 



1903-04 29,399 



1904-05 31,422 



1905-06 27,610 



1906-07 29,820 



1907-08 32,729 



1908-09 40,592 



1909-10 32,648 



1910-11 46,394 



1911-12 40,673 



1912-13 18,960 



1913-14 48,548 



The chief factors which have influenced the growth 

 of the industry are: (1) The very favorable climatic 

 and soil conditions. (2) The building of the railroads. 

 (3) The great success of the Washington Navel variety 

 as a regular and heavy bearer, a good shipper, and a 

 splendid seller. (4) The protective duties imposed upon 

 imported citrous fruits by the United States Congress. 

 These duties have been continuously in force since July 

 4, 1789, although they have been changed in amount 

 nineteen times during that period. (5) The marked 

 enterprise of the persons engaged in the business. The 

 California citrous business is peculiar in that the per- 

 sons who have made it are, in so many cases, retired 

 business or professional men from the East and North 

 who, having lost their health in the acquisition of wealth, 

 have bought and developed citrous properties, thus 

 bringing into the industry much-needed capital, com- 

 mercial ability, and business habits. (6) Cooperative 

 packing and marketing. By this means a uniform 

 standard pack has been established, better distribution 

 secured, and, by uniting their strength, the growers 

 have been able to secure from the railroads many 

 valuable concessions. (7) The introduction of the 

 Australian lady-bird beetle, Novius cardinalis, and its 

 control of the cottony cushion scale. (8) The develop- 

 ment of the method of refrigeration in transit. (9) 

 Rigid inspection and quarantine methods against inju- 

 rious insect pests and diseases. By this means the 

 state has so far been kept free from the Mexican orange 

 maggot, the Mediterranean fruit-fly, and many other 

 damaging pests, such as the citrus canker. (10) Scien- 

 tific investigations and research by the United States 

 Department of Agriculture, the State University Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Station, and the State Commis- 

 sion of Horticulture. (11) The great advertising activ- 

 ities by the Chambers of Commerce of the various 

 cities and towns. 



It is estimated that in 1915 the California citrous 

 industry represents an investment of $200,000,000 



