COST OF LAND AND BRINGING IT INTO BEARING. 



Land Suitable There should be a reasonable certainty that the 



for land is not visited by winds and frost; and, just 



Orange Culture. as a southern exposure is preferable for a house, 



so it is for an orange grove, but it is far from 



essential. Lands backed on the north by high hills and mountains are 

 especially desirable. Many orange growing communities have been 

 established on such lands; but as these localities have come very 

 largely into demand for residential purposes, the bare land commands 

 a very pretty price. For a radius of thirty miles or more about Los 

 Angeles the country is covered with a network of electric railways, 

 and its consequent accessibility has appreciably raised its value. How- 

 ever, suitable land for orange culture can still be secured in rural 

 communities in Southern California for from $200 to $500 per acre, 

 depending upon locality and soil. Soil favorable for orange growing 

 varies from a light disintegrated granite to a heavy, dark loam. The 

 subsoil is as important as the surface. Hardpan should be avoided, 

 or strata of sand and gravel. 



Water for A buyer should take great care to see that there is 

 Irrigation an attached to the land a water supply sufficient for 

 Essential. irrigation when the grove he intends planting shall 

 have come into full bearing. That such a supply 

 exists and that its use shall be secured to him for years to come 

 should be a matter of searching inquiry before purchase of land for 

 orange growing. He should have from one miner's inch of water 

 to ten acres to one inch to four acres, according to the nature of the 

 soil. Inquiry in the neighborhood where he thinks of buying will 

 advise him how much water is required for the soil in that particular 

 locality. 



Windbreaks. Lands visited by winds may in other respects be 

 desirable for orange culture. In such case, it is cus- 

 tomary to plant windbreaks on the windward side of each five or 

 ten acres. These windbreaks usually consist of alternate eucalyptus 

 and pepper trees, planted ten or twelve feet apart. The pepper is a 

 dense, low-growing tree, while the eucalyptus is tall and slender. The 

 combination makes a high, solid wall, capable of offering great re- 

 sistance to the wind. Both are rapid-growing trees. The. Mon- 

 terey cypress also is used for windbreaks. These trees should be 

 planted from six to eight feet apart. Ample space should be allowed 

 on each side of windbreaks. If placed too near the fruit trees they 

 rob the latter of sustenance. 



Cost After the purchase price of the land comes the out- 



of lay for developing a grove. By ten years a grove 



Development. should be in full bearing; but from the fourth year 

 there will be some returns, and by the sixth year the 

 returns should offset, or more than offset, the yearly outlay. The 

 cost of irrigation and cultivation will vary according to local con- 

 ditions, such as soil, climate, water supply and lay of land, from 

 $15 to $25 per annum for irrigation, and from $15 to $20 per annum 

 for cultivation. Where the labor is performed by the owner or mem- 



