210 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



What is the gross yield from these trees ? Like wheat, or any 

 other staple crop, the average per acre is very much less than one 

 would expect. 



There are often such heavy losses from late frosts, drought, 

 insect pests, and fungoid diseases that only a person of more than 

 ordinary intelligence can successfully manage large orchard in- 

 terests. The average orchard, like the average farm, just about 

 makes a fair living for an industrious man. That this is true 

 can be easily shown by the following figures, and deductions 

 from them : 



Orchard and Vineyard Products in 1891. 



CLASS. Pounds. 



Canned fruit 64,790,120 



Dried fruit 66,743,134 



Fresh, deciduous 101,097,940 



Prunes 10,220,700 



Raisins 45,558,370 



Citrus fruits 88,194,560 



Figs 50,000 



Nuts 10,318,060 



Total shipment, in pounds 386,972,884 



It requires not less than 600,000,000 pounds of fresh fruits, be- 

 sides the nuts, to produce the above results. In round figures, then, 

 600,000,000 pounds represent the fruit surplus of the State, in the 

 departments of deciduous fruits, citrus fruits, raisins, and table 

 grapes. In addition there was a surplus of 



Wine (gallons) 11,114,029 



Brandy (gallons) 799,614 



Olive oil (cases) 12,088 



Now, there are in California about 500,000 acres of the trees 

 and vines which produce these 600,000,000 pounds of fresh fruit. 

 That is 1,200 pounds to the acre, worth in the orchard from twelve 

 to forty dollars, the average gross value of the crop from an acre 

 of fruit. Of course, many of the trees are not yet in bearing, and 

 some fruit-growers will always have far better returns than this. 

 But the above average is very significant. It shows plainly that 

 the industry can not exist upon a lower average price than one 

 cent a pound for fruit in the orchard. But if the present orchards 

 were in full bearing there might come an especially favorable sea- 

 son which would give a total, even without further planting, of 

 fully 1,500,000,000 pounds. If there are 50,000 acres planted every 

 year, and the old orchards are kept up, the present acreage will 

 be doubled by 1901. 



But, to show what has been done under favorable circum- 

 stances, I give the following statement of the yield of a 700-acre 

 San Joaquin Valley irrigated orchard in 1890 : 



