CHAPTER XVIII. 



Profits of Orange Growing Ten Acres Enough. 



Nature has done for California all that can be asked for in 

 preparing the best conditions for orange growing. Our soil is 

 deep and rich and easily tilled. It is naturally underdrained 

 and, as a rule, has little hard-pan to contend with ; no trees to 

 remove, no brush or undergrowth to clear away, no bogs to 

 drain clean as a prairie and ready for the plow. This is the 

 general rule, to which there are, of course, some exceptions. 

 Our trees are healthy and vigorous, productive and long lived ; 

 our fruit is superb, possessing good keeping qualities; our 

 climate is healthy and amply temperate in many localities for 

 the perfect success of the business. Our lands are cheap at 

 present. The herd law protects our orchards in the southern 

 part of the State, without the expense of fencing. Our markets 

 are unlimited at remunerative prices. What more can we ask 

 for, and to what country can our Eastern brethren and foreign 

 cousins emigrate in which the inducements are more inviting, 

 and the chances for success are more abundant than in the sun- 

 set land of beautiful California? 



Hundreds of thousands of dollars will come hither ere long, 

 in exchange for our citrus products. We shall then be a truly 

 prosperous and wealthy people. 



That the proof of the profits of orange growing may be made 

 clear, the following, from the pen of Mr. Shorb, is appended : 



"By very careful estimates made in 1874 of the crop on an 

 orchard of four hundred and sixty-three trees, three hundred 

 and nine of which were twelve years old from the seed, the 

 others being too young to bear, I obtained as a net result, over 

 and above the cost of transportation to Sa.n Francisco, com- 



