ORANGE CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 171 



Company, of this county, have an orange orchard of seven 

 thousand five hundred standard trees that are now from six to 

 seven years old. Twenty years ago, at the Mission San Ga- 

 briel, the padre's orchard of a few dozen trees at the Mission, 

 and a like number on the grounds of Hon. B. D. Wilsqp, con- 

 stituted the orange orchards of that locality. Now the extensive 

 orchards of Messrs. Wilson, Shorb, Titus, Rose, Kewen, Chap- 

 man and others are prominent. They and their neighbors are 

 planting new orchards yearly, and some of them larger ones. 

 At Orange, Riverside and other places almost every man has 

 his orange orchard. At Pomona the settlers all plant orange 

 orchards, and the Pomona Orchard Company now have an 

 orchard of sixteen thousand trees, nearly all orange, lemon and 

 lime. What does all this mean? It means that our people 

 have faith in this portion of our country, its future and the 

 future of this business. The result will make independent all 

 engaged in it, if they will produce a fruit that can be classed A 

 No. i. If they do not, no prophet will be required to predict 

 the result. There is no question in my mind in regard to the 

 success of the business, provided we produce a first-class fruit. 

 The quantity produced will create a demand for the same, pro- 

 vided its claims as to size, flavor, shape and color be of a char- 

 acter that will enable us to compete in the markets of the United 

 States with fruit raised in other countries, and especially with 

 that produced in other sections of our own country. 



"A proposition has already been made by the Florida Ag> i- 

 culturist to invite our Society and the Horticultural Societies of 

 Florida and Louisiana to unite in a grand display of oranges 

 and limes at Washington, next February or March. 



"It is easy to predict the result of such meetings. If horti- 

 culturists of Southern California won the grand prize, it would 

 give our fruit an enviable reputation throughout the civilized 

 world. If they received an inferior prize, or none at all, the 

 effect would be apparent. 



"How can we attain to perfection in our orange, and maintain 

 that perfection, is suggested. I answer, only by propagating 

 our best types, native or foreign. It is the only safe, consistent, 

 intelligent and progressive method upon which our people can 



