CITRUS CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 19 



growers. It was not, however, until the ^opening of the Atchi- 

 son, Topeka & Santa Fe lines that the highest development 

 took place. From this time on there was a veritable boom in 

 orange planting. Some of the returns from these orchards 

 were almost incredible, as much as $3,000 from one acre hav- 

 ing been reported, and $800 to $1,000 being no uncommon 

 yield. Of course an industry that would pay such profits 

 was eagerly sought. Land suitable for orchards advanced 

 rapidly in value; other lands advanced collaterally, and it 

 became profitable to subdue them to this purpose. Land com- 

 panies, irrigation companies, and planting companies were 

 organized with sufficient capital to carry out their schemes, 

 and the whole extent of a country which had been a forbidding 

 waste was soon converted into a fruitful orchard. The very 

 face of nature was changed, and in a few years Southern Cali- 

 fornia became one of the most important sections of the State. 



In 1862, H. M. White planted two orange trees in Frazier 

 Valley, east of Porterville, Tulare County, which are still 

 bearing and which formed the nucleus of a forty-acre orchard 

 that now surrounds the original tree at Piano, in the same 

 county; Mrs. Gibbons, in 1863, planted some orange seed as an 

 experiment, which proved successful. Other plantings followed, 

 until the present citrus district of Porterville developed. The 

 first orchard was planted in Porterville in 1883, by A. R. 

 Henry. About the same date a small planting was made at 

 Centerville, Fresno County. A few trees were planted by the 

 agent of the Marysville and Oroville railroad as early as 1868, 

 in his garden at Oroville, Butte County. 



A small orange grove was planted by Nicholas Carriger in 

 1871, about two and a half miles west of the town of So- 

 noma. Mr,. L. L. Lewis, the present owner, says: " These trees 

 are now over three feet in circumference, and some of them will 

 yield this season as high as twenty -five boxes of oranges." 



Thus we find that, as early as 1870, small orange groves had 

 been planted all along the foothills from San Diego to Butte 

 County. Plantings in many of the valley counties had also 

 been made up to this date. These latter have served to prove 

 the inadaptability of the valleys to the growth of the industry, 

 while along the foothills the small beginnings have developed 

 into one of the most permanent and profitable branches of 

 horticulture in the State. 



