San Dimas Citrus Nurseries 



6 



Citrus Fruits in Central California 



A WASHINGTON NAVEL, GROVE WITH A EECOKD. 



This grove comprises 10 acres, was planted in 1890, in a rich, decomposed granite soil to second-size trees, and by reason of good 

 care has proven a pronounced success. In 1892, the crop sold for $80.00; in 1893 for $635.00; in 1894 for $2,780.00; in 1895 for 

 $2,840.00; in 1896 for $4.000.00; in 1897 for $5,300.00; in 1898 for $4,100.00 (this was the season of heavy wind storms when the trees 

 lost much of of their fruit) ; in 1899 for $5,830.00; in 1900 for $6,000.00; in 1901 for $6,250.00; in 1902 for $6,100.00; in the years 

 following exact data is not available, but in the rough the returns averaged from $6,000.00 to $7,000.00 annually 



While this development was going on in the Southern Counties, 

 the American spirit of enterprise was not idle in other sections 

 of the State. In the thermal belt of the San Joaquin valley, from 

 the southern portion of Tulare County along the base of the 

 Sierra Nevada mountains, there is a vast area of country adapted 

 to the orange and the lemon. Experimental plantings here and 

 there gave early evidence of climate and soil conditions favorable 

 to citrus culture. Notably true was this of the section of which 

 the town of Lindsay is now the citrus fruit center. As a 

 business proposition, oranges and lemons began to be planted 

 in that locality about fifteen years ago, though experimentally 

 and in a small desultory way citrus fruits were known in that 

 neighborhood as early as 1862-' 63. Last year (1906-' 07) the 

 shipments from Central California aggregated something 

 like 2,000 carloads. For the most part the fruit ripens earlier 

 than in Southern California, thus insuring an independent market 

 which in no way conflicts with the industry as between one section 

 and another. At present there are about 4,500 acres in bearing 

 and fully 11,000 acres, both young and old, planted out. The 

 quality of the fruit is in every way superb, clearly indicating 

 that California's sunshine, soil and climate are quite as good 

 in one section as in another. The natural supply of water in that 



region is ample, and warrants the prediction that at no distant 

 date, orange shipments will be as pronounced from that 

 section as raisins are from Fresno. 



Besides these two citrus growing empires within the borders 

 of the State, there is also what is known in the trade as the 

 Northern Citrus belt. For the most part this is somewhat broken 

 up or scattered over several counties, including Placer, Sacra- 

 mento, Butte, Yuba, Stanislaus, Merced, Sonoma, etc. At partic- 

 ular points in all of the above northern and central counties, 

 there are protected areas free from biting frosts in which citrus 

 fruits find congenial conditions. Thus it will be seen that the 

 orange and lemon, though rated as tropical fruits, yet find a 

 wide geographical distribution in a State which is nothing if not 

 a world unto itself for the growing of almost every fruit of the 

 temperate and tropic zones. 



In this development of an industry so great and profitable 

 as the growing of oranges and lemons, there has necessarily 

 been much to learn, not only as to methods and management 

 of orchards, as well as conditions and environments, but also 

 as to varieties, methods of picking, packing, shipping and market- 

 ing. The present generation of growers owe a debt to the pioneers 

 of the industry that can never be wholly wiped out. How many 



