16 



THE OKANGE; 



possible production is, then, very much 

 restricted. While the market must con- 

 tinue to grow, and while the product w'ill 

 doubtless grow with tlie market, the area 

 of possible production can not grow. At 

 present ten oranges are imported to every- 

 one grown in the United States. The time 

 is coming when our home product w'ill, in 

 a great measure, supplant foreign impor- 

 tations. 



Prices may fluctuate somewhat, and 



may sometime rule much lower than they 

 do now, but even at one-half of present 

 quotations orange-growing must continue^ 

 profitable. Growers in the Mediterranean 

 accept one-quarter of our prices, yet they 

 admit that they would tind their grooves 

 profitable even at lower rates. 



It is the firm belief of the writer that 

 orange-growing in California will tever 

 be overdone, and, when rightly pursued, 

 W'ill never become unprofitable. 



CHAPTER X. 



PROFITS OF ORANGE CULTURE. 



In his delightful book on Orange Cul- 

 ture in Florida, Rev. T. W. Moore says: 



"When compared to the profit from 

 other kinds of business, that derived from 

 orange growing is so large that a state- 

 ment of facts is often withheld because 

 the truth seems fabulous to those who 

 have only had experience with other 

 kinds of fruit. Those engaged in the busi- 

 ness consider each tree, as soon as it is in 

 healthy and vigorous bearing, worth one 

 hundred dollars. Indeed, the annual 

 yield of such a tree will pay a large inter- 

 est on the one hundred dollars. Now if 

 we take into consideration that from forty 

 to one hundred trees are grown on an 

 acre, the j'ield is immense. In the quiet 

 country, breathing its pure atmosphere, 

 with fresh fruits and vegetables from Jan- 

 uary to January; mith milk, butter, honey 

 and poultry', the product of his farm and 

 accessories to his grove, the man who has 

 once brouglit his trees into successful 

 bearing can enjoy all these and much 

 more besides, having at his command an 

 income quite equal to that commanded by 

 owners of blocks of well-improved real 

 estate in our towns and cities, with not 

 one-tenth part of the original cost of city 

 investments." 



This, let it be distinctly understood, was 

 not written about California. Therefore, I 

 have introduced it here. Before opening 

 fire on this much bombarded question of 

 orange culture, I wish to fortify myself 

 with breastworks that shall be impregna- 



ble to the charge of local prejudice. My 

 purpose is to show that another people, 

 far remote, and following orange culture 

 under conditions quite independent of 

 ours, have arrived at the belief that orange 

 culture is very profitable. We of Cali- 

 fornia have worked through the same 

 premises and arrived at the same conclu- 

 sion. The proof is by two witnesses. 



It is a difficult matter to present in busi- 

 ness-like form the Profit and Loss account 

 of orange culture in Southern California. 

 It is a great industry, scattered and divers- 

 ified. In one instance— pursued by a 

 shiftless cultivator, or in an illy adajDted 

 locality, or lacking in other ways es^J^tial 

 conditions of , success — it may be a losing 

 business. Again, with moderately favor- 

 able conditions, it may pay a small jDrofit. 

 And still again, with every circumstance 

 in its favor, including a favorable turn in 

 the market, the profit may appear pro- 

 digious. It would not be fair to cite either 

 of these cases as illustrative of general 

 results. It would not be fair even to 

 strike an average of the three. Yet some- 

 where between the extremes a fair gener- 

 alization is to be found. Reasonable ex- 

 cellence is, after all, a fair criterion. Let 

 us incline tow^ards results obtained from 

 right conditions, careful culture, fair mar- 

 kets. Such results anybody can attain if 

 he observes established methods. 



Riverside is the model orange-growing 

 settlement of Southern California. Here- 

 the conditions of reasonable excellence are 



