secured at great effort and expense; and allowing that under these somewhat anomalous circumstances the horticul¬ 
tural production of the state has grown to the enormous sum of nearly $200,000,000, the rural economies of Cali¬ 
fornia can be regarded only in the light of the most marvelous exploitation in soil products of this or any other 
time. For nearly half a century it has been my good fortune not only to see this development, but, in a small way, 
1 have been part and parcel of it, contributing something tow’ard its fruition from a packer s and shipper’s point of 
view, rather than from that of a grower. 
Obviously, horticulturally, California has made history rapidly; indeed, so much so that all of us, in the 
strenuous experience of our own affairs, have quite lost sight of the many important things that have happened in 
the past forty years. Why, it seems but yesterday that the shipments of a few carloads of citrus fruits to 
eastern markets was heralded as an event; yet today we are less surprised at the statement that 25,000 carloads 
go forth, valued at something like $19,000,000. In 1877 I was, in a small way, as things go now, shipping fruit 
and midwinter vegetables north per steamer to San Francisco, the only market available. We used to hear then 
of Fresno only as a spot on the map; now that town “turns” $28,000,000 worth of soil products a year. River¬ 
side in those days was unknown; our oranges and lemons came from a few groves in the San Gabriel valley and 
from what is now a portion of Los Angeles. The Walnut, the Olive, the Fig and many other products were only 
cultivated spasmodically, where now they are as much a feature of the landscape and the market place as wheat 
or corn is in the Mississippi valley. Indeed, horticulture has crowded all other activities to the wall in this state, 
and by reason of values has for fully twenty years been recognized as our basic industry. 
Given a soil and climate which are inferior to none, it only remained to create our marvelous system 
of irrigation to make possible a horticulture the like of which the world has never seen; an industry already stu¬ 
pendous in its ramifications, with the geographical area of the state scarcely scratched. Prior to the advent of the 
Anglo-Saxon the country was practically a wilderness; now it is the seat of the most profitable soil production 
known to man. Its benefits, not only in a pecuniary sense, but in the light of a higher civilization and a patriotic 
citizenship, are incalculable. I doubt if there is anywhere a community of soil tillers that possesses the intelligence 
and moral fiber which so thoroughly individualizes the man behind the plow in Southern California. 
The most phenomenal fact in connection with our industry is its optimism. Many are apt to think the busi¬ 
ness will be overdone. Again, we are apt to believe land values are beyond the poor man’s purse, and opportunity 
is closed to the man with only brain and brawn as capital. Sheer nonsense. 
Why, within the past six or seven years the Imperial and Coachella valleys have been exploited, and now 
their output in live stock, fruits, vegetables, cereals, alfalfa and garden truck runs into the millions. Thousands of 
acres have been subjected to the plow by sturdy men and women who had “their pile to make,’’ and have made 
it. The output of that Imperial region has been about as follows: Barley, $450,000; hogs, $200,000; cattle, 
$350,000; dairy cows and products, $325,000; cantaloupes, $225,000. Deciduous fruits and grapes will soon 
constitute important articles of export, though at present many of the orchards and vineyards are too young for 
bearing. Citrus fruits are also being successfully experimented with. This year the cantaloupe crop is estimated 
at about 1500 carloads. Similar results are working out in the San Joaquin valley at various points, with other 
sections on the live wire, full of agricultural activity. I cite these facts to show that opportunity is knocking at 
every man s door who is thirsting for land and a chance to work it in California. 
In this onward trend there have necessarily been some disappointments, chief among which must be cited the 
mistake of planting certain crops on soil and in sections unsuitable. In so far as my observation goes — now covering 
a period of nearly forty years this has been the rock on which many a bright ambition has foundered. Diversity 
of soil and climate is one of California’s attractions, but woe to the man who abuses it. 
In earlier times oranges, to my knowledge, were often planted on alfalfa land, olives on rocky and desert 
wastes, etc. When a certain piece of land in a favorable situation produces a profitable crop of a certain kind the 
tendency has been to believe it would do well anywhere, so long as it was in California. And while it is in a 
measure true that certain growths are possible in a poor soil and an uncongenial environment, it is also emphatically 
true that they will do better in a good soil and situation. As a matter of fact profits are always best on a good soil. 
Just at present this fact should be carefully considered by all who are contemplating planting Eucalyptus for timber 
culture. 
As an indication of our horticultural development I cannot do better than give the volume of shipments by 
seasons. In 1883-84 the total output of citrus fruits was not more than 150 carloads. The rapid advance all along 
the line is graphically told in the following table: 
Citrus Fruits .1SS6-S7_ 
Dried Fruits .1898. 
Pickled Olives . 1901 . 
Olive Oil .1901... 
Canned Goods .1897. 
Beet Sugar .1S99 . 
Cabbage .1S99. 
Celery .1897 . 
Beans .1901 . 
Cauliflower .1S99. 
Wine and Brandy.1900. 
Beer .1S9S. 
1,000 Cars 
1906-07 . 
30.000 Cars 
350 Cars 
1906-07. 
430 Cars 
28.000 Gallons 
1906-07. 
200,000 Gallons 
108,500 Gallons 
1906-07. 
200,000 Gallons 
250 Cars 
1906-07. 
1.100 Cars 
,000,000 Pounds 
1906-07. 
109,841.500 Pounds 
660 Cars 
1906-07. 
850 Cars 
400 Cars 
1906-07. 
3,000 Cars 
1.900 Cars 
1906-07. 
2,000 Cars 
250 Cars 
1906-07. 
350 Cars 
846,195 Gallons 
1906-07. 
1.200.000 Gallons 
6(.500 Barrels 
1906-0?. 
210.000 Barrels 
Statistics touching the number of acres under irrigation in Southern California are unavailable. The total 
acreage of the state under irrigation at present is 1,708,720 acres. 
In this connection it is interesting to note that irrigation is as old as our history, and was first practiced by the 
Mission Fathers. In the early days the Los Angeles council granted O. W- Childs 160 acres (now nearly the cen¬ 
ter of the city) for which he was to construct an irrigation ditch (and did), affording irrigation to the ranchers doing 
business where now are heard the clang and rumble of electric cars and hum of traffic. Since that memorable 
event much water has been developed, the cap sheaf of which is to be the Owens River enterprise, which, when 
completed, will give the city an adequate supply, and irrigate thousands of acres destined to become prosperous 
homes of many families. 
Beyond fruits, cereals and vegetable productions, the growing of seeds has also become a great industry, Cal¬ 
ifornia leading in certain lines. It is not generally known that we supply the world with its sweet-pea seed, and 
that Los Angeles county possesses the proud distinction of having the largest field of sweet peas in the world—360 
acres, harvesting something like 200 tons—all of which has already been contracted for. We lead in onion, to¬ 
mato, lettuce, peppers, lima and other beans, onion sets, cauliflower, peas, alfalfa, etc. In flower seeds, aster, bal¬ 
sams, carnations, cosmos, and many other sorts. 
[iv] 
