California's Golden Crop

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVI, Issue 17, 30 April 1908, Page 19

California's Golden Crop

In view of .the important position which, fruitgrowing is likely to assume in New Zealand in the near future, it as of interest to note what that industry lias don* for the State of California, the orchards of which bring in more than £7,00p,0'00 per annum, that is more than one-third of the value of the whole of our exports. California produces more than one-half of the American peach crop, a third of the pear crop, and seven-eighths of what are termed subtropical fruits. It supplies practically all of the prunes apricots, lemons, figs,, and the bulk of the oranges grown in America. Put 'into figures this means 175,000 tons of prunes alone, 3,000,000 boxes of lemons, nearly 3000 tors of olives, 5000 tons of figs, • 2,500,000 bushels of peaches, and 10,000 tons of walnuts and almonds. As 85 per cent, of the oranges and lemcns raised 'in the State are distributed through the fruit associations at Los Angeles, the business done^at this centre will give an idea af the industry In 'southern Calilornia. An average of 3000 carloads of fruit of all kinds have been sent daily through the shipping season out of the thirteen counties ' of which Los Angeles is the--selling centre. l n Fresno county, where 80 per cent, of the raisins cured in California are produced 1 , fully 50,C*)0 tons, will be the record for 1008, the revenue from this fruit aggregating fully £.800,000. Thirty years ago not more than 25,000 orange .trees were in bearing in the 500 miles of fruit belt stretching from the foothills oT Mount Shasta south to San Diego. The orchards at the present time cover more than 75,000 acres, nearly all of them being the jsoedless variety, raised from two little shoots which Vere planted in The area containing the great orchards of California consists principally of the Sacramento and San Joaqiuin valleys, with what is locally termed the Los Angeles country, comprising the five counties af southern California. While irrigation is needed for a larg« proportion of the orchards 'in southern California, the yield in an average year is so large a/nd the financial returns so great that many of the conrpanies who control the larger orchards' could sell them at a price averaging £500 an acre, although this land prior to irrigation was not worth £1 an acre. An investment ranging from- £20,000 to £100,000 in a single fruit ' ranch is not uncommon, although these are many small individual growers who are prospering*, since .through i their membership "in one of the associations they are enabled to sell their harvests to as great advantage as their larger competitors. Although oranges will ripen dn California nearly every month of the year, the harvest season is usually from Noivembjer Ito June 1. As fast as a wagon load is picked it is sent to the packing house. There the boxes axe credited to the grower, then prepared for market. Here the oranges are dumped -into a long narrow tanik, filled with water, at one end of which is a big wheel with a ti/e of soft bristles. As the wheel revolves the brush works in connection with another set of brushes im a smaller tank underneath, and the oranges, after bobbing about in the big tank, pass between the wet brushes and came out 'bright and clean. ,-,>,,, . . ■' II ,

At some of the packing houses the old method of hand washing is stoll in use, awd groups of women, each with a brush and a tub of water, stand under an awning and scrub busily. After the bath the oranges are spread upon long, slanting racks to dry in, the sun, and from the lower end" they roll 'into the boxes and are carried into the shade of the warehouse to cure. After 'the hours -of curing they 'are fed into a- hopper which drops them single Hie into a belt that runs between revolving cylindrical brushes. They -come out sleek and shiny, and are carried in a belt elevator to the sorting table, where they are graded into fancy choice, and standard. The grades are determined by the size and appearance. Any blemish places the fruit among the- culls. The sorting table inclines slightly and the dividing stream passes in two files upon narrow tracks of moving, ropes, which diverge gradually The smallest .oranges fall through first, the larger sizes further on,, grading themselves and falling into their proper bins. ' ''-

ihere are a dozen sixes, from the small ones that run 360 to a box, to fruit that cannot be spanned with both hands and which pack 48 to the box. -Both extremes are subject to discount from "the market price as off sized.

Oranges are very tender and must be handiled v,Uh great care. Finger nails are kept short, lest a slight bruise be made on the skin in handling ; and wherever an orange drops even an inch or two spouts, bins, and tables are padded. Usually the warehouse is on a siding or on the direct *me of railway, so that the boxes can be loaded into the cars from the building without loss of time. A carload is from 400- to' 500 boxes.