The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 16, 1902, Page 3

HE SAN FKANCISUU UALL, FREIDAY, MAY 16, 1902 & bOUNTIFUL CITRUS PRODUCT IN THE SOUTH - PROMISES AN INCREASE OF FIFTEEN PER CENT BUT THE OUTLOOK FOR WHEAT IS NOT GOOD Crop of Alfalfa in Fields Throughout the Lower Part of the State Is Reported of Excellent Quality and Sugar Beets Are Growing in Amazing Numbers. EX ? HE reports which The C all has obtained from the sou!hcrur part of the State regarding the | nature of the grain and fruit crops show that section to be immensely favored in most respects. ‘ he increase in the citries harvest is estimated to be about 15 per cent. In fact, all fruits show to | the best advantage, and the orchardists have every reason to feel gratified. In the matter of grain, } however, the prospect is not entirely encouraging. Rains have becn late and in many cases they have { t proved to be beneficial. The sugar-beet crop, however, gives promise of being very good, contrary to earlier expectations. & 5.—The citrus on of 1%01- en shipped about 3000 cars. The year's harvest | about 15 per | heavily set with the fruit at this | s the smallest in r e will arise t that comes to ma- a month earlier ity in many sea- | rry cannery started i m the Yuma coun- a| The heavier than nts of melons and nce in about two loquats was neve t is of immense size. | the largest harvests prunes and Logan prices are expected | before. Canneries | erries at 2% cents a | melon crop is re- | | and barley is too late to be of a crop is general jon facilities. and will be cut ¥ the largest ever | California, and_the is but ninety days | t of beets is now in e bean crop, as far as 4, is not favorable. good honey crop, as on the desert supplied the negoessary nectar. GRAIN IN THE SOUTH SOMEWHAT DOUBTFUL witk May 15.—The present the Orange County not better than last 1 ranch barley will av- Wheat will yield onl Four thousand acres promise well. Ten thou- south have a good | = northern part of her stminster and and barley are very big acreage in beets at Los Park, Garden Grove and g well and thinning is | Celery plants are well are the warm weather ed a partial fail- | t the yleld promises hes promise an average crop. Apples, pears and small fruits show bet- ter prospects than usual. So far thé wal- aut prospect is good, with a big addition- | age coming into bearing. Grain ywill be plentiful, but without | e rain the alfalfa yleld will be lighter | than usual PROSPEROUS PROSPECT FOR VENTURA COUNTY ENTURA, May 15.—All crops in Ven- tura County will be heavier this year than last year, except grain. Accord- ing to commission men and buyers, this will be 2 more bountiful vear than last season. The estimates are as lows: Apricots, 1400 tons dried, as 1st 1000 tons; walnuts, 150 carloads, as rst 115 carloads; lima beans, 600,000 ks, as against 52,000; prunes, too early imate, but trees are in fine condi- he beet outlook is better than at me since they have been grown in m About 18,000 acres are under The campaign at the Oxnard | ill be quite extended. The grain be light, owing to the dry in January and February. Farm- ot seed thelr ground until after ¥ March rains, and then little However, last season’s crops heavy, being worth about $4,000,000. RIVERSIDE'S ORANGE CROP BELOW NORMAL May 15—To date there haye been shipped 3215 carloads of oranges from Riverside and there are rloads on the trees. This is 60 per cent of a normal crop. The orange | and lemon trees are blooming heavily. Peaches and apricots In the Hemet and 2 Jacinto valleys promise a full crop and at Eilsinore the prune crop is the | heavie 3 In other sections of | “ounty the deciduous crop will nning will have a.record out- put of pears. | Generally speaking, the grain and hay | crops throughout the county are failures, | They promised well up to April 1. but &, protracted hot spell burned the stalks to | the ground and in many sections the ma- | chines will not be run. Local rains at| Banning and Beaumont helped to mature | & good crop and there will be a fair hay ' €rop at Temecula, Willlam Newport, whe | kinds. Grain will e light where rains have not get his seed back. FRUIT-LADEN ORCHARDS IN ANTELOPE VALLEY NCASTER, May I5.—Never in the Listory of Antelope Valley has there been such bright prospects for decidu- ous fruits as now. Almonds are perfect in yield and quality. The apple and apri- are the finest ever known here and the trees are loaded. An abundance of feed and seed is about all that is ex- pected from the wheat crop. The acreage car. There is put out 10,000 acres about Menifee, wiu‘ | | | is about the same as last an increased acreage and vield of alfalfa around Lancaster, as well as a large num- ber of ne sian wells. Several machines are kept busy boring artesian wells for | irrigation purposes in the vicinity. Th main crops this year for exportation will | be deciduous fruits, almonds and alfalfa. | HUENEME’S ORCHARD AND FIELD EPITOME% U 1E, May 15.—Beans—On ac-| count of increased acreage planted to sugar beets, the bean average will be | reduced about 20 per cent, and, taking | into consideration the lack of moisture, | there cannot be expected a yield of more | han two-thirds of last year's crop. ‘ Grain—On account of lack of rainfall, the prospects for both wheat and barley | are anything but encouraging, and the vield will not be more than 20 to 25 per cent of last year’'s crop. s Fruit—The outlook for all varieties of | fruit is very good in this section, and | the outpt 1 be 50 per cent better | than last_vear's. Honey—The outlook for honey is any- | thing but promising, and from present | prospects the yield will be from 40 to 50 per cent below last year's. Bee men from the back country/feport that if they | can make enough honey to carry their | bees through the winter it is all they | expect. | Sugar beets—On_account of the in-, creased acreage of this production the | eld will be a great deal larger tnan last ear, and the prospects are good, taking into 'consideration the small amount of rainfall. TREES ARE BURDENED IN SOUTHERN FIELDS S AN DIEGO, May 15.—The crop condi- tions in San Diego County at present are good, particularly for fruit of all been the same and considerable grain will be cut for hay. On the whole the grain yield will be lighter than last year but all fruit crops will be better. Oranges are practically all gathered and shipped. Lemons are heavy on the trees and are about ready for gathering. The crop will be larger than last year to the extent that the trees are older and more of them are coming into bearing. The prospect for deciduous fruit is good, particularly for pears, apples, peaches, apricots and plums; also for small fruits including strawberries, dew- berries and blackberries. The fig crop will be large and the report of the cherry crop of Mesa Grande is the same. The fruit is already turning. A large area is being planted to tomatoes for tha use of the cannery soon to be established. All vegetables including ‘potatoes are ylelding well. Olive trees are blooming nicely with promise of a good crop. PROSPECT AT COLTON RARE AND ROSEATE C OLTON, May 15.—Crop prbspects are better than last year at this time. Peaches and apricots promise 5 per cent better. Oranges are not o far ad- vanced as last year but if nothing hap- pens the younz frult the crop will ex- ceed last vear's by at least 24 per cent. Hay and grain except in a few in- stances arg not as good by at least 30 | per cent. Small fruits are showing up| much better than they did last season at this time. Lemons are not as prom- ising, owing to the cold weather which has retarded the new growth. The olive crop will be one-half less than the last c1op. The honey crop will be 50 per cent lzugfir and the honey of a much better quality. SANTA YNEZ VALLEY A SLIGHT SUFFERER OS OLIVOS, May 15.—The agricultural prospects for the Santa Ynez Valley during the present season are not what they promised to be six weeks ago. Con- | tinued north winds at a very critical time, | when the crops needed moisture, caused the late-sown grain to head close to the ground, with the resalt that much of it will have to be cut for hay. The early sown acreage will yield larger | returns and of better quality than last: season, but_unfortunately this represents but a small portion of the total grain| acreage. Owing to lack of faith in i weather conditions, fully one-half of the | with those of last year. |NAPA VALLEY’S YIELD i favorable for a large amount of grain. It P valley grain lands will be summer fallow, which will be beneficial in the long run, and the total yield as compared with last Year will be about 70 per cent. The hor- ticultural reports tell a different story, the fruit prospects being excellent.’ All kinds of fruits, including prunes, early and late, are promising a heavy yield. Even the generally unreliable Moorpark apricot is bearing heavily. Grapes will produce over the best former yield. LOMPOC TREES BEAR WEALTH OF BLOSSOMS OMPOC, May 15.—Apples, pears and apricots are setting well, with suf- ficient moisture to mature a good crop. The apple yield 1s double that of last vear, because of young orchards coming into bearing. Prospects are good for po- tatoes and onions, the acreage of which is double that of last year. The acreage of beans is about the-same as last year's, and the prospects are fair. There is ane- half acreage of red mustard, with the probability of a one-half 'average yield, and a double acreage of yellow mustard as compared with last year, with better than a one-half yield. The barley crop is ight and the acreage small. Several thousand acres of red oats was planted, and there will be a heavy crop. SANTA MARIA VALLEY SHOWS GOOD CROPS ANTA MARIA, May 15.—Santa Maria Valley includes the northern part of Santa Barbara County. The natural feed is about equal to that of last year and cattle and dairy iInterests are some- what better. The grain crops are in splen- did condition. The early hay cutting was very near last year's supply. Separately considered, oats are equal or perhaps slightly in excess of last year’s showing. Wheat is about equal, and barley prob- ably a quarter less. The total yleld is a little less, but much depends, however, on the ripening weather for the balance cf the month. ABOVE THE AVERAGE APA, May 15.—Encouraging reports N have been received from orchardists and farmers during the past ten days as to the prospects of the fruit and grain crops for the season of 1%02. Everything lcoks favorable and without doubt there will be a heavier yield this year than last year. Nearly thirty-five inches of raln has fallen during the past winter, and vegetation has thrived in all sections ad- Jacent to Napa. The country hereabouts never looked better. If good weather con- tinues there will be an average crop of fruit In all orchards. There will be a large crop of peaches and pears, all of excellent quality. Peach trees ofs the Alexander, Hale’s Early and Crawford varieties are heavily laden. The pryne crop will be about a one-third yleld.” It will be much lighter than usual. This cannot be.accounted for, especlally when all conditions seemingly have been most favorable. The cherry crop will be some- what light. Royal Annes are very scarce, but there will 'be a good yleld of Black Republicans, Tartarians and other varie- ties. Apples, apricots and lui yield pretty well. s GOLDEN THE HARVEST IN SAN LUIS 0BISPO AN LUIS OBISPO, May 15.—The com- ing autumn promises a golden harvest for San Luis Obispo County. The late rains have helped crops of all kinds and the section will turn out its usual big har. vest. On the coast side prospects never were better. The acreage is about the same as that of last vear, while If pos.. sible the yield will be better. East of the Coast Range the conditions are not so is not probable that quite so much grain will be threshed in the interlor of the county as there was last year, the midwinter drought. Which oceariEacy a reduced acreage. The yield per acre, hewever, will be heavier and thus the loss will be nearly :nade up. Fruit prospects are splendid. N all of the apricots in the county will ooy thinning. Many of the growers are how at it. Late apple trees are full of blos. soms and there seems to b no doubt there will be a heavy crop. *m acreage lanted to beans probably wilk not be ag arge as that of last year. ONE HUNDRED PER CENT FIREBAUGH'S INCREASE FmEBAUGH. May 15.—All kinds of fruit and grain crops are 100 per cent better in this district as compared '. S THOUSANDS OF LABORERS WILL BE REQUIRED TO HANDLE THE TREMENDOUS CROP OF FRUIT WHICH FARMS THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA PROMISE Early Thinning of the Trees Has Already Become Imperative, and the Orchardists in All Districts of the State Are Confronted : by a Task of Vast Proportions. e —— that the supply of labor may be inadequate to insiire a timely harvest. Throughout the fruit area the demand for pickers and packers will be greater this year than ever before. Even now the \AVORED by bounteous crops, the California orchardist and agriculturist faces the danger l dearth of toilers is causing alarm, where a thinning of crowded blossoms on heavily bearing trees is essential. With a cry for more laborers going out from every fruit and grain'district of interior California, the “army of the unemployed” in the cities of the coast will be but a memory ere the passing of the summer. — IVERMORE, May ‘15.—Cereal crops in the Livermore Valley will not yield more than two-thirds of last year’s crop from the present out- look. The hay crop will be good, probably not as heavy as last year, although the quality will be better. Grapes will yield better than for several years past. The almond yield is heavy and will be very profitable at present prices. The Arlington orchard will have at least 1000 tons, which, at the present market price, will bring a gross income equal to the value of the orchard. Prunes are doing well and no dropping has been reported. A prosperous season in all lines of agriculture is looked for. RANCHERS OF SOLANO HAVE NAUGHT TO FEAR VALLEJO, May 15.—There have been few seasons in the past twenty years when crop prospects were so promis- ing at this time of the year as they are at present. Encouraged by early rains, the ranchers planted a great number of acres to grain. Midwinter rains were heavy, spring showers have been timely. and as there has been an absence of dam- aging north winds the prospect for a heavy yield is highly encouraging. Tracts devoted to hay are being harvested with good results. In the large fruit producing sections of Sufsun and Vaca valleys conditions that have been favorable to other crops are producing a heavy yield of fruit, which in some localities is almost beyond expecta- tions. In Vaca Valley the orchardists, fearing a scarcity of help to gather their crops, have already taken steps to pro- re labor, and offer good wages. In East_ | ern Solano considerable attention is be- ing paid to the cutting of flax, and the results, which have been watched with much interest, are decidedly ehcouraging. At Vacaville and Suisun a _heavy crop of cherries is being handled. The fruit is be- ing sent East by the carload. RAIN_FALLS IN TIME TO HELP A HARVEST N ILES, May 15.—Half an inch of recent rain has been of immense value to vegetables and fruit and has done lit< tle or no damage to grain. The total fall is nearly five inches less than last year, but it came at an opportune time. The fruit outlook is very satisfactory. Everything is two full weeks behind last season. Cherries will be about the same as last year—a medium crop. Apricots are 80 to 90 per cent of last year but near- ly an average crop. A full yield of peaches s assured and the prune crop is large, nearly 40 per cent better than last year. Only one-half a crop of early almonds Is exbected but a full crop of the late varieties. Grain and hay are looking well and with fair weather a heavy crop of hay will be cut this and next week. Early vegetables are gone. | They were plentiful and bropght a good rice. Farmers and orchardists are jubi- ant over the prospects. =~ SRS g S LATE RAIN IMPROVES GRAIN NEAR HAYWARDS AYWARDS, May 15.—The fruit crop' H in this valley proves well in regard to apricots. Some orchardists place the yield at a half-crop and others at three- fourths. There will be a good crop of white cherries, a fair crop of black and a medium crop of Royal Anne cherries. The grain outlook is promising, the late rains doing a great deal of good. SANTA CLARA COUNTY GIVES BIG PROMISE SAN JOSE, May 15.—The coming season promises to be a bounteous one for the orchardists and farmers of Santa Clara County. All the crops promise to be big, but it is the fruitmer who are looking forward to an exceedingly large harves The weather has been most propitious for fruit. Apricot and peach trees are | loaded almost to breaking and it is now almost impossible to get sufficient help to thin the fruit. There will be a heavy yield of apricots, as large as any yield, and three times that of last year. Peaches are also very heavy. : Rellable estimates of the dried apridots for the coming season place the output at 300 cars as against seventy-five last year, and 150 carloads of dried peaches this year against fifty last season. Prunes are badly spotted and will probably be one-half again as many as last year. Tast. year's output was 45,000,000 pounds. It is yet early to estimate thig crop. i White cherries promise al very Hght ' crop, while black cherries are light and ! heavy in places, but will give a good yield. ‘The cherry crop will be double | that of last year. Pears are only fair and | lighter ‘than last year. Taken as a whole,| this year's fruit crop will be about the same as four years ago. Santa Clara County has a large bes crop this year, and the asparagus yleld is also heavy. Hay and grain crops will also be good and heavy. Good reports: also come from the seed farms. . PAJARO VALLEY CROPS WILL BE VERY HEAVY ATSONVILLE, May 15.—The crop Wprospecls in the Pajaro Valley have not been more favorable for years than they are at present. The indicatious are that all crops will do as well as last year, and some will be much heavier. The apricot and early cherry crops will be the largest in years. The berry crop is in splendid condition, and it is estimated that 60,000 chests will be grown in Pajaro Valley this season. The apple outlook is very encouraging and the crop will exceed that of last year, which was 2500 carloads, barring unfore- seen obstacles. Beet pianting is pro- gressing nicely, with conditions favorable for a good crop. About 3000 acres will be planted. Considerable land will be seeded to corn in this vicinity. Black oats will yield well. The ground is in excellent shape to receive seed, as rains have fallen at fayvorable periods throughout the win- ter and spring. The farmers of this vicin. ity are actively engaged in putting in their late crops, and every one logks for- ward to a record-breaking crop year in this valley. There have been no late dam- aging frosts this spring, and the presence of damp weather and foggy mornings have favored growing crops by keeping the moisture in the soil. LANDS GIVE PROMIS OF ENORMOUS YIELD ASO ROBLES, May 15.—The crops in this vicinity are in ‘excellent condi- ~ tion and are not suffering for moist- vre. The late sown graim is not looking as well as that sown on,summer fallow land. The prospects at present are that there will be an abundant harvest of fruit and cereals. Neatly all the grain sown this season is wheat, there being very little barley raised in ‘this section. A conservative es- timate of the wheat reserved at the flour nill and warehouses in this place last season places the amount at 512.000 cent- als. The crops this season promise a greater yield to the acreage sown, but there is a third less ‘acreage in than there was last season. A rough estimate places the probable wheat yield at 400,000 centals. The estimated yield per acre is from twenty to twenty-seven centals. FROST SEASON OVER AND FARMERS REJOICE SACRAMENTO, May 15.—There will be an extraordinary crop of fruits, vege- tables and cereals in this district this year, and the comparison is in every way favorable with last year’s conditions. As to vegetables, there are very large crops of cabbages, potatoes and other varieties, and good prices are assured. There has been an exceptional demand for cabbage from outside points, and shipments of these have been very large. Potatoes are commanding a good figure and there will be no scarcity of the crop. As to fruits, it may be said that the only trouble now feared is an overproduc- tion, due to absence of frosts, and requir- ing the thinning-out process in order to ‘)ermu the fruits to mature properly. It s thought that the California Fruit Dis- tributors’ Association, just organized, will be able to place the fruit advantageously to the growers in the Eastern market, and there is prospect of a steady sale for the better varieties, although it is con- ceded that only the best fruit should be shipped. The cherry, Bartlett pear and plum crops all promise fine returns, and the prospect is most hopeful, the danger- ous frost season having been safely passed. Apricots are spotted in some sec- tions, but not seriously. There will be a fine crop of cereals. YOLO WILL SHATTER . A FEW OLD RECORDS WOODL'AND, May 15.—Present indica- tions are good for the best crops of cereals and fruits harvested in Yolo County in many years. Light sprinkles slightly damaged the first hay cut, but benefited other crops. The area sown to barley is larger than usual, and the outlook for a large yield is good. The wheat crop never looked better at this time of the year. Nothing short of a calamity can prevent a full crop. Green feed is abun- dant and of the best quality. Fruit, berry and grape crops are making a vigorous growth, and the yleld promises to be extraordinary, but about ten days later than last year. Orange trees are setting fuller with bloom than usual.+The almond crop is the best for years. Prunes have, dropped somewhat early in the sea- son, but will prove above the average yleld. The yield of apricots is three times as large as that of last year. Pears and peaches are in excellent condition, and cherries are ylelding well. Strawberries are of a very superior quality and the vines are bearing heavily. Blackberries and_loganberries are makihg 2 healthy growth. The yleld will be a large crop — ‘cf table raisins and seedless Thompson grapes. Suitanas have not set so well as other varieties, but the crop will be much larger than in 191. As comvared with the last season both the crereal and fruit crops, without exception, will be a great deal larger this year. FINE FRUIT OUTLOOK ARO@D KINGS CITY K!NGS CITY, May 15—The prospects for a grain crop in the vicinity of Kings ‘City are discouraging. In some | favored localities quite a heavy yield of both wheat and barley is expected, espe- cially where the ground was seeded early, | but in many districts all kinds of grain have been backward. Not so large a yield is expected this season as was pro- duced last year, but there will be a better | quality of wheat and barley. The Spreck- ele Sugar Company has about 2000 acres of barley under irrigation anft in good condition, promising a heavy yield; also | has about 400 acres of alfalfa under irri- | gatlon, whieh is in first-class condition. | Sugar beets are making a-good growth | and an average yleld is expected. | The fruit crop promises to be far ahead of that of last year, as young fruit is well set on the trees, and unless unexpected heavy frosts destroy them the yield will | be heavy, considering the small acres | planted to fruit. . it oy SEASON FOR SUISUN IS RECORD-BREAKER UISUN, May 15.—Crop prospects of every kind never looked better in the vieinity of Suisun than they do at present. The heavy rain of Tuesday did no harm to speak of. A few early cherries were spoiled. With the exception of almonds, the orchards will yield full crops of all varieties. Some varieties of almonds are light and others are normal. While in some orchards there will be good crops of all varieties. Cherries are a heavy crop and carlbad shipments will begin this week. They are at least two weeks later than normally. Shipping plums are a big crop and in places trees are breaking under their loads. Prunes, pears, apricots and peaches are normal. e problem of se- curing sufficient help for harvesting the frult crop is vexing some of the orchard- ists. The grain fields will contribute their share of prosperity. There will be an enormous yield. Haying began three weeks ago. The late rain has spoiled some of it, but there will be plenty. This will be a record breaking season for Sui- sun. The fruit packing and shipping firms are preparing for heavier traffic than ever before and orders for dried fruits are already registered to the amount of thousands of boxes. It is probable a | large percentage of the crop will be dried, | but_ this depends largely upon conditions elsewhere. The organization of the Cali- fornia Fruit Distributors is expected to have a beneficial effect upon the Eastern markets. MORE RAIN NEEDED IN SALINAS VALLEY ALINAS, May 15.—Monterey County and the Salinas Valley were unfor- tunate in not receiving their share of the past storm. Less than a quarter of an inch of rain fell in Salinas and even less In other parts of the county. Late rains will be necessary to save the farm- ers from a short crop this season. Many failed to put in their crops until after the last big storm. Reports from San Ardo, Bradley, Jolon and the southern parts of the county in- dicate about one-half a crop of grain, The sheep and cattle men fear that without more rain pasture will be scarce this fali. One good heavy storm would insure plenty of green feed. The upper part of Monterey County will produce good crops this season from all indications and a fair hay and acreage Is assured. As a result of the big returns of the past season large tracts of land betwgen Kines City and Pajaro are being put’ in eets. ¢ Monterey County will yleld a large ap- ple crop this year. Reports from Pajaro, ‘Watsonville and the el Valley give assurance of a large yield. The general prospects for the season are fair and with rain Monterey County will equal its great record of last year. FRUITS IN MERCED WERE NEVER SUPERIOR ERCED, May 15.—The crop conditions M in this county are quite gratifying. Frult was never better. Trees of all varieties are heavily loaded and have not been subject to frost, blight or pests of any kind. Peaches and apricots are the prineipal export fruits, and they promise a very large crop. grain, wheat, rice and barley are fair. Probably the yield will be a little less than last year when the crop was large. Hay is rather less than the usual vield and is now being harvested. Alfalfa grazing land and the stock and dairying industries are very flourishing. | Continued on Page Five.