e Sierra Madre range. It is almost a matchless prospect. The
climate is most agreeable, the plantations increase month by month, and
thus far the orange-trees have not been visited by the scale, nor the
vines by any sickness. Although the groves are still young, there were
shipped from Redlands in the season of 1889-90 80 car-loads of oranges,
of 286 boxes to the car, at a price averaging nearly $1000 a car. That
season's planting of oranges was over 1200 acres. It had over 5000 acres
in fruits, of which nearly 3000 were in peaches, apricots, grapes, and
other sorts called deciduous.

Riverside may without prejudice be regarded as the centre of the orange
growth and trade. The railway shipments of oranges from Southern
California in the season of 1890 aggregated about 2400 car-loads, or
about 800,000 boxes, of oranges (in which estimate the lemons are
included), valued at about $1,500,000. Of this shipment more than half
was from Riverside. This has been, of course, greatly stimulated by the
improved railroad facilities, among them the shortening of the time to
Chicago by the Santa Fe route, and the running of special fruit trains.
Southern California responds like magic to this chance to send her
fruits to the East, and the area planted month by month is something
enormous. It is estimated that the crop of oranges alone in 1891 will be
over 4500 car-loads. We are accustomed to discount all California
estimates, but I think that no one yet has comprehended the amount to
which the shipments to Eastern markets of vegetables and fresh and
canned fruits will reach within five years. I base my prediction upon
some observation of the Eastern demand and the reports of
fruit-dealers, upon what I saw of the new planting all over the State in
1890, and upon the statistics of increase. Take Riverside as an example.
In 1872 it was a poor sheep ranch. In 1880-81 it shipped 15 car-loads,
or 4290 boxes, of oranges; the amount yearly increased, until in 1888-89
it was 925 car-loads, or 263,879 boxes. In 1890 it rose to 1253
car-loads, or 358,341 boxes; and an important fact is that the largest
shipment was in April (455 car-loads, or 130,226 boxes), at the time
when the supply from other orange regions for the markets East had
nearly ceased.

[Illustration: IRRIGATING AN ORCHARD.]

It should be said, also, that the quality of the oranges has vastly
improved. This is owing to better cultivation, knowledge of proper
irrigation, and th