FRUIT IN CALCASIEU PARISH, LA - 1890's Submitted by Margaret Rentrop Moore Source: Southwest Louisiana Biographical & Historical by William Henry Perrin; published 1891 page 135 - 138. ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ FRUIT IN CALCASIEU.-The following on fruit culture is drawn from the editorials of The American: Much has been written and talked about fruit raising half the citizens of this in this country, and yet we are convinced that not one region, nor one-twentieth of the people of the United States, even dream of the wonderful possibilities we hope to see realized in the near future. The climate of Southwest Louisiana is well adapted to all semi-tropical fruits, and to most of those of the temperate zones. Oranges, figs and pomegranates do splendidly here and yield large returns. Olives will thrive and yield enormous incomes for a lifetime. For peaches, pears, plums, grapes, blackberries, dewberries and strawberries, this climate can not be excelled on the continent. Apples, especially of the summer and fall varieties, when grafted on quince, mayhaw or Leconte roots, do as well as they do in any country. Mr. Derouen, on the Lacasine, has as fine success with apples as any on e can wish, and there are many other examples of success in raising apples in this region. We are convinced that it will pay to plant apples largely, but would advise that they be grafted on quince, mayhaw or Leconte roots. We think it a good plan to graft pears of all kinds on the same roots. The mayhaw, which is itself a valuable fruit, gives us one of the best stocks for grafting that we have. Horticulturists are beginning to discover the value of the mayhaw in this respect, and we expect to see it more largely used in the futue than in the past. Trees bear very young in this climate. Peaches will bear the second year from the seed; plums about the same. Apples will bear the third year from the grafting. Figs sometimes produce ripe fruit the first year from cuttings. Oranges bear in about four years from grafts. As to profits it is hard to over-estimate. Peaches will yield $1000 worth of fruit per acre three years after planting the budded trees, if well cultivated and cared for. Oranges will do still better when they come into full bearing, which they do in about six or seven years after setting out. Pears have produced at the rate of $2500 per acre when the tree was seven years old. There is no telling what an acre of large fig trees well cared for will produce, but it will be enormous. Fortunes can be made, as soon as we have communication north by rail, raising dewberries, blackberries and strawberries. In order to succeed in raising fruits, however, the ground must be prepared for the trees. It must be thoroughly drained, and should be fertilized to secure the best results, although a measure of success may be obtained without. There is no need of irrigation here. In this respect we have the advantage of California, and in our opinion we will soon eclipse the famed Southern California region in fruit. We undoubtedly have a grand future before us. After reading this article you will certainly be impressed with the idea that this section of country is particularly adapted to fruits. There are no great extremes of heat or cold, and the rainfall is just about what it should be for successful fruit growing. The trees grow to enormous size when properly cared for, and the fruits are delicious. Varieties of pears that are considered in some sections as hardly third rate, when grown here are considered first class. The flavor of the peach is considered as good here as those grown in any part of the United States. Plums of various kinds, including the Japan plum, ripening usually in February, grow to great perfection. This is the home of the fig, and the profits likely to accrue in a few years from fig culture will be large; indeed, by the evaporating process it is possible to make enormous profits out of this industry. There are many others, but we will only notice the orange. If the oranges grown by the natives here for many years past are a success, what can we say of the Oonshiu under intelligent cultivation? Every variety of Japanese fruits that has been tried here succeeds remarkably well. The horticulturists of Japan of all others lead the world. They have arrived nearer to perfection in the fruit industry there, perhaps, than in any other place on the habitable globe. They have schools (if horticulture, in which the natives receive the highest training in tree culture. Persons attending the world's fair at Paris report seeing pine and cedar trees one hundred and fifty years old, and mere box plants; apple and pear trees more than a hundred years old, two feet high and laden with fruit. It is here that the Oonshiu orange has been improved on for ages, until it is now next to perfection. The orange in its natural or wild state was full of thorns, the fruit was of a bitter sour, full of seed, and the pulp and rind clinging closely together. After ages of study and toil a tree has been perfected without thorns, a fruit without seed, with pulp and rind parting readily, and of a most delicate taste. After all these excellent qualities had been perfected, they succeeded in bringing it into bearing pretty fair crops at the age of three years. Finally they brought it up, by a slow process of grading, until it could be successfully grown in a climate of six months winter. This is the celebrated Oonshiu orange, said to be the most perfect orange now in cultivation. But few have as yet been introduced into our country, but, lite the other fruits of Japan, it has shown itself true to name. One writer says it stood the cold with him where barrels of water were frozen to solid ice, and where the thermometer must have gone to ten degrees below zero. It is reported that a number of trees passed through the cold in Texas with the thermometer as low as zero. Horticulturists in Texas have come to the conclusion that they can make this fruit a success almost all over the State. This being the case, what will it be in our section of country, where it is peculiarly suited and where we already grow such perfect fruit out of the old native varieties? With lands here now at five to ten dollars per acre, a north and south railway from here to Kansas City, and the possibility of shipping this fruit in September and October (as it ripens earlier than other varieties), where, we ask, is there a better place to drive down a stake for a home in the beautiful, delightful Sunny South ? The Fig.-We regard the fig as one of the most valuable fruits of this or any other country. In their fresh state, when fully ripe, there is no other fruit that we know of that is so delicious and at the same time so healthful. There is no other fruit we know of upon which human beings can live so well without any other food. A person can not only live, but will grow fat upon a diet composed exclusively of fresh figs. There is another thing about figs different from most other fruits, and that is, that the more a person uses them the more he wants. The first time a person unaccustomed to figs tastes them lie may not relish them very well, but let him continue to eat them a few days and lie will soon get so he will prefer them to any other fruit. They are not only a first-class food fruit, but also possess medical virtue. We verily believe that there is not much danger of sickness to any one who will eat all the fresh, ripe figs they can every day, and will be prudent in other things. But figs are not only valuable in their fresh state, but can be prepared in various ways for food. They are excellent canned in self-sealing glass jars. They make splendid preserves. They are delicious when prepared by drying and pressed into boxes. But perhaps the cheapest way in which figs can be prepared for keeping is by drying them by means of an evaporator. They can be prepared in this way cheaply and speedily, and make the most delicious dried fruit in existence. In preparing them in this way they should not be kept in the evaporator too long, but when partially dry should be pressed into boxes or buckets and permitted to go through a kind of sweat, when they are ready for use. Southwestern Louisiana is especially adapted to figs. Perhaps no country in the world can excel us in the production of this valuable fruit, and but few can equal us. We had the pleasure of showing a Californian around a few days ago and among other things we examined the fig trees, loaded with their enormous crop of young figs. Our California friend said, "You can undoubtedly beat us in figs." Perhaps there is no other fruit that will produce as man), barrels of fruit per acre as figs, and there is nothing in the fruit line more easily raised than fig trees. All that is necessary is to cut limbs from the trees and stick them into the ground where you want your trees, and they will nearly every one grow. By planting the different varieties it is possible to have an abundance of this luscious fruit from the latter part of June until December. We verily believe that one acre of fig trees five years old will make a comfortable support for an ordinary family. We believe an acre of figs will produce more food for man, beast or fowl than an acre of almost any other produce grown. Let us plant figs and plant them largely. This is the home of the fig. There is no place in the South where they grow to greater perfection than in Southwestern Louisiana. The question has often been asked: " What will you do with them after you raise them, as they will not bear transportation to any great distance?" Some have recommended canning, but the last and seemingly the best is to evaporate them. Mr. C. G. Pageot, of our city, conceived the idea last summer that with an evaporator he could in a few hours time produce a fig equal co the dried figs put up in other sections. He made the experiment and showed us the fig after it had been through the evaporator. We thought then, as he did, that it was a success. He pressed these figs in two-pound boxes and put them away, and they are keeping ,is perfectly as when they were put up. These figs were dried without any sugar added. The family now who has a fig orchard can, without an outlay for an evaporator, put up their own figs, which will certainly, be very profitable.