1928] THE AGRICULTURAL SITUATION IN CALIFORNIA 13 
From the point of view of the individuals engaged in fruit produe- 
iion it is evident that a period of more intensive competition is here. 
The area of potential fruit land in this state and in other parts of the 
country is so great that continued heavy supplies of fruit on the 
markets and competition among the various fruits may be expected. 
However, we have not lost our optimism toward the fruit industry. 
Growers who have good orchards should hold on to them, provided 
they know their business, are favorably situated with regard to 
handling and marketing and are willing to adopt every reasonable 
method to hold down production costs and still have high yields and 
oood quality. Such growers will undoubtedly weather the storm. 
But for the city speculator, the unskilled, the incompetent and the 
unfit no hope is offered. The sooner they realize their true position 
and make a change in their farming programs the less they will 
stand to lose. 
THE LIVESTOCK SITUATION 
The livestock situation in this state differs from the horticultural 
in two ways which should be kept in mind by all who are seriously 
interested in any of the animal industries. First, with the exception 
of eggs and perhaps lamb, California is an importer rather than an 
exporter of livestock and livestock products. The excess of imports 
over exports is an advantage to local producers which should not be 
lost to view. Second, increases or decreases of the animal population 
in California do not greatly affect the total numbers of livestock in 
the nation as a whole. In analyzing the livestock industries, there- 
fore, it is impossible to separate the California situation from that in 
the United States, and in most instances the world situation cannot 
be ignored. 
TABLE 5 
PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN NUMBERS OF LIVESTOCK IN THE 
CALIFORNIA BETWEEN 1920 AND 1028. 
United States 
er cent 
a5 
AN enbtle uonsiianmsinmes 
Milk COWS iioiriieiemireees 
BUEOD: rs smmmmmsmncsss 
Bowing iranian 
Horses .ooooeeerecneees 
Chickens ...... 
OQ Aq 
26.4 
+ 13.8 (1925) 
UNITED STATES AND 
California 
Per cent 
— 0.7 
+ 19.9 
+ 47.0 
-32.5 
— 27.9 
4+ 22.6 (1925) 
It was pointed out in the previous section that the acreage of 
practically all of the fruits in California has been greatly expanded