Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-11
CALIFORNIA LEMONS.
Four Million Dollars Wasted in Grow
Ing and Curing

THE prejudice which existed until o,,ito
recently In this country against the do
nieStlc grown lemon is fast disappearinp
j anu american consumers of the fruit are
beginning to appreciate the fact that as
hhe lemons can now be obtained from
southern California as ever came from
Mediterranean ports" remarked a whole
sale fruit merchant in New York to the
writer the other day. Indeed. as far az
shape, size. pungency and good heepine
quahtles are concerned the California
, piuuuct mas WITHIN the past four years be-
come dangerous rival of the best Italian
ana spanish fruit. The annual consump-
ton of lemons in the United States
amounts to about 100000 boxes In 1896
itaiy ana Spain supplied US with 4. 100 OOI
| boxes of lemons and 100000 boxes were
grown In California. Last year there were
imported from Mediterranean countries
.',Sp'p boxes Of lemons and 1.200.OOO boxes
oL the lrllt came from the Pacific coast
rms year the importation of lemons will
be considerably smaller than ever before.
and providing the present high standard
OF the California fruit Is maintained the
growers of the state will in the course of
a lew seasons succeed in driving the Medi-
terransan lemons from our markets inst
as they have driven out the foreign nr,Inas
and raiSins - N''e>
While lemons have been grown in south
erh Cailfornla for over hundred years
the cultivation of the fruit as a commercial,
4t'''t'EA4y yates tuly from lSSg. In that
year the first grove was started on large
scale at Riverside with the intention of
producing fruit to compete in the eastern
markets with that imported from Italy and
SPAN. Inc zeal for lemon growing soon
spread to Pomona valley. to Santa barbara
Ventura. Ontario and Pasadena, wher the
growers in trying to make the cutiNa ION
of the fruit a profitable industry met with
a great many discouragementS and failures
for the first half dozen years
Inc trees grew and bore some excellent
fruit. but while It was found that shape
ly. thin-sklnned and juicy lemon could h,
produced on the trees it was found diff
cult task to cure the fruit so that 1t would
not only not rot and show blemishes but
would retain its pungency and oiliness of
peel. as well as its full acid juiciness from
the picking season In winter until the fol-
lowing summer, when it was wanted by
the consumer.
THE art of curing lemons was only
property learned by the Caifornians in
1877. when the principal lemon growers
dubbed together and sent experts over to
Italy ard Span to learn the business and
Eow they are producing excellent results
To make the lemons sour they are picked
before they begin to turn yellow. The
fruit Is then put in curing house, whel e
| II Is kept at temperature of about so de-
grees for some twenty days, which .sweats
I out all the sugar. 1t Is then removed to
another temperature for sixty days more
before 1t is ready for the market Thus
| the highest degree of acid and the largest
| degree of juice is obtained One of the
| curious effects of this Sweating process
| is to reduce the thickness of the skin If
| originally grows thick and tough, but tie
acid seems to eat 1t up. Rough Inmates
put the capital invested in California in
| growing and curing lemons with all the ap-
purtenances at s4.J0.OOO.
THE person whose knowledge of lemons
| Is limited to an occasional purchase of a
dozen will be surprised to learn that there
are seventeen distinct varieties grown in
| California and Florida. These differ in
/ size. shape. quality and skin and in keep
Ing qualities. But there are only four
varieties that have any popularity in Cali
fornia and In eastern markets. These are
the E'-reka. Lisbon. Villa France and Bon
ME Brae."