Daily camera. [volume] (Boulder, Colo.) 1891-1928, 1900-10-13
CALIFORNIA LEMONS.
-Four Million Dollars Wasted in
Growing and Curing.
The Principal Growers HAD to send
Experts to Spain ana Italy
to Learn the DuSiasss
Properly.


1.-THE prejudice which existed until
quite recently in this country
against the domestic grown lemon is
fast disappearing and American con-
sumers of the fruit are beginning to
appreciate the fact that as fine lem
ons can now be obtained from south
ern California as ever came from
Mediterranean ports" remarked a
wholesale fruit merchant in New
York to a Washington Star writer
the other day. Indeed, as far as
shape, size, pungency and good keep
ing qualities are concerned the Cali
fornia product has within the past
four years become dangerous rival
of the best Italian and Spanish fruit.
The annual consumption of lemons
in the United States amounts to about
100000 boxes. In 1896 Italy and
Spain supplied us with 4.700,OoO boxes
of lemons and 100000 boxes were
grown in California. Last year there
were imported from Mediterranean
countries 3,s0O,000 boxes of lemons
and 1,2OO.GGO boxes of the fruit came
from the Pacific coast. This year the
importation of lemons will be con-
siderably smaller than ever before,
and. providing the present high stan
dard of the California fruit is main
tanned. the growers of the state will
in the course of few seasons sue
coed in driving the Mediterranean
lemons from our markets. just as they
have driven out the foreign prunes
and raisins.
while lemons have been grown in
southern California for over hun
dred years, the cultivation of the
fruit as a commercial industry dates
only from 1882. 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 Spain. The zeal for
lemon growing soon spread to Po-
mona valley 10 Santa Barbara. Ven
tura. Ontario and Pasadena. where
the growers, in trying to make the
cultivation of the fruit a profitable
industry. met with great many dis
couragements and failures for the
first half dozen years.
'The trees grew and bore some ex
cellent fruit, but while it was found
that a shapely, thinskinned and juicy
lemon could be produced on the trees.
the fruit so that it would not only not
rot and show blemishes. but would
retain its pungency and oilineSs of
peel. as well as its full acid iuicinesS.
from the picking season in winter
until the following summer, when it
was wanted by the consumer.
THE art of curing lemons was only
properly learned by the Caiiforniaas
in 1897 when the principal lemon
growers dubbed together and sent
experts over to Italy and Spain To
learn the business. and now they arc
producing excellent results. To make
the lemons sour they are picked be
fore they begin to turn yellow. The
~ hl' - liltll pul III Il t'i NY hpHNt,
where it is kept at a temperature of
about 80 degrees for some 81 days.
which 'sweats out all the sugar. 1t
is then removed to another temper
allure for 60 days more before it is
ready for the market. Thus the high
est degree of acid and the largest de-
gree of juice is obtained. One of the
curious effects of this sweating proc
ess is to reduce the thickness of the
skin. 1t originally grows thick and
tough. but the acid seems to eat il
up. Rough estimates put the capital
invested in California in growing and
curing lemons with all the appurten-
ances at $4,5O0,000.
"The person whose knowledge of
lemons is limited to an occasional pur
chase of dozen will be surprised to
learn that there are II distinct va
rieties grown in California and Flor
ida. These differ in size, shape, quail
ity and skin and in keeping qualities
But there are only four varieties that
have any popularity in California and
in eastern markets. These are the
Eureka, Lisbon, Villa France and Bon
ME Brae.'
Jack Rabbit COmfnR East