Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-26
THE LADY AND THE ORANGE
HON0RS AWAITING AN UNKNOWN
AMERICAN WOMAN.
Marvellous Growth of the Washington
Seedless Fruft-A Crisp Chat
Regarding 1t.

"As Pomona was the goddess of fruit in
NEUROLOGICAL times an American woman
ought to be the goddess of our Florida and
California orange growers" said an orange
grower from the latter state, land whenever
I come to Washington 1 always visit the
orange house Of the conservatories of the
Agricultural Department. and make my
Acknowledgements and obeisances to the
original navel orange tree growing there.
with as much reference as a follower of
the faithful makes to the holy wells OF
Mecca.
1T is generally known that the navel
or seedless orange originated in Washing
ton. as 1t bears the name Of the Washing
ton navel but it Is not known that the
original idea was the bright thought of
an American woman, whose name, unfoc-
tunately, Is unknown. I have made in
quiries at the Agricultural Department and
elsewhere in an effort to ascertain her
name: that If still alive she might receive
through The Star the full measure Of the
honor which Is and ought to be hers. Per-
hapS 1t may yet be aScertained by thus
calling attention to the laurels which await
her, and should 1t be. she ought to have
monument in every orange-growing town
and center in California. state where the
seedless orange thrives to Its full perfec-
ton, and where 1t has brought millions OF
dollars to its growers. to say nothing OF the
delight the public enjoys in eating the
Clever Thought of a Clever Woman.
I'm a letter from this unknown lady. who
was travelling through the province of
Bahia, Brazil, in 1868, to Horace Capron,
the then commissioner Of agriculture, she
| mentioned that the oranges of Bahia were
of superior quality to those raised in the
United States. Her suggestion was called
to the attention of the late William Saun-
ders, who was then in charge of the gar
dens and grounds of the department, and in
1870, in response to an order, the depart
ment received from Brazil twelve young
trees. These trees throve, and 1t was from
the grating of their buds that the great
orange orchards of California. which cover
thousands of acres. owe their existence.
They do not grow as we'll in Florida. The
old tree in the agricultural gardens Is one
of the original trees and bears WELL 1t will,
no doubt, be carefully cared for during
life and a portion Of its trunk will in all
probability be placed at some future time
in the National Museum as the historic
parent of all of the seedless orange trees
in the United States, by that date probably
amounting to many millions.
Deserving of Her Name.
There are. however, two other trees
which will divide the honors and they are
known as the Tibbetts trees at Riverside
being two Of the original young plants sent
out by the department. They came in
bearing In 1872 yielding sixteen oranges,
and created profound commotion in Cali
fornia, as up to that time only the Seeding
| orange had been grown In one year they
yielded, from buds alone, to their fortu-
nate owners, $500. The other plants sent
out by the department could never be
traced, and the seedless orange culture in
the United States is certainly an example
of the great results which may flow from
small things and the elaboration Of a sin
gle idea.
1T was a matter of regret, understand,
with Mr.. Saunders that he did not sercure
the name Of the lady who first called the
idea to Mr.. Capron's attention. 1t would
have been very fitting and appropriate
thing to name the new variety for her.
and have no doubt II the suggestion had
| been made to him at the time to thus
| honor her he would have done so, as the
| variety passed for several years under the
indefinite title of the Bahia orange. and is
| still called by some the Riverside orange
many persons not knowing that the Riv-
erside buds originally came from Washing
| ton.
THE orange season for the present wear
| In California will be the heaviest in irs
! history. 1t Is estimated that the output
| will amount to 1890 carloads, and about
! 900 carloads Of lemons.
How We Devour the Fruit.
| 1.-THE season extends through the winter,
| and the earliest produced oranges come
from northern and central California and
not southern California, as is generally
| supposed in the east. In the winter OF
1928 the output was 1,972OO0 boxes,
which was then considered heavy crop.
| The output for this winter will be 6.624 600
| boxes. Assuming that there are $50 oranges
| to box, this will give q grand total of
| 100000 marketable oranges, or about
! 104 oranges to every man, woman and
| child in the United States on q population
| basis Of 70.O00OO0 in round numbers This
| does not include the Florida or imported
| output, but evidences the fact that we are
mighty fond of the sweet golden fruit.
| There are, of course, millions of people
| who never touch an orange, from one year
| to another, and there are millions of others
who eat them by the dozen in season. Sew
eral million additional boxes annually
| come from Florida, Cuba and the Med
| iterrannean ports
I'm fact. oranges are shipped cheaper
| from the Mediterranean ports to New
| York than from California fields, q fact
which will no doubt occasion surprise. The
| cost of shipping a box Of oranges from
California to New York is 81. 60; from Flor
| ida, $1.05. and from the Mediterranean.
ceive about $50 1000 900 for their crop this
| year. Of which the railroads will take
$6,O0O,0OO for freight and handling: $780,.
| 600 will go for labor, commission men and
others, and the balance will find its way
into the pockets Of the producers. It ts
| the heavy. freight charges which eat up
| the profits Of the grower.
Good Health and Good Fruit.
ITO the eastern mind the orchard,
whether 1t be apple or an orange or
| chard, is associated with regularly planted
trees and a green sward. An orange or
| chard has the regular trees, but the grass
| is missing, and in its stead the soil Is kept
plowed, cultivated and narrowed soft and
loose. It's no joke to walk the length of
| a large orange orchard, as the feet sink
deep in the mellow ground. You can't
| sing any Of the old farm ballads or the
| old green orchard and meadow songs out
| there.
| There is, however, another song you
may sing. and 1t is of good health. Many
| eastern people with weak lungs have got
| their start to good health by going out
| into the orange orchards and picking the
! fruit. The work Is easy, as the oranges
| are dropped in sacks hung around the neck
| of the picker. Every orange Is picked by
hand The odor of the orange flower is
delightful, and the streets Of Los Angeles,
| Riverside Pasadena and other orange GEN.
tiers are filled with it in season. One gets
accustomed to it, however as does an en-
ploye in q perfume factory to the sweet
scents others enjoy.
."All hail to the Washington navel!'
A Brutal Picture Taker.