The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-05-18

An article printed in the New York
Sunday Times credited California with
the first production of the navel or seed
less oranges in the United States. This
statement Immediately caused discus
sion. with the result that the Agricultur-
al Department at washington made an
investigation and found that to Florida
belongs the credit of introducing the
oranges. In addition to the statement
from the Agricultural Department
writer, who signs himself Thomas d.
James of Nassau, n. Y, says in 1870 he
planted an orange grove near Palatka'
Fla. and in the early seventies had
number of trees budded with Bahia or
navel oranges The buds We're taken
from bearing trees in the vicinity. which
trees must have been planted before the
Agricultural Department had taken any
steps in the matter
The Government expert, w. A. Taylor
who made an investigation, the purpose
of which was to trace the history of the
seedless orange in this country, reports
his conclusions in a paper entitled The
Bahia or Washington Navel Orange In
the United States. He says in his paper
THE essential facts regarding the in
United States from Brazil appear to be
as follows:
According to the late James Hogg,
of New York a wealthy Brazilian plan
ter, a Scot Gilman by birth, determined
to manumit his slaves and remove with
them to the United States This he did,
about 1888, settling on an island in mid
die or southern Florida He then re-
turned TO Brazil and secured collection
of Brazilian plants for introduction,
which he consigned to the late Thomas
Hogg. who then conducted a nursery at
the corner of Broadway and Thirty-third
street, New York City. Among these
plants were several navel orange trees.
The collection was held in the green
house in New York for nearly a year,
until the plants had recovered from the
effects of the sea voyage, and was then
forwarded TO the owner in Florida. Dur
ing the Seminole war the entire collection
was destroyed by the United States
troops. the owner being charged with
giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
The owner then removed to Hayti.
while it is not known positively that
these trees were of the same variety as
that subsequently introduced by the de-
partment, it seems probable that this
was the case. None of the trees surviv-
ed long enough to come into fruit. how
ever. and no trace of them now exists
The facts regarding the early introduce
ton of the navel orange do not appear to
have been generally known until 1883.
when the above statement was published
by Mr.. Hogg.
During the year 1865 William Saun-
ders. then horticulturist. landscape gar
dener and superintendent of gardens and
grounds of the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture. learned. through a
correspondent then IN Bahia, Brazil, that
the oranges were of a superior character
to any known in tho United States. The
department accordingly ordered a small
shipment of trees. The first lot were
found dead upon arrival. BY sending
minute directions as to budding packing
and shipping. twelve small trees in fairly
good condition were finally received by
the department in 1870. These were
planted in one of the greenhouses and
propagated from by budding on small