The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-12-30
HOW SEEDLESS
ORANGES CAME
CALIFORNIA TO CELEBRATE
GOTH Anniversary.
Tale Strange as Fiction-Man Who
Introduced the Navel Orange Into
the United States Is Now Public
Charge in the Midst of seedless
Orange Plenty.
From the New York Times.

petition from orange-growing localities
all over the world may be asked. Nat
urally public attention in California is
turned these days toward the story of
how seedless oranges came to be cultl-
waited, for this variety of oranges has
revolutionized the orange markets of
the world, has added millions of dol
lars to the wealth Of California and
Florida, and has converted great
stretches of cheap cattle and grazing
lands into valuable orange groves. A
dozen communities of 5000 and 10000
people of beautiful homes and smart
business ways have grown up from
barren tracts in Southern California
because of the rapid expansion of the
orange trade, which, in turn, was
brought about by the cultivation of the
navel orange.
Thirty years ago Los Angeles, the
orange metropolis of California, was q
slow, plodding pueblo of 5000 people.
Today 1t is a thriving city of 100000
people. The transcontinental railroads
earned $5,200,00O in freight on oranges
last year, and 80 per cent. of it was for
navel orange tonnage. Since the navel
orange has been cultivated some $751;
100000 has been invested in orange
growing in California-that is, in land.
trees, vast irrigation enterprises, pack
Ing houses, etc., and over 10000 men
have left other pursuits to engage in
orange growing and marketing.
The strangest fact Of all in this in
crease in wealth production and the
great changes wrought in Southern CAL
ifornia by the Introduction Of the seed
less orange into the United States is
that Luther c. Tibbets, who planted
and grew the original tree, is a nome
less, white-haired, tattered public
charge in Riverside county. Every day
he looks out from the county poorhouse
across broad valley OIL a vast expanse
OF green orange groves and superb
homes, and reflects that when he plant
ed his first navel orange tree there not
a tree grew in the valley. Riverside
county sends some 5000 carloads Of
seedless oranges to market annua ly,
and they are worth to the growers
about $S,000,O0O. There was not q dimes
worth of fruit marketed when Luther
Tibbets set out his little navel orange
trees alongside his cabin in lonely, sun
baked Riverside valley thirty years ago.
There is q. wide ocean of difference
between the little acid, seedy, and tough
skinned orange of a generation ago and
the large smooth skinned, sweet seed
less orange of today. More than that.
Il generation ago the orange crop of the
United States came from a few dis
tricts along the Indian river in Florida
and was worth about 100000. Nova
days the United States grows some 1O,-
100000 boxes Of oranges every year, and
they are worth to the growers about
orange trees came from Bahia, Brazil,
and were imported through the sense OF
q woman. Mrs. Nellie Desmond, Of
Syracuse, N. Y, was visiting her
brother in 4 rubber camp along the
Amazon. The natives brought her sew
eral seedless oranges, which We're a
| curiosity to ther She inquired whence
they came, and found they grew upon
clump of freak orange trees in the
| neighborhood. Mrs. Desmond returned
to the United States soon after, and
brought several of the seedless fruit
| home with her as curiosities. Horace
Capron, who was then commissioner of
agriculture, heard of Mrs. Desmond S
find, and entered upon a correspondence
with her. The result was that the Unit
ed States consul at Bahai was instruct
S'i " pioN"iC VI tiic lily Seed-
less orange trees and send them to the
agricultural department at Washington.
! They remained in the experimental
garden there several years Florida
was the only orange-growing region in
| America, then, and three of the trees
We're sent to grower on the Indian
river, but what became of them was
never known. Along in 1871 Luther c.
IL. I'll
| fornia, and hearing that fertile gov
| ernment land might be had free in
| Southern California by actual settle
| ment upon it. he came down the coast
| to Los Angeles and took up, under the
homestead law, Il quarter section in
what is now the heart of the city of
! Riverside. Mrs. Tibbits was then with
relatives in Washington, ID. c.. To her
Mr.. Tibbts wrote, telling where he
had established home and asking her
to go to the agricultural department
and seek plants and trees suitable TO
a semi-tropical climate. Mrs. Tibbits
was relative of Mrs. Benjamin T..
Butler, and letter from General But
Ter, then u member of congress, to the
commissioner OF agriculture secured
for Mrs. Tibbits extra consideration at
the department. On condition that Mr..
Tibbelts would give the plants and
trees careful attention and report oc-
casionally how they Jared In a new and
untried horticultural field, the depart
ment sent to Mr.. Tibbets, grape vines,
Japanese plum trees and the three re-
naming seedless orange trees from Ba-
hia.
All We're planted at the side OF the
Tibbets cabin in May, 1872, They We're
the first horticultural efforts in that
region of the state. A few months lat
er other settlers In the valley set out
little groves of Seeding orange trees,
and still others experimental with
growing apricots and peaches The
settlers were too busy seeking a liveli-
hood in new and lonely locality to
pay attention to Tibbets's new plants
and trees, while he watered and culti-
waited and waited for the earliest fruit
to appeal on them.
One of the tiny seedless orange trees
was chewed up by a COW, but for five
years the two survivors We're carefully
attended. Then each tree bore two
oranges. 1t was the summer and fall
work to care for and watch the trees
to protect them from the wind and
trespassers, and Mr.. and Mrs. Tibbetts
patiently waited while the fruit de-
veloped from green bullets to great
golden, juicy pungent globes--the first
naval oranges ever grown outside the
| %, 1878, two of the new oranges We're
cut open and critically tasted by a
little company of orange growers at
| gt. Ia A Sia nf R.scf "A