The Republican journal., 1903-02-26
WHERE ORANGES COME FROM.
How Cities Get Fresh Fruit Every Day in
the Year.

How Cities Get Fresh Fruit Every Day III
the Year.
Every day in the year New York en-
Joys her oranges, for somewhere in one
or the other hemisphere there are
groves in bearing, and swift refrigera-
tor steamers to transport the fruit. But
in midsummer and autumn the great
city which levies ON all the earth
narrowly escapes total desrth. The
southern half of our globe is strong in
wheat and cattle and wool, but weak in
fruit. The rich, cowpenned oranges Of
Uruguay are hard to keep while crossing
the line: and it's far cry from Whan-
earel Heads to New York to carry, even
with steam and ice, the luscious fruit
of New Zealand.
Here steps in California, a country
which seems always to have something
on her back shelves left over from the
regular season. In Florida we have a
Hart's Late, with the adjective useAto
signify May or June: i'll California 1t is
the Valencia Late, and the adjective
there means August and September.
Our pomologists consider this Va
lencia Late an offshoot from the cele-
brated Rodi orange, coming from
small district of that name on the
Adriatlc side of Italy, and slightly
crossed with the lemon, giving it the
lemons power to hang on the tree and
retain its flavor. The Rodis are found
in our northern markets in July and
August, thus coming intermediate be-
tween the latest Floridas and the latest
CALIFORNIA;.
When California sells her Valencia
Lates at S16 a box in September they
are practically without a competitor.
When Florida sells her finest pomelos
in March and April at SIC box they
are running a neck-and-neck race with
all the countries. So with her Kings at
$l4 box and her best Jangerines at $14
a strap-they take their chances on
full market.
The California navel touches maxi
mum of 81 or $S a box in late summer
and early autumn; it is then at its best
and practically alone OH the market.
At the present time it sells below the
Indian river, while the California seed
ling brings only so or Is per cent of the
Florida Seeding. The cold mountain
air and the long dry seasons of Califor-
mia bring her oranges to their highest
quality months after Florida's are done
and gone. Florida has numbers of
choice small groves from which sound
oranges are sold in April and May as
high as the California navels in Septem-
Der, and even higher. Several south
Florida counties can produce 80 records
in April, and that tops California navels
by $1.50 to S2
An California budding varieties, ex-
cept the navel, such as the Parson
Brown, the Jaffa, st. MichaePs, the
Mediterranean Sweet, the HomOsass
ct iy,1, ario h1xr coll hp1nW
the Florida varieties of the same names.
The Havana orange used to cut an
important figure in the New York mar
kets. but years ago it sank into insig
nificance before the sugar and tobacco
development. The groves grew old and
ragged, the fruit became less juicy and
heavy than the Jamaicas, then coming
to the fore, and they did not keep as
we'll, either. About 10000 barrels a
year used to be imported from Havana
to New York.
In the northern markets the Italian
oranges are usually graded poorest IN
uuality-an exception should be- made
of the Rodis-then the Spanish, next
the Havanas and Porto Ricos, the ia
maicas, with Floridas and CALIFORNIA;
Gaping the climax. Each country has
its day, however. The West India Or
anges can be grown and are grown of
high quality, but they are quickly on
and quickly off. A Cuban orange is a
squeezed orange by Christmas; back
number before February.
Some exceedingly fine oranges come
up out of Mexico, but they quickly 60
to pith. Floridas and CALIFORNIA; al.
most alone have staying qualities and
that deep, satisfactory bouquet which
a touch Of frost imparts.
Times Citizen.