Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-14
WHERE ORANGES COME FROM.
How Cities Get Fresh Fruit Every Day
in the Year.
From the Jacksonville Times-Citizen.

From the Jacksonville Times-Citizen.
Every day in the year New York enjoys
her oranges, for somewhere in one or the
other hemisphere there are groves in bear
ing, and swift refrigerator steamers to
transport the fruit. But in midsummer and
autumn the great city which levies on all
the earth narrowly escapes a total dearth
The southern half of our globe is strong In
wheat and cattle and wool, but weak in
fruit. The rich, cowpenned oranges of Jyru-
quay are hard TO keep while crossing the
line; and it's a far cry from Whangarel
Heads to New York to carry, even with
steam and ice, the luscious fruit of New
Zealand
Here steps in California q country which
seems always to have something on her
back shelves left over from the regular sea-
son. In Florida we have a Harris Late
with the adjective used to signify May or
June; in California 1t is the Valencia Late.
and the adjective there means August and
September.
Our pomologists consider this Valencia
Late an offshoot from the celebrated Rodi
orange coming from small district of that
name on the Adriatic side of Italy, and
slightly crossed with the lemon. giving it
the lemons power to hang the tree and
retain its flavor The Rods are found in
our northern markets in July and August
thus coming intermediate between the latest
Floridas and the latest CALIFORNIA;
When California sells her Valencia Lates
at SIG box in September they are prac-
ucally without competitor. When Florida
sells her finest pQmelos in March and April
at SIG a box they are running a neclS-and-
neck race with all the countries. So with
her Kings at $14 a box and her best tan
gerines at $14 a strap-they take their
chances on full market
The California navel touches maximum
of 81 or IS a box in late summer and early
autumn; 1T is then at its best and prac-
ucaJly alone on the market. At the present
time it sells below the Indian river while
the California seeding brings only 80 or 10
per cent of the price of the Florida seeding.
The cold mountain air and the long dry sea-
sons of California 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 or
anges are sold in April and May as high
as the california navels in September, and
even higher. Several south Florida coun-
ties can produce 50 records in April, and
that tops California navels by 81. 80 to 81
All California budding varieties except
the navel, such as the Parson Brown the
Jaffa, the st. Michaels, the Mediterranean
Sweet, the Homosassa and others, almost
invariably sell below the Florida varieties
of the same names
The Havana orange used to cut an I'M
portant figure in the New York markets,
but years ago it sank into insignificance be-
fore the sugar and tobacco development.
The groves grew old and ragged, the fruit
became less juicy and heavy than the ia
maicas, then coming to the fore and they
did not keep as WELL either About 10000
barrels a year used to be imported from
Havana to New York.
In the northern markets the italian or
anges are usually graded poorest in quality
an exception should be made of the Rods
then the Spanish. next the .Havanas and
Porto Ricos. the Jamaicas, with Floridas
and CALIFORNIA; Gaping the climax. Each
country has its day, however. The West
India oranges 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 num-
Der before February.
Some exceedingly fine oranges come up
out of Mexico, but they quickly go to pith.
Foridas and CALIFORNIA; almost alone have
staying qualities and that deep, satisfactory
bouquet which touch of frost imparts.