Lower coast gazette., 1913-05-03

There is a wide ocean of difference between
the little arid, seedy and tough-skinned orange
Of a generation ago and the large, smooth
skinned, sweet, seedless orange of to-day. More
than that, a generation ago the orange crop
OF the United States came from a few districts
along the Indian river in Florida and was worth
about $500 $1,000. Nowadays, the United
States grows some 100000 boxes Of oranges
every year and they are worth to the growers
about $12,000,0 900.
First Seedless Trees From Brazil.
The fine original seedless orange trees came
from Bahia, Brazil, and were imported through
the sense of a woman. Mrs. Nellie Desmond, of
Syracuse, N. Y, was visiting her brother in a
rubber camp along The Amazon, the natives
brought her several seedless oranges, which
were a curiosity to her. She inquired whence
they came and found they grew upon a 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 agri-
culture, heard of Mrs. Desmond's find and en-
tered into correspondence with her. The re-
suit was that the United States consul at Ba-
hia was instructed to procure several Of the
tiny seedless 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 were sent to a grower on the
Indian river, but what became of them was
never known. Along in 1871 Luther c.. Tibbits
removed from Maine to California and, hear
ing that fertile government 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, a quarter section in what is now the heart
of the city of Riverside. Mrs. Tibbets was then
with relatives in Washington, D. C.
Tibbets Gets Trees.
To her Mr.. Tibbets wrote telling where he
had established a home, and asking her to go
to the agricultural department and seek plants
and trees suitable to a semi-tropical climate.
Mrs. Tibbets was a relative of Mrs. Benjamin
F. Butler, and a letter from Gen. Butler, then
a member of congress, to the commissioner of
agriculture, secured for Mrs. Tibbets extra con-
sideration at the department. On condition
that Mr.. Tibbets would give the plants and
trees careful attention and report occasionally
how they Jared in a new and untried h0rticul-
tural field, the department. sent to Mr.. Tibbets,
at Riverside, a bundle of tobacco plants, grape
vines, Japanese plum trees and the three re-
naming seedless orange trees from Bahia.
All were planted at the side of the Tibbets
cabin in May, 1872. They were the first horti-
cultural efforts in that region Of the state. A
few months later 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 seek
ing a livelihood in a new and lonely locality to
pay attention to Tibbets' new plants and trees,
while he watered and cultivated and waited for
the earliest fruit to appear on them.
First Seedless Orange Tested.
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