"The first orange tree brought to Riverside" surrounded by an iron picket fence, ca.1930

Description

Photograph of "the first orange tree brought to Riverside" surrounded by an iron picket fence, ca.1930. The tree is well protected behind a thick metallic fence with sharp outward-curving tips. Trees and a fence can be seen in the background. The first orange tree brought to Southern California is carefully cherished in Riverside, surrounded by iron pickets.
A sign on the fence reads: "One of the two original trees from which all Washington Navel oranges in California have descended. Propagated from trees imported from Bahia, Brazil in 1870 by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and sent to Riverside, Cal. in 1872".
"The 'Washington Navel' (formerly known as 'Bahia') originated, perhaps as a mutant in Bahia, Brazil, before 1820. It was introduced into Florida in 1835 and several other times prior to 1870. In 1873, budded trees reached California where the fruit matures at the Christmas season. It is large but with a thick, easily removed rind; not very juicy; of excellent flavor, and seedless or nearly so. Ease of peeling and separation of segments makes this the most popular orange in the world for eating out-of-hand or in salads. Limonene content of the juice results in bitterness when pasteurized and therefore this cultivar is undesirable for processing. The tree needs a relatively cool climate and should not be grown below an elevation of 3,300 ft (1,000 in) in tropical countries. Today it is commercially grown, not only in Brazil and California, but also in Paraguay, Spain, South Africa, Australia and Japan." -- Fruits of warm climates by Julia F. Morton, Miami, FL.

Title:

Record ID:

chs-m9155

Names & Dates

Created:

[circa] 1930

Publisher:

[host] University of Southern California. Libraries

Subject

Topic:

Citrus fruits , Orchards , [file heading] Agriculture -- Crops -- Citrus -- Cultivation , agricultural sites

Coverage:

[circa] 1930

Place:

[cities] Riverside
[counties] Riverside
[states/provinces] California
[countries] USA

Relationships

Part Of:

[collection] Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce Collection, 1890-1960
[project] USC

Physical

Type:

images

Format:

photographic prints
1 photograph : photoprint, b&w ; 21 x 26 cm.
photographs

Access

Rights:

California Historical Society

Repository:

USC Libraries Special Collections
Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189
specol@usc.edu

Ordering:

Send requests to address or e-mail given. Phone (213) 821-2366; fax (213) 740-2343.

Identifiers

Record ID:

chs-m9155

Source:

[record id] USC-2-1-1-9293
[accession no] 40037
[call no] CHS-40037
[microfiche no] 84-1-1392