CITRUS FRUITS IN CALIFORNIA: 



Navel is the most popular and the 

 most largely planted, in fact only one 

 other orange is grown to any consid- 

 erable extent and that is the Valencia 

 Late, which, owing to its lateness in 

 ripening and its good keeping quali- 

 ties (the fruit often hanging on the 

 trees until October), causes it to be 

 very desirable and makes it possible 

 for California to ship oranges every 

 month in the year. It has only come 

 into prominence in California within 

 the last few years, but as the desire 



A young Navel tree properly propped. 



for oranges the year around has devel- 

 oped among all classes of people, the 

 Valencia has become a necessity, be- 

 ing the only orange thus far that can 

 be successfully held on the tree until 

 late summer and fall; it has created 

 for itself a place in the citrus industry 

 of the state next to that of the Wash- 

 ington Navel. It grows to perfection 

 in the warm sections of Southern 

 California, where the chances of kill- 

 ing frost are removed. Particularly 

 does it do well on the lighter soils, 

 where it not only is thin skinned, but 

 full of juice and also retains its bright 

 orange color and maintains its firm- 

 ness late as the middle of October. On 

 the heavier soils it is apt to turn 

 green again about June or July, and 

 though this does not affect the qual- 

 ity of the fruit, its outward appear- 

 ance lessens its commercial value. 



Few other varieties of oranges are 

 grown in the state very extensively, 

 their culture being confined mostly to 

 family orchards for home use. Among 

 these may be mentioned the Ruby 

 Blood, Paper Rind St. Michael, Medi- 



terranean Sweet, together Vith the 

 Mandarin types, of which the Dancy 

 Tangerine and Satsuma have first 

 place. 



Lemons are fast coming into promi- 

 nence in California but the tree being 

 more tender than the orange, their 

 culture is less general. The five 

 southern counties, viz.: San Diego, 

 Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura and 

 Santa Barbara, are more favorable for 

 ' lemons. The best results have been 

 obtained along the foothill sections of 

 these counties where the climate is 

 moderated by the ocean breezes, 

 which seems to be conducive to the 

 production of fruit the year around 

 a matter of vast importance to the 

 lemon grower. However we do not 

 wish to be understood as saying that 

 lemon culture is geographically lim- 

 ited in this state. To a greater or less 

 extent lemons are grown along the 

 entire length of the San Joaquin Val- 

 ley, and the quality of the fruit is of 

 the best. Climatic conditions, how- 

 ever, are such that few summer 

 lemons are produced in this section, 

 the bulk of the crop maturing in the 

 fall and winter months. Quite a por- 

 tion of this fruit matures early 

 enough in the fall to still reach a good 

 market at a time when foreign impor- 

 tations are light and usually brings 

 good returns. That part of the crop 

 coming off during the winter months 

 has to be stored until spring before it 

 can be sold to advantage. 



Pomelos, commonly known as 

 "grape fruit," are being more largely 

 produced in California than in former 

 years. This fruit has not met with 

 the favor that it should, from the buy- 

 ers, and in our opinion this is due 

 largely to the fact that the fruit has 

 been placed on the market before it is 

 sufficiently matured to be at its best. 

 As a result of this the consumer has 

 condemned California Pomelos. 



Pomelos are grown in all localities 

 where orange and lemons thrive, al- 

 though the tree when young is more 

 susceptible to frost than the orange. 

 The soil and climatic conditions in 

 the citrus belt of the San Joaquin 

 Valley seems to be particularly adapt- 

 ed to the growing of the Pomelo, and 

 we think the quality of the fruit is 

 superior to that grown nearer the 

 coast. The productiveness of the 

 trees, together with the prices ob- 

 tained for the fruit, makes it a very 

 remunerative crop. 



