ITS CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 



CHAPTER XII. 



BUDDED VARIETIES. 



Although there are a hundred or more 

 named oranges, one might count on his 

 lingers all the varieties that are in request 

 for budding. The leading varieties are the 

 Riverside Navel, Mediterranean Sweet, 

 Paper Rind St. Michael and Maltese Blood, 

 all foreign fruits. Some attention was 

 paid a few years ago to the Konah, Wil- 

 son's Best, Wolfskill's Best, Baldwin's 

 Favorite, Du Roi, Australian Navel, Aca- 

 pulco, Nicaraguan and some other varie- 

 ties, but these no longer liold their own 

 in the struggle for the survival of the fit- 

 test. In fact every other orange is giving 

 way to the Riverside Navel, which has 

 come to be universally acknowledged the 

 best. For variety, a small proportion of 

 Mediterranean Sweet, St. Michael and 

 Maltese Blood are planted, and it is likely 

 that other kinds will find their way to a 

 share of popular favor. But it must be a 

 line orange that wrests the palm from the 

 Riverside Navel. As public opinion w r as 

 a number of years in coming to this con- 

 clusion however, and meanwhile the hon- 

 ors were more or less divided, a large 

 number of other varieties were planted 

 and are coming into bearing. The budded 

 fruit product of the State will be diversi- 

 fied^enough to suit all requirements. 



For convenience of reference, I append 

 a list of varieties grown in California, and 

 also give a list of varieties grown in Flor- 

 ida, which have not been introduced in 

 this State. 



RIVERSIDE NAVEL also known as 

 Washington Navel, Umbilical, Bahia, Em- 

 big ou). Medium size, round, skin smooth 

 and of fine texture ; nearly seedless ; 

 juicy; high flavored; pulp melting; 

 quality the best. The peculiarity which 

 gives this fruit its name and marks it be- 

 yond any question is a protuberance in 

 the blossom end which closely re&embtes 

 the human navel. This is in reality a lit- 

 tle kernel, enveloped in the skin, which 

 when examined proves to be an aborted 

 orange. The tree is semi-dwarf, and has 

 a few small thorns. In 1873 the Agricul- 

 tural Department at Washington imported 

 several orange trees from Bahia, Brazil. 



One of these was sent to Mrs. L. C. Tib- 

 bits, of Riverside, San Bernardino county, 

 this state, who distributed a few buds 

 among some friends. But little attention 

 was paid to the original tree or to its off- 

 spring until 1879, when some of the fruits 

 were exhibited. Their beautiful color, 

 peculiar form, and excellent quality at- 

 tracted immediate attention, and stimu- 

 lated its propagation. It was named River- 

 side Navel to distinguish it from the Aus- 

 tralian Navel, introduced about the same 

 time. The latter is distinctly ribbed 

 lengthwise, of light color and inferior 

 quality, while the Riverside is smooth, of 

 a golden bronze tint and a fine texture ; 

 satin-like skin ; its flavor is delicious- 

 something like a combination of the best 

 qualities of the Messina and Florida or- 

 angesand the fruit has the additional ad- 

 vantage of few or no seeds. Since the 

 Riverside Navel made its appearance it 

 has eclipsed all competitors, and has taken 

 first premiums wherever exhibited. Soon 

 after it was brought to -public notice, Mr. 

 T. W. Cover, of Riverside, became pro- 

 prietor of the original stock, and he dis- 

 seminated buds throughout the orange- 

 growing portion of the State. 



MEDITERRANEAN SWEET. Medium to 

 large ; oval ; pulp and skin of fine tex- 

 ture ; flavor delicate, less acid than any 

 other variety of orange grown here ; near- 

 ly seedless ; ripens late. The tree is a 

 semi-dwarf, almost thornless, matures 

 early, and has a tendency to overbear. 

 Fruit should be thinned vigorously to in- 

 sure a fair growth of wood and develop- 

 ment of fruit remaining. Mr. Thos. A. 

 Garey, who introduced this orange, saya 

 of it : "About the year 1870 I imported 

 several varieties of orange trees from 

 Messrs. Ellwanger <fe Barry's nursery at 

 Rochester, New York. I think the im- 

 portation included all the varieties offered 

 for sale by this firm. One of the trees was 

 lafeeled Shaddock. When the Shaddock 

 fruited, the fruit proved to be a first-class 

 orange, instead of the coarse, worthless 

 fruit its name led me to expect. I called 

 it ' Garey 's Favorite,' but subsequently 



