CHAPTER IX 



THE CITRUS INDUSTRY 



THE citrus industry of the United States, 

 which is chiefly made up of the cultiva- 

 tion of oranges, lemons, and pomelos 

 (grapefruit), is one of the most highly organ- 

 ized agricultural industries of the world. Geo- 

 graphically this industry is confined to the 

 southern and southwestern portions of the 

 United States, in fact to those portions of our 

 country possessing a subtropical climate. The 

 two regions so far developed may for conven- 

 ience be spoken of as the Florida and the Cali- 

 fornia areas. In point of age the Florida region 

 is older, but measured by the commercial out- 

 put the California industry is much greater. 



While the citrus industry is highly organized, 

 it is also a specialized industry, and being a spe- 

 cialized industry it is necessarily an intensive 

 industry. The gross return per unit of area 

 covered by oranges or lemons is equaled by 

 but few crops. The lands occupied are expen- 

 sive. The fixed charges in the form of irriga- 



