UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



S^^^'^'mTU 



I BULLETIN No. 445 



Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry 

 WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief 



Washington, D. C. 



February 10, 1917 



THE NAVEL ORANGE OF BAHIA; WITH NOTES ON 

 SOME LITTLE-KNOWN BRAZILIAN FRUITS. 



By P. H. DoESETT, A. D. Shamel, aucl Wilson Popenoe, AgriculUiral Explorers, 

 Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 



Origin and history of the navel orange of 

 Bahia 



Introduction of the Washington Navel orange 

 of Bahia into the United States 



Culture of the navel orange in Bahia 



Citrus fruits of Bahia other than the navel 

 orange 



Page. 



Citrus fruits of the region aroimd Rio de 

 Janeiro Itj 



Miscellaneous fruits grown at Bahia 17 



Some interesting fruits of Rio de Janeiro and 

 vicinity 25 



Fruits of the highlands and semiarid regions 

 of Minas Geraes and Bahia 31 



INTRODUCTION. 



Since the introduction of the Washington Navel orange from 

 Brazil 4.5 years ago, its culture in California has been continually 

 extended, until to-day the industry produces an annual income of 

 something like 30 millions of dollars. Yet, in spite of the impor- 

 tance of this fruit, little has been knoAvn in the United States of its 

 history in its native home, Brazil, or of the methods and practices 

 of Brazilian orange growers. 



ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE NAVEL ORANGE OF BAHIA. 



L'lilortiuiately, the oi-igin of tliis remarkable fruit is somewhat 

 obscure, and the only available accounts are those which have been 

 handed down f r(;rn father to son and are still preserved amoi>g a few 

 of the Brazilian orchardists. Tt is the general belief among the 

 latter that the navel orange came into existence at Bahia in the 

 early part of the nineteenth ccnfury. it is believed to have been 

 first pi'opngatcfl by a l*ortugu('S(! who lived at Calnilla, a suburb of 

 Bahia City. This section is at the present day the most impoi-tant 



68081°— Bull. 44.'>— 17 1 1 



