THE NAVEL OEANGE OP BAHIA. 5 



While it can not be positively stated that these trees were of the 

 same variety as that subsequently introduced by the United States 

 Department of Agriculture, it seems probable that this was the case. 

 Xone of the trees survived long enough to come into fruit, however, 

 and no trace of them now exists. 



In a private notebook of Mr. Saunders, now in the possession of his 

 daughter. Miss Belle C. Saunders, is to be found the following entry : 



Decembek 20, 1898. 

 I propose to note from time to time some reminiscences of persons and things. 

 Also make mention of such items as I desire to establisli as worthy of record in 

 my practice, items that liave been more or less of value in horticultural and 

 kindred pursuits. 



William Saunders. 



This note indicates that Mr. Saunders wrote the following unpub- 

 lished account (appearing in that notebook) of the successful intro- 

 duction of the navel orange some time between December 20, 1898, 

 and the date of his death, September 11, 1900: 



Some time in 1869 the then commissioner of agriculture, Horace Capron, 

 brought to my office and read to me a letter which he had just received from 

 a correspondent at Bahia, Brazil. Among other matters, special mention was 

 made of a fine seedless orange of large size and fine flavor. Thinking that it 

 might be of value in this country, I noted the address of the writer and sent 

 a letter asking to be the recipient of a few plants of this orange. This request 

 brought, in course of time, a small box of orange twigs, uttex-ly dry and useless. 

 I immediately sent a letter requesting that some one be employed to graft a 

 few trees on young stocks and that all expenses would be paid by the depart- 

 ment. Ultimately a box arrived containing 12 newly budded trees, and, being 

 packed as I had suggested, were found to be in fairly good condition. I believe 

 that two of them failed to grow. No expenses were charged, so I presume that 

 the correspondent sent them as a gift. All that I ever knew about the donor 

 was that slie was a lady, and that the correspondence, so far as she was con- 

 cerned, was not ofiicial. 



I had a supply of young orange stocks on hand, and as fast as I could secure 

 buds tliey were inserted on these stocks. The first two young plants that were 

 scut o>it were sent to a Mrs. Til)betts, Riverside, Cul. That lady called here 

 and was anxious to get some of these plants for her place, and I sent two of them 

 by mail. They pro.spered with her, and -when they fruited attention was directed 

 to their size and fine appearance, and when ripe their excellence was acknowl- 

 (•tlge<], and the fruit was called Riverside Navel, thus ignoring the label at- 

 tafhed to the plants, which was Rahia, a very distinctive name, whicli should 

 have been refainod. Afterwards otlu-r Californians, not wishing Riverside to 

 be boomed witli tlie natne, dianged it to Washington Navel, all of which was 

 uiK-iillf'd for, but this department could not alter it, and it was considered best 

 to adojit liie name and so avoiil furtlier confusior). 



We budded many hundre*] from time to time and sent tliem to Florida, where 

 it has never become very popular, owing to its not bearing plentifully. I have 

 seen trecH 15 fo't in height, fine trees, at Rockledge with not over a couple of 

 dozen fruits on tlu-ni. Why It fruits better in California than it does in 

 Florida is not known. In tlie orange house of tlie department It has never 



