2 BULLETIlSr 815, U, S. DEPAKTMENT OF AGEICULTURE. 



The Eureka variety of lemon is the one most widely grown in 

 California. The Lisbon variety is extensively grown in certain dis- 

 tricts, particularly near the coast. During the last few years large 

 plantings of Lisbon lemons have been made in certain districts. 



During the early period of the commercial lemon industry in Cal- 

 ifornia the Villa Franca variety was planted in some sections, but 

 at the present time its propagation has been almost abandoned. 



HISTORY OF THE LISBON LEMON VARIETY. 



The Lisbon lemon was introduced into California from Australia. 

 Two different lots of trees of this variety were imported about the 

 same time. 



In 1872 Mr. EUwood Cooper, a pioneer horticulturist of Santa 

 Barbara, Calif., noticed that the imported lemons in the San Francisco 

 markets were superior in appearance and quality to those raised from 

 the seedling trees in southern California. He then conceived the 

 idea of importing budded trees of some good foreign variety and 

 planting them in California instead of seedlings. He discussed the 

 matter with Mr. Samuel P. Stow, a neighbor, of Goleta, Santa Barbara 

 County, Calif., and they decided to make an importation of the 

 Lisbon variety, which they learned was cultivated in Australia. Ac- 

 cordingly, Mr. Stow purchased 12 budded trees in that country and 

 had them shipped to. San Francisco. These trees died in transit and 

 a second shipment was ordered. The trees in the second lot arrived 

 in good condition in 1874. Mr. Stow retained two of them and sent 

 the remainder to Mr. Thomas A. Garey at Los Angeles, who propagat- 

 ed and distributed many trees of this variety. The Lisbon lemon 

 trees in some of the coast plantings in California can be traced to the 

 Cooper-Stow introduction.^ 



In 1875 a small shipment of trees and plants, including some small 

 Lisbon lemon trees, was received from Australia by Judge J. W. 

 North, of Riverside, Calif. These trees were turned over to Mr. 

 D. H. Burnham, a nurseryman of Riverside, who planted them and 

 distributed trees propagated from them under the name Lisbon.^ 



Many of the plantings of the Lisbon lemon variety in Riverside 

 County, San Bernardino County, and other interior lemon districts 

 of southern California can be traced to the North-Burnham introduc- 

 tion. Later, other importations of budded Lisbon trees were made 

 by nurserymen and orchardists, so that the variety as now grown in 

 California is made up of a number of separate introductions.^ 



1 Entire statement from interview with Mr. Ellwood Cooper, Hotel Lankershim, Los Angeles, Calif., 

 June 19, 1917. 



2 Personal statement of Mrs; Mary M. Burnham, widow of Mr. D. H. Burnham, Riverside, Calif., May 29, 

 1917. 



3 Letter from Mr. R. C. Allen, Bonita, Calif., Apr. 2, 1917. 



