THE NAVEL ORANGE OF BAHTA., 3 
the form tends to become more nearly that of the navel orange, i. e., 
spherical, and the number of seeds was reduced to an average of 
nine in the specimens examined. 
When all the evidence is considered, there is scarcely any room 
left for doubt concerning the origin of the navel orange of Bahia 
as a sport from the Selecta variety. Other accounts obtained at 
Bahia substantiate the belief of Dr. Waddell that the variety orig- 
inated in the Cabulla district during the first or second decades of 
the nineteenth century. 
The origin of the Selecta orange is even more obscure than that of 
the Bahia navel. It has been known in Brazil since a remote date, 
and in all probability was brought there by the Portuguese from the 
Iberian Peninsula, though it might have come through one of the 
Portuguese settlements in the Orient. An article which appeared in 
“The Garden” and is quoted in the report of the United States 
Department of Agriculture for 1877 mentions it as occurring in the 
Azores, with the note that it is “large, of first-rate flavor, little 
acidity, and of deep yellow color. It has scarcely any pips and does 
not ripen until April, which gives it a higher value.” In Rio de 
Janeiro it is preferred by many to the navel orange; in fact, it is 
classed by some as the best orange in Brazil. Its fine quality at Rio 
de Janeiro may be due in some measure, however, to the effect of 
climate or soil. 
The extension of the navel-orange industry in Bahia, which has 
resulted in the present large groves of Cabulla, Matatu, and other 
districts near the city of Bahia, has taken place since 1860 or 1870, 
according to the statements of the oldest orchardists. This is about 
the time of the introduction of the variety into the United States. 
Previous to that time there were only a few small groves in the 
Cabulla district. A census taken in 1913 by Dr. V. A. Argollo Ferrao 
showed that there were in the territory immediately adjacent to the 
city of Bahia about 67,000 trees, and about 6,000 more in small planta- 
tions in the interior of the State, notably at Matto de Sao Joao, Santo — 
Antonio de Jesus, Amargosa, and Bom Fim, making a total of 73,000 
trees. The principal orange districts within the municipality, as 
shown upon the map (p. 8), are as follows: Cabulla, containing 
about 30,000 trees; Saboeiro, with 12,000 trees; Cruz do Cosme, 
7,000 trees; Matatu, 8,500 trees; Brotas, 6,000 trees; Sao Goncalo, 
2,000 trees; and Victoria (including Barra, Graca, and Rio Ver- 
melho), 1,500 trees. As there are usually about 100 trees to the 
acre, the total acreage in oranges within the State is approximately 
730. About one-third of the total number of trees have been planted 
less than three years; one-third are from 3 to 6 years of age, and the 
remaining third, 6 to 40 years of age. 
