THE COLUMBIA EXPOSITION. 



79 



dark green felt, was the Liberty Bell, full size, comprising the 

 central figure of the Los Angeles display. The entire table 

 was decorated with lines, mounds and pyramids of fruits in the 

 most profuse and attractive manner. Orange county, Califor- 

 nia, occupied a narrow table upon the east of this central plat- 

 form, and the recently organized Riverside county had one upon 

 the west. In the California State Building the display of cit- 

 rous fruits was duplicated. Here, however, the seven southern 

 counties made a collective exhibit of various products under 

 the name of the Southern California Association. This organ- 

 ization comprised the counties of Los Angeles, San Diego, San 

 Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Orange and Riverside. 

 The boldest design in this building was a huge ball of fruit 

 about eight feet in diameter, upon a base 12 feet square. It 

 was contributed by the Los Angeles county people. All these 

 designs were kept sweet and fresh for months by new consign- 

 ments from the storage houses. 



The central and northern citrous counties of California 

 were also represented in the State Building, although none of 

 them, save Fresno, attempted to show fresh or plate fruits, 

 principally because the oranges ripen some three weeks earlier 

 in the northern counties than in the south, and no attempt was 

 made to keep them. 



Early in July, many of the varieties of oranges which were 

 prominent in the California displays earlier in the season had 

 disappeared. In the State Building only Hart's Tardive (or 

 Hart's Late), Valencia Late and various seedlings were left. 

 In the Horticultural Building, however, Washington Navel was 

 still shown in considerable quantity. The Improved Navel, 

 from A. C. Thompson, the originator, Duarte, Los Angeles 

 county, made an attractive show. This orange is remarkable 

 for its enormous size and weight, and its quality is good. Next 

 to the Washington Navel, the St. Michael and Mediterranean 

 Sweet contend for supremacy, but the St. Michael appeared to 

 be in greater favor. Other prominent varieties were Malta 

 Blood, Australian Navel and Ruby Blood. Various Tanger- 

 ines and Mandarins were on exhibition, of which the King was 

 the most prominent of little known kinds. 



Lemons were shown in profusion by the Calif ornians, espec- 

 ially by Riverside county, under the charge of G. W. Garcelon, 

 one of the most successful of the lemon growers of the Pacific 

 Slope. Lemon growing is a very recent industry in America, 

 but the Californians are now confident that it will meet with 

 commercial success. The lemons on exhibition were well cured 

 and appeared to possess all the merits of an ideal fruit. The 

 leading variety was Eureka, which is an ever-bearing sort. A 



