2 BULLETIN 697, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 
Consequently, the reputation of California grapefruit in many 
important markets was below that of fruit from other grapefruit- 
growing regions, and the culture of this fruit in the State was found 
to be unprofitable in most instances. 
One of the varieties introduced into California from Florida about 
1890 was later known as the Marsh, or, as it has been more commonly " 
called, the Marsh Seedless. The trees of this variety were found to 
produce superior fruits, particularly from the standpoint of commer- 
cial quality, including the characteristics of a flattened, desirable 
shape, smooth texture and fine color of rind, few or no seeds, abun- 
dance of juice, tender and palatable rag, and a highly developed 
grapefruit flavor. 
The former lack of commercial success of the California grapefruit 
industry, due to the planting of varieties not suitable for California con- 
ditions, discouraged extensive plantings of this fruit for many years. 
The success of the Marsh variety, not only in western but in some 
eastern markets as well, has led to a recent reawakening of interest 
in the production of this fruit in California and to extensive commer- 
cial plantings in several districts. The fruits of the Marsh variety 
ripen during the late spring and summer months in California. 
The Florida grapefruit crop is largely marketed during the late fall, 
winter, and early spring months, so that the California-grown Marsh 
grapefruit crop can be sold in eastern markets at a time when it does 
not compete with the Florida crop or the crops of other important 
grapefruit-growing regions. In addition to the eastern, there are 
several important California markets which must be supplied with 
California-grown grapefruit on account of a rigid quarantine against 
all grapefruit from other districts. This quarantine has been estab- 
lished by reason of the danger of the introduction of serious citrus 
pests and diseases into the orchards of that State. 
The Thirteenth Census gives the production of California grape- 
fruit in 1909 as 122,515 boxes. The production of other important 
California citrus fruits that year was 14,436,180 boxes of oranges, 
2,756,221 boxes of lemons, 3,581 boxes of tangerines, and 555 boxes 
of mandarins. 
The plantings of grapefruit trees in California in 1910 were shown 
by the Thirteenth Census to total 43,424 bearing trees. Figured at 
the rate of 90 trees to the acre, these trees were planted on about 
482 acres. At the same time it was found that there were 25,589 
trees not in bearing, which, at the rate of planting mentioned above, 
would amount to 284 acres of nonbearing trees. 
The plantings in 1915, as shown by figures compiled by the Cali- 
fornia Fruit Growers' Exchange, 1 consisted of 56,224 trees, or about 
"625 acres in bearing, and 203,580 trees, or about 2,262 acres, not in 
i Letter from F. 0. Wallschlaegcr, Los Angeles, Cal., June 7, 1916. 
