One common error I
often see in American historical novels set in the latter half of the 1800s is
the frequent use of lemonade being offered as a popular drink year-round.
Whatever many pioneers—especially in the West—might have offered as a cold, non-alcoholic
alternative to coffee or tea, it was probably not lemonade. Perhaps fresh or
bottled juice or apple cider? Lemons—like all citrus fruit—were grown in Florida,
the Southeastern citrus growing states, and California, or shipped by steamboat
from Europe. No matter where one lived in the United States then, lemons were
expensive.
In addition to lemons
not being grown throughout the United States, they also had a limited growing
season. Peak time for lemon harvest was from December through February,
although, in some places, a small, secondary harvest period might last until June. Although
there were ice houses in larger cities, and many farmers/ranchers preserved ice
in dugouts to last most of the year, the capacity to preserve food through
long-term freezing did not exist. The chances that our Western ancestors served
iced lemonade made from fresh lemons in July or August was limited to
non-existent. Lemon availability increased throughout the West only after the 1869 completion of the Transcontinental
Railroad. The cross-country railroads made shipping from Florida, the Southeastern citrus
growing states, and California to other parts of the country possible.
WHERE DID LEMONS COME
FROM, ANYWAY?
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Tomb of Nakht
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It is believed the lemon
(Citrus limon) is a native of northeastern India or Burma. They were known in Egypt. The earliest
references lemons can be found in Sanskrit and Chinese literature. The Moors
carried the plant into Spain, and Crusaders brought the plant back to Italy
from Palestine and Turkey.
During his second
journey to the New World in 1493, Christopher Columbus carried lemon
seeds and introduced citrus on the island of Haiti. From the West Indies, the lemon migrated to
the mainland where it grew wild, since the climate was somewhat like that of
southeast Asia. Records show that these citrus trees
were well established in the American colonies in about 1565 at Saint
Augustine, Florida, and in coastal South Carolina. In Florida the Indians are said to have
used citrus and aided in its dissemination.
The Spanish
Conquistadores and mission fathers furthered the spread of this and other
varieties of citrus wherever they went in the Americas.
During the 19th
century and in the first decade of the 20th century Italian fruit growers held
a virtual monopoly on the sale of lemons in the United States. Fruit grown in Florida
and in California was considered to be of poor quality and could not compete
with Sicilian fruit. It took time for Southeast states and California to develop
varieties that favorably competed with the fruit shipped from Europe.
ATTEMPTS TO GROW
LEMONS IN SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES
Commercial production
of citrus in the Southeast was not significant until after the American
annexation of Spanish territory in 1821 when the Spanish gave up their groves
to the United States. Florida growers who took over those groves began
shipping oranges, grapefruit, limes, and lemons to Philadelphia and New York by
railway and ships in the 1880’s.
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Settlers from the
United States took over Spanish plantings and the groves of trees which grew
wild and began to ship citrus to other parts of the United States. Prior to the
1860's the commercial citrus crop of Florida was limited to the output of a few
small groves in the northern part of the state. Most of the groves were located
along the banks of the St. Johns and other rivers, since practically the only
means of transportation was by river boats. The methods of culture, harvesting,
and shipping were very crude, but in spite of the many handicaps the pioneer
growers prospered. The building of railroad lines into the area in the early
sixties brought about a rapid growth of the industry. According to a U. S.
Department of Agriculture report published in 1887, by then, lemon culture in
south Florida was making rapid strides. Although it was earlier believed by
most people that a sweet rind, first-class aced, medium size lemon could not be
produced on Florida soil, five varieties of commercial lemons began attracting attention.
BEGINNINGS OF COMMERCIAL
PRODUCTION IN CALIFORNIA
The first plantings
of citrus in the American Southwest were at the Spanish missions in Arizona
between 1707 and 1710, and it is known that the lemon was growing in Baja
California as early as 1739.
Citrus fruits were
introduced in California by the padres around 1769. The first recorded citrus
orchard was planted in 1804 at the San Gabriel mission, east of Los Angeles. In
the early years, citrus were mainly grown in the missions from San Diego in the
south to San Jose in the north and in garden plantings in the Los Angeles area.
The first commercial orchard
was planted by William Wolfskill in 1841 near what is now the center of
downtown Los Angeles.
Following the
discovery of gold in California the influx of population resulted in a greatly
increased demand for food of all kinds. The demand for an acid fruit was met by
imports of lemons and limes from Europe and by an increased production of both
these fruits within the state.
Prior to 1848 there
had been little planting of citrus in the northern counties since most of the
Spanish settlement had occurred to the south of the San Francisco Bay area.
During the 1850's and early 1860's commercial plantings in these northern
counties remained few in number for several obvious reasons. First of all, most
of the people were engaged in a search for gold and were not interested in
agriculture. Secondly, a large percentage of the gold miners came from the
eastern part of the United States and from Western Europe and had no background
in citriculture.
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California Lemon Growing Districts
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Starting in the 1870,
the citrus industry expanded quickly. The bulk of California's citrus
production was from Los Angeles County. While it was based on some 90,000 trees
in 1875, this number had increased to approximately 2 million trees in 1885 and
to 4.5 million trees in 1901. Commercial fruit production was concentrated in
the three Southern Californian counties of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and San
Diego. (Personal note: I started First Grade in a San Diego County town named Lemon Grove.)
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Golden Spike Ceremony-Transcontinental Railroad
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The completion of the
transcontinental railways greatly promoted this boom. The Southern Pacific
Railroad did not connect Bakersfield until 1874 and completed its connections
between California and El Paso, Texas in 1881. The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa
Fe Railroad did not reach Los Angeles until 1887. Before then, for lemons grown
in Southern California to reach the Central Pacific (Later Southern Pacific)
line that joined the Transcontinental Railroad, they had to be shipped north to
either San Francisco or Sacramento.
The completion of the
Transcontinental Railway further stimulated the citrus industry, since citrus
could be rapidly sent to eastern markets. Competition among the
railroads led to lower freight and passenger rates to and from California.
Prior to 1885 it cost as much at $1000 to ship a carload of produce to Chicago.
Early in 1885 this dropped to $400 a car. With the completion of the Santa Fe
the freight rate between Los Angeles and Chicago fell to $200 a car. Later improvements of refrigeration
helped to increase citrus growing and planting, mainly oranges, lemons, and
limes throughout the world in 1889.
Very gradually
California growers overcame their production and marketing problems and
captured a larger and larger share of the world lemon market. Their share of
lemon sales in the United States rose from a few percent in the 1880's to 18
per cent in 1900. By 1920 their share had increased to 75 per cent.
In spite of the lower
freight rates foreign fruit could be delivered to the major eastern cities at a
lower cost than could California fruit. There was still a freight rate
advantage enjoyed by imported fruit in the eastern markets.
The
domination of citrus production in the United States by Florida continued until
several devastating freezes in 1894 and 1899 severly damaged citrus production.
They virtually wiped out certain citrus varieties in the Gulf States. Again in
1916, a hard freeze heavily damaged the Florida and Gulf Coast citrus
production. It was then citrus production of the United States began to shift
from Florida to California. This lasted until just after World War II when the
citrus crops in California developed disease. More citrus growth shifted back
to Florida.
In
my recently published Christmas romance, Lemon Cookies by Lisbeth, part of
the Old Timey Holiday Kitchen series. One of the challenge she faces is the
wait until lemons are readily available for sale at a decent price in her 1882
Rocky Mountain community. To find the book description and purchase options,
please CLICK HERE
My
second Christmas romance for 2024 is Phoebe, part of the Christmas Quilt
Brides series. Set in 1896 New Ponca, which was built along the Atchison,
Topeka, and Santa Fe tracks, not only would lemons be more available, but by
that point in time, the lower shipping costs would have made them more
cost-effective. To find the book description and purchase options, please CLICK HERE
My
third and final Christmas romance for 2024, published two days ago, is A
Surprise for Christmas. Set in 1867 Kansas, the Transcontinental Railroad
was barely getting started in Nebraska, and the connections between the Kansas
Pacific and Union Pacific had not yet been made. In this book, the hot-weather
drink was either water or switchel, a concoction made from water and two pantry
staples—vinegar and molasses. To find the book description and purchase
options, please CLICK HERE
Sources:
https://www.tytyga.com/History-of-the-Citrus-and-Citrus-Tree-Growing-in-America-a/381.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon
https://apps1.cdfa.ca.gov/FertilizerResearch/docs/Citrus_Production_CA.pdf
https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/downloads/m613n230z
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