New Tropical Fruit Crops of 1887—A Blueprint for Today, and a Sweepstakes
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Jxrome Jnemorial {Institute Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 100:265-268. 1987. NEW TROPICAL FRUIT CROPS OF 1887—A BLUEPRINT FOR TODAY, AND A SWEEPSTAKES R. J. Knight, Jr. Exotic Nurseries, located at the present site of the Kapok U.S. Department of Agriculture Tree Restaurant in Clearwater. Mr. Hoyt, of course, Agricultural Research Service planted the old Bombax ceiba tree still growing there. More Miami FL 33158-1399 to the point, he was an organizing member of this Society, and worked to promote fruit culture. Additional index words. Plant introduction, pomology, his Reasoner's 1887-88 catalog was prepared by Pliny Ford tory of horticulture in Florida. Reasoner, a remarkable young man fated to die tragically in September, 1888, at the age of 25. He also prepared Abstract Reckoners' 1887 catalog offers a listing of plants U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Division of Pomology Bulletin that would seem up-to-date to one planting tropical fruit No. 1, which appeared in 1888 and duplicates much of the crops in Florida today. A variety of currently well known fruit catalog's information (6). His younger brother, Egbert N., plants are offered at prices that would be attractive now: survived another 40 years, and the nursery yet survives in carambola ($2 each), pineapple, banana, papaya, purple Manatee County. During his short life, Pliny served the passion fruit, guava. A number of crops offered in 1887 are cause of Florida and tropical horticulture enormously. He not yet important here, and for ecological or economic reasons corresponded extensively with plant people around the are not likely to become so. Yet one might ask why crops of world, introducing hundreds of ornamental and fruit genuine potential, already in Florida 100 years ago, have plants, and making a 4-week plant exploration of Cuba been so long in development. Without oversimplification, the during mango season (8). Recognized for his ability, he most important reasons probably relate to competition from was horticultural commissioner in charge of the Sub-trop better known fruits (e.g. 69 cultivars of orange were offered), ical Exposition in Jacksonville in 1887-88. Also, he was one a lack of cultivars of superior quality of the less well known of the three Florida commissioners at the Cotton States fruits, and the need for superior techniques of pest and stress Centennial Exposition in Atlanta in 1887 (10). So the management that have only been developed recently. From catalog he published was not his only accomplishment for the record, however, we can conclude that work on tropical that year. It remains a valuable reference, honestly pre fruit introduction and distribution was already off to a good pared and scholarly yet well-laced with the poetry that ap start in Florida 100 years ago. parently was felt to be necessary in Victorian gardening literature. [This may have been added by people at the Thirty-six years ago, when my 89-year-old grandfater firm of J. Horace McFarland in Harrisburg, PA, who closed the house he had lived in for over 60 years, a fas printed the document.] A more careful perusal after the cinating piece of fall-out came my way. This was the first first glance at this catalog gives an accurate picture of what catalog and price list of the Royal Palm Nurseries, for the was already on the scene, and ready for the sweepstakes season of 1887-88, sent out by the Reasoner Brothers from race toward success, and what was still over the horizon Manatee, Florida (8). This document, issued for the same (Table 1). year the Florida State Horticultural Society was organized, Tropical fruits were sold as unnamed seedlings except gives a picture of what horticulture was like here at that for bananas, mangos, pineapples and guavas. Of avocados, time. We might be forgiven after a quick leaf-through for only West Indian seedlings appeared. The clones that were thinking that things really have not changed much. With named, budded and offered for sale by George Cellon in the 20:20 hindsight of 100 years we may smile at the idea Miami 12 years later, were of course not yet available. Fur of cultivating some of the crops our young, optimistic thermore, the Mexican and Guatemalan-race cultivars that grandparents and great-grandparents then expected to Reasoners and others sold in later years had not yet been grow. On the other hand, it is almost uncanny how many brought to Florida. The Guatemalan-West Indian hybrid of today's old standbys or bright new hopes were already cultivars that were to originate and become the backbone of the industry in Florida, and also become important in here. Few horticulturists living in southern Florida in 1887 some other countries, were not yet in existence. Five had been here long enough to know what realistically could banana cultivars were offered in the Reasoner catalog, and be expected to succeed. The science of ecology had not yet one plantain. The 7 seed-propagated named mangos of appeared on the scene. Schimper's pioneering book, fered appear all to have been polyembryonic sorts brought "Plant-Geography upon a Physiological Basis" in its first, by the Reasoners or earlier plant collectors from the West German-language edition, was still 16 years down the road Indies. The 3 Indian cultivars described were not priced, (9). Nonetheless, a good bit of hard-won information had thus presumably were not yet available in sufficient quan already accumulated. One of my grandfather's closest tity to be offered at a set charge. 'Mulgoba', the first im neigbors was Robert D. Hoyt, proprietor of the American proved grafted Indian cultivar established in Florida, the Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 100: 1987. 265 Table 1. Tropical and subtropical fruit and nut species listed for sale by Apart from tropical fruits Reasoners sold citrus fruits Royal Palm Nurseries, 1887-88.2 and a number of others they termed hardier semi-tropical fruits. The citrus picture given by this catalog shows an I. Tropical fruit plants.—Aegle marmelos, bael; Anacardium occidentale, industry in flux. The 69 cultivars of orange offered include cashew; Ananas comosus, pineapple, cultivars (cvs): Green-leaved Sugar- loaf, Red Spanish, Porto Rico; Antidesma bunius, bignay; Annona cherimola, 'Homosassa', 'Jaffa', 'Pineapple', 'Washington Navel', 'Par cherimoya; A. glabra, pond-apple; A. muricata, soursop; A. reticulata, cus son Brown' and 'Valencia Late', but not 'Hamlin' or sub tard-apple; A. squamosa, sugar-apple; Averrhoa carambola, carambola; A. sequent round orange introductions that since have as bilimbi, blimbing; Calocarpum sapota, mammee sapote; Carica papaya, sumed some degree of importance. Ten mandarins avail papaya; Carissa grandiflora, carissa; Caryocar nuciferum, souari-nut; Crysophyllum cainito, star-apple; Cocos nucifera, coconut; Chrysobalanus icaco, able include 'Cleopatra', 'Dancy', 'King' and 'Satsuma'. No cocoplum; Coccoloba uvifera, seagrape; C. diversifolia, pigeon-plum; tangelos, 'Temple', 'Murcot', or other mandarin hybrids Cyphomandra betacea, tree-tomato; Eugenia brasiliensis, grumicama; E. wilde- were offered, because these did not yet exist. novii; E. zeylanica; Feronia limonia, elephant-apple; Garcinia pictoria (sic, probably tinctoria mis-spelled); Glycosmis auriantiaca ( = G. citrifolia}), The most obvious difference between the 1887 citrus glycosmis; G. pentaphylla, Jamaica mandarin; Guilielma gasipaes, peach picture and that of today was grapefruit's status as a new palm; Mammea americana, mammee apple; Malpighia glabra, Barbados- fruit not widely grown but enthusiastically described. cherry; Melicoccus bijugatus, Spanish-lime; Monstera deliciosa, ceriman; Neither 'Duncan' nor any seedless or red-fleshed cultivars Mangifera indica, mango, cvs: Apple, Apricot, Common Yellow, Curacao, were yet listed, although what became known as 'Duncan' Guatemala, Manga, Purple Apple, plus 5 others not priced; Musa sp. and hybrid, banana and plantain, cvs: Apple ("Hart's Choice"), Cavendish, was growing on the old Odet Philippe holding at what is Golden, Orinoco, Red Jamaica, "True Plantain"; Manilkara zapota, now Safety Harbor, waiting to be propagated by A. L. Dun sapodilia; M. bahamensis, wild dilly; Passiflora edulis, purple passion fruit; can about 5 years later (2). Also, what was later named P. quadrangularis, giant granadilla; Pereskia aculeata, Barbados-gooseberry; 'Marsh' was being increased in Polk County (7). Lemons Persea americana, avocado; Phyllanthus acidus, Otaheite-gooseberry; P. emblic, emblic, Pouteria campechiana, eggfruit; Psidium guajava, guava, cvs: were important in 1887, with large stocks offered of 'Common', 'Saharanpur Large Round', "Var. from Calcutta"; P. guineense, 'Genoa', 'Villafranca', 'Suacco', 'Communis' and 'French's araca; P. cujavillus; Rodomyrtus tomentosus, downy rosemyrtle; Rollinia mu- Seedling". Named limes being sold included 'Key' cosa, biriba; Spondias amara (possibly a form of 5. mombin); S. mombin, ("Florida"), 'Tahiti', and 9 no longer known here. Of the hog-plum; Syzygiumjambos, rose-apple; Tamarindus indica, tamarind; Ter- minalia catappa, tropical almond; Theobronta grandiflora, cupuassu; hardier semi-tropical fruits other than citrus offered, some Triphasia trifoliata, limeberry; Vangueria edulis, Voa-vanga; Ximenia are now of interest as dual-purpose ornamental fruiting americana, Spanish-plum. plants, notably cattley guava, fig, loquat, and Surinam II. Semi-tropical fruit plants.—Arbutus unedo, strawberry-tree; Ceratonia cherry. Others that have been less succesful are carob, siliqua, carob; Citrus aurantifolia,