The Citrus Fruit Industry in Louisiana

THE CITRITS FKUiT INDUSTRY TN LOUISIANA1 Sanford H. Bederman Georgia State College Citrus fruit has been grown in Louisiana for almost 250 years, and has been noteworthy commercially in the state since the 1830 's, but the amount grown is extremely small compared to the volume that is produced in California and Florida. Louisiana is seldom mentioned in any literature concerning citrus since virtually no experimental work or scientific research on citrus has been conducted in this area. Also, it is amazing that many Louisianians are unaware that citrus is grown within the state. An appraisal of citrus production and its potentialities in Louisiana may be in order as the nation's population and per capita citrus consumption continues to mount. Accentuating this situation has been the reduction of citrus acreage in several other producing regions. California, for example, has lost a significant portion of her citrus acreage since 1945.2 An understanding· of the physical capabilities of the State of Louisiana , along with the historical background of the citrus industry and a cognizance of the method of production and marketing of the fruit are necessary to an appreciation of the state's prospect as a citrus producer. Historical Setting Citrus was first planted in Southern Louisiana in 1712 by Father La Ru, a Jesuit missionary. The specific site was at Fort Mississippi, about 35 miles south of New Orleans.3 A decade and a half later, the Jesuit missionaries brought orange seeds from the West Indies and planted them in the vicinity of New Orleans. Beginning at this time and continuing until the 1870 's the trees were planted from seed. In 1712, the first of the John LaAA? colonists settled in the parish and began to cultivate small farms. Around 1800, the colonists began to raise small quantities of oranges in orchards scattered throughout the parish, mainly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the neighborhood of Point a la Hache, the parish seat. Shortly after 1800, they began to plant large orchards, the first ones being the Woodland, Magnolia, and Orange Farm Plantations. Later, large citrus groves were extended southeastward along the west bank of the river to Venice, which is about 75 miles below New Orleans. The growers tended their trees industriously and with enterprise and were continuously searching for new varieties. The mandarin (tangerines and Satsuinas fall in to this category) was introduced in the United States from Japan by the growers some time in the decade 1840-1850. The first mandarin trees planted in America were at the Italian consulate in Algiers, Louisiana. Shortly afterwards, mandarin trees Avere planted in Florida. In 1870, a significant improvement in the industry Avas made by George Schoenberger and AV. S. Reddick, two of the largest orange groAvers of the period. They introduced budding as a more rapid method of propogating the fruit. They planted seeds of both the sour orange and Citrus trifoliata, using the resultant growth for root-stocks. Budding on this stock demonstrated that trees could be brought to full fruition within three years and also produce a vastly superior grade of fruit compared to that grown from seedlings, which took approximately ten years for the trees to bear fruit.4 Oranges Avere beginning to be produced in marketable quantities as early as 1838, and the growers received almost 15 dollars per thousand oranges. The fruit Avas shipped loose to market, mainly in sailins' boats. . ^-,_.._.--_? V*£K sA/- - --"¦'— v^-i >-^'j ^ JkN"**?^V * ?-h e ,£G? 'íh>CA-*N*o*_í\fc^_<Ä ? ^~^?··?._„ f 'TT^?G'* '' NDEX MAP CITRUS BtLT Another significant step toward the improvement of the industry was made possible by the Weingerger, Laux, and Meyer Co., when they first sized the fruit, packed them in boxes, and shipped them to commission merchants. At the same time, the sail boat, as a means of transportation, Avas discarded and the steamboat took its place. After that, other methods of transportation followed, such as the motor boat and the railroad. Today, however, Avith the advantage of improved highways, almost all citrus fruit is sent to market by trucks. The citrus industry received another important stimulus in 1916, when the groAvers combined to build a drainage system for the Buras area. The pumps reclaimed the land that had once grown rice but had proved uneconomical to cultivate after the slaves were freed."' Today, 80 per cent of the citrus fruit groAvn in Plaquemines Parish would not be possible if it were not for artificial drainage. Almost all the history of citrus in Louisiana centers around Plaquemines Parish and its environs. There were "boom" periods in other areas of Louisiana, but they were short-lived, primarily due to the susceptibility of those areas to natural hazards.6 The citrus industries of Beauregard, St. Tammany, and Cameron parishes suffered extinction due either to severe freezes, destructiA^e diseases, or to inundation caused by tropical storms and hurricanes. Today, southern Plaquemines Parish is the center of the Louisiana citrus industry. It, too. has suffered periodically from the natural hazards, but they haA'e struck infrequently enough to alloAV the industry to remain profitably extant. A cultural situation anomalous even in South Louisiana is found in the Plaquemines Parish citrus area. One sees names such as Evasovich, Sehoenberger, and Gasquet appearing on mail boxes and signs. These names represent a few of the nationalities present in the parish. In the earliest years of settlement, the French dominated the scene. They Avere the first cultivators of citrus in the state ; they devised the present-day land system; they were responsible for establishing a distinct type of architecture; and also, they introduced a host of names that are still found in the state and in the area. Among the most significant of the newer European immigrants are the SlaA'onians, often called "Dalmatians," aa??? were quite different from the bulk of Yugoslavian immigrants that settled in northeastern United States. They had a history of being sea-faring people and, as a result, had a good knowledge of the Avorld. When they emigrated from YugoslaAÛa, they knew exactly where they wanted to go, two such groups settling in the United States. One group went to California, Avhere they acquired a reputation for being excellent deep-sea fishermen , whereas the other settled south of NeAV Orleans in Plaquemines Parish, coming as early as 1864.7 A large number of Sla\7onians became prosperous oyster cultivators, haA'ing their camps situated in isolated spots near the Gulf of Mexico. Many of the Slavonians no doubt had an excellent knowledge of growing orchard and vineyard fruits and also had techniques of 3 making Avine. It Avas not difficult for them to continue growing the citrus that had been cultivated in the parish for almost 200 years by the French. There is no evidence that the Yugoslavs brought in any new techniques for groAving citrus. Tn fact, the growing of citrus fruit is still carried on in the French tradition. The making of commercial wine seems to be the only Yugoslav contribution to the citrus complex in Plaquemines Parish. Today, the names of some of the largest producers reflect their Yugoslavian ancestry, of Avhich Cognevich, Evasovich, Pavlovich, Pobrica, Lulich, and Pivach are a few examples. The Yugoslavs have not been culturally absorbed. Although liA'ing in a distinctly Louisiana French environment, they haA'e maintained many of their own cultural patterns. HoweA^er, the groAving of citrus fruit is one trait borrowed in its entirety from the methods long established in the area. On the Avhole, it can be said that the procedures involved in cultivating , harA^esting. and marketing citrus in Louisiana do not reflect the unusual nature of the people, but are actually modified deriA-ations of practices used elsewhere in the United States. This means that the French who greAV citrus did not make any new contributions but in turn borroAved the techniques found in the larger citrus areas of the United States. Present Production in Louisiana Citrus Belt Cultivation. In Louisiana, trees are usually planted 100 to an acre. In order to secure better drainage, they are planted on ridges made by ploAving the soil to the middle. Between 4,000 and 5,000 acres of citrus are planted in about a 15 square mile area, 30 miles in length by onehalf mile in width. Almost all the growers ioHoav the same work cycle throughout the year. They fertilize in March and May ; they spray in March, in April or May, and also in June. In July and August, the trees are dusted Avith a sulphur compound. The summer months are spent primarily in trimming trees, cleaning out drainage ditches, and clearing and burning underbrush. New plantings are started in January and February. In case of a freeze, the work cycle is interrupted until late spring to see the extent of the damage, then the trees are pruned Avith the hope they will produce fruit again. Frequent tillage is required to keep the fast and lush growing vegetation under control. When the A'egetation is not cut, as has been the case in many Louisiana orchards, the fields very shortly take on an appearance of abandonment, when in reality, they are still producing fruit. Tn 1945, a survey Avas made of 21 farms in Plequemmes Parish.8 These farms ranged in the size from 20 to 200 acres and averaged 33.9 acres in size with 6.5 acres in citrus. The larger farms (90-200 acres) averaged 128.4 acres in total area and 45.7 acres in orchard. Approximately one third of the total land in the surveyed farms Avas in citrus groves. A large segment of the farms were composed of marsh, unsuitable for agriculture. Louisiana Navels and SAveets share the distinction of being the most widely grown varieties, each making-up about 25 per cent of the total. Satsnmas are next in importance with 20 per cent, followed by Valencias Avith 15 per cent. The remaining 15 per cent consists of tangerines, mandarins, kumquats, and hybrid varieties.9 The actual physical make-up of a Louisiana orange grove is much different from what one would find in Florida and California. On an individual grove in Louisiana, often as many as six different varieties are grown. Tn California and Florida, one could travel for miles and see nothing but navel or Valencia trees. There the growers haA'e geared their AArhole operation toward growing just one or two varieties. The fertilizer, sprays, and packing equipment are those used only for the ATarieties grown, thus making their Avork much less complex. Louisian growers cannot cope Avith cold weather as easily as the California and Florida groAvers. The Florida citrus area, situated in the hillock country in the north-central portion of the state, has the advantage of an excellent natural means of air drainage, thus protecting the fruit grown on the high ground. In California, radiation frosts are the primary threat, and well-placed orchard heaters provide protection. Tn Louisiana, the situation is altogether different. Local relief in the citrus area is only about fifteen feet, therefore air drainage has little opportunity to be advantageous. Radiation frosts are not the main problem here. Cold waves, brought by an influx of polar air Avith accompanying high winds do most of the damage to Louisiana citrus. Orchard heaters are useless under these conditions. The main method by Avhich Louisiana growers ensure successful tree growth is to plant many varieties in the same orchard. Since all the varieties are not going to be in bloom or have mature fruit on the trees at the same time, a freeze likely would not damage the dormant trees, leaving them still to bear fruit during the year. Harvesting and Packing. In 3960, there were 12 packing houses in the citrus area. Before the freeze of 1951, there were 21 packing houses operating. In such a small area, it is not difficult for the groAvers to get their fruit from the groves to the packing houses. Most fruit is hauled to the packing house in tractor-draAA'n wagons; but if the packing house is too far aAvay from the grove, the fruit is transported by truck. All oranges that reach the packing house are mature and are ready for market; but are deficient, as far as the groAvers are concerned, because the skin does not have the proper orange color. In order to give the fruit a color that is more acceptable to the consumer, the oranges are sprayed with ethelene gas in a closed room for a period of 48 to 60 hours. This process turns the skins to an orange color without affecting the quality of the fruit. Many growers do not own a packing house. Tn this case, they take their fruit to a packing house and pay the standard fee of 72 cents per bushel for the processing. For this sum, the oranges are packed, labeled, and inspected, and if the fruit needs the ethelene treatment, eight cents more is charged per bushel. Marketing. The total yearly output of Louisiana oranges is minute compared to that of California and Florida, Louisiana can claim less than one per cent of the total national production. In 1937, California produced almost 46 million boxes of citrus, compared to almost 27 million boxes in Florida, and a half-million in Texas, and 238.000 boxes in Louisiana. Since that time. Louisiana has reached a maximum output of 410,000 boxes in 1946 and then, because of the 1951 freeze, dropped to 50,000 boxes which matched the 1921 output.10 The production figures for 1959 showed Louisiana's output to be 220,000 boxes, largest since the 1951 freeze. During the same vear California produced 39,900,000 boxes and Florida 86,000,000.n With feAV exceptions almost all the oranges grown in Louisiana are marketed in New Orleans. According to the best available estimates, betAAreen 75 and 80 per cent is consumed there. The remainder of the fruit is accounted for in the form of Christmas packages distributed to all parts of the United States; is sold at small road-side stands, or is utilized in the making of orange wine. Orange Wine Industry. The most important by-product of Louisiana citrus is orange wine. At the present time, there are two large Avineries, both in Triumph, a town lying a few miles east of Buras. One Avinery is OAvned by George Pivach and the other by the Lulich Brothers. Accordingf to Anthony Lulich, the Valencia and Louisiana SAveet are the varieties used for Avine. Actually, the tangerine and Louisiana Navel make the best Avine, but are too expensiA'e to use. Until November 21, 1956, the juice at Lulich's winery Avas squeezed from the orange by hand. At that time, a new orange-crushing machine Avas installed. In one-half hour the machine squeezed enough oranges to make 200 gallons of pure juice. Formerly, it took tAvo men all day to make enough juice to equal the half-hour output of the machine. Once the pure juice is obtained it is started through a process that within a year will reach retail counters ready for sale as orange wine. The juice is put into a cistern where sugar and water are added. It is then pumped into 50-gallon Avooden barrels where it sits through the fermentation period, lasting about 12 months. After the liquid reaches a potency of 18 per cent, it is pumped into another cistern AA'here it is filtered through a special paper that "polishes" or strains the wine. From this point, it is bottled, capped, and labeled, and is then ready for sale The Lulich Brothers winerv has a handling capacity of 20,000 gallons. The Prospect The citrus industry in Plaquemines Parish is about the same now as it has been for the past 20 years, but it is on the decline. Most of the recent plantings have been small family-type orchards of ten acres or less, and it is not likely that large orchards Avili flourish again. 6 LULICH BROS. CITRUS FARM TRIUMPH, LOUISIANA 195 7 1ÏP _____ NAVEL _t___ SATSUMA MCREOLE SWEET __a VALENCIA (SS HAMLIN Tri TANGERINE H _CAic irr.) (SE PINK-MEAT GRAPEFRUIT ---— R««4 __S WHITE-MEAT GRAPEFRUIT ______ Oilct) fj PINEAPPLE GRAPEFRUIT ____ C.nol [___ Pockine Houtt -H ESS Wintry K^ ?a,-??p.?? Shad Dwalling There are few indications that the Louisiana citrus industry will expand: one mjaor feature being expense. Due to cost of land and labor, many of the farms are being developed into lots and sold. Because of the climatic insecurity of the area, there are few growers who will attempt the risk of making new plantings. One bad freeze or hurricane could destroy their investment. In addition to taking the initial risk, the groAver could not expect any returns from a neAvly set grove for at least four years. Moreover, these uncertain conditions have encouraged many of the present groAvers to seek security as employees of the petroleum and sulphur companies Avhich lately have become the most important economic entities in the parish. By going to Avork in industry they have neglected lheir trees, and as a result, the trees became "fair game" for inscets and diseases. This infection in turn hindered the conscientious grower. In summary, Louisiana has never been an important producer of citrus nor is there any likelihood that it will be. Iu light of the need for more citrus growth, Louisiana, with its climatically and topographically limited area, does not appear to be an answer to the pressing problem at hand. !The writer is indebted to Professor Fred B. Kniffen, Department of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, for helpful suggestions on conducting field studies in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana . 2Grriffin, P. F. and Chatham, R. L., "Population: A Challenge to California's Changing Citrus Industry," Economic Geography. Vol. 34, July, 1958, 272. sSchoenberger, B., "The Orange Industry of Plaquemines Parish," Program : Fourth Annual Orango Festival, December 4, 1949, Buras, Louisiana, 4Schoenberger, B., op. cit., 9.»Ellison, Virginia, "State Orange Industry Aims for City Trade", New Orleans Times-Picayune, November 28, 1948, p. 2, Sec. 2.«For a more complete discussion of natural hazards, see Bederman, Sanford H., "Louisiana Citrus and Natural Hazards", Louisiana Rural Economist, Vol. 19, May, 1957, 2-5. vparenton, Vernon, Professor of Sociology, L. S. U., Personal Communication , January 10, 1957, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.«Montgomery, J. P. and Fenske, L. J., "Orange Production in Louisiana", Louisiana Rural Economist, Vol. 7, November, 1945, 4-5.»McEachern, Murphy, "Louisiana Oranges," Program: Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival, Buras Louisiana, December 8-9, 1956, 47. !(»Montgomery, J.P., Agricultural Statistics for Louisiana, 19Oi)-HS, Louisiana Bulletin No. 490, L.S.U., May 1954, 58. nSpurlock, Donald H., Horticulture Specialist, Louisiana Extension Service , Personal Communication, February 19, 1960, Baton Rouge, La. ...