 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Below you'll see everything we could locate for your search of “pieces of the past”
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette I recently went to the funeral of Pate Snively, who was a longtime Winter Haven resident and citrus grower. I attended school with several of his nephews but got to know Snively when I was ending my reign as the Florida Citrus Queen in 1982. I was offered the opportunity to sell ads in our program …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette 2020 is the 93rd anniversary of Flamingo Groves, the forerunner of Flamingo Gardens. The founders, Floyd L. and Jane Wray, moved to Florida in 1925 where he sold real estate. The following year, on Sept. 19, a devastating hurricane decimated the area and changed their lives. D.L. Gregory was staying with the Wrays during the hurricane …
Recently, I came across an old letter A.F. Camp wrote to John T. Lesley in 1979. I thought it was so interesting that I shared it with the members of the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Selection Committee. I wanted them to think about how hard things were “back in the day” in considering the contributions of some of the …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette Here we are in 2020. It’s hard to believe that time is flying by so fast. I’m now in the older generation! This makes me want to preserve as many memories as possible before they’re lost and forgotten. Approximately 30 people showed up at a recent Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Oral History Luncheon at the …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette When Citrus Industry magazine was launched 100 years ago, the founders had many fears as to whether the focus on a single crop was too narrow to be successful. It would be something I clearly remember the Frisbie family discussing with staff at different times over the years. However, at the close of the publication’s first …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette Florida’s agriculture commissioners have always been extremely important to the state’s citrus industry. One of the first Citrus Industry magazine articles I was able to find on a past Florida commissioner of agriculture was about the appointment of Nathan Mayo. It appeared in the November 1923 issue of the magazine. I thought it was extremely interesting …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette In 1921, citrus pomologist D.W. Hadsell wrote a Citrus Industry article titled “The Care of Young Citrus Trees.” Following is information from his article on how things were done “back in the day.” According to Hadsell, “successful tree planting requires special attention to at least four essentials.” He lists the necessary steps as follows: Keep the …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette I recently came across an article by Frank Kay Anderson in the June 1922 issue of Citrus Industry magazine and found it quite interesting, as I have never seen this version of a grapefruit “preparer.” It also made me wonder if this was one of the first fulfillment programs in the industry. So, if you have …
Industry members attended the 28th annual Citrus Expo this month. Let’s take a look back to the event’s beginnings. Known as the Southwest Florida Citrus Expo at the time, the event took place Aug. 26–27, 1992, shortly after Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida. The first Citrus Expo was held at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers, the same …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette On the cover of the April 1949 issue of Citrus Industry magazine, there is a paragraph that references the beginning of Florida Citrus Mutual. It simply states: “Now that Florida Citrus Mutual is definitely and permanently organized, it behooves every citrus grower in Florida to give this super-cooperative organization his loyal and whole-hearted support. With prices …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette While some things stay the same in citrus, others clearly do not. Today’s growers are experimenting with drones and other technology in the grove, but back in the 1920s, bushel baskets were making waves in the industry. Here’s an interesting excerpt from a March 1921 Citrus Industry article titled “Citrus Fruits in Bushel Baskets” by M.S. …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette I recently came across an old 1925–26 catalog for the Glen Saint Mary Nurseries Co., which was founded in 1882 and located in Winter Haven, Florida. The catalog claimed to have the “Largest Citrus Nurseries in the World,” and the company was a longtime advertiser in Citrus Industry magazine. Glen Saint Mary’s president was H. Harold …
I came across an article in the March 1921 issue of Citrus Industry that was titled “Tangelo Tree Attracts Attention” by W.B. Powell of Lakeconics. Two things caught my eye: 1) “Lakeconics” — where or what the heck was that!? and 2) the singular use of “Tree.” What was so special about this one tree? So, of course, I had …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette I found the first issue (January 1920) of Citrus Industry, courtesy of Jen Dawson at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, Florida. As I looked through the issue, I came across an article on soil tillage. Unfortunately, the pages had stuck together and only the last part was readable, but I wanted to …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette The headline of a Wilson & Toomer Fertilizer Company advertisement in a 1949 Citrus Industry magazine read “how to think UPSIDE DOWN — and make more money!” It included the following copy: “If a tree can be said to think at all — it thinks from the bottom up — just opposite to Man. To make …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette Editor’s note: Citrus Industry is pleased to welcome back Pieces of the Past to the pages of the magazine after publishing it on CitrusIndustry.net for the past year. This popular citrus history column returns to the magazine in preparation for Citrus Industry magazine’s 100th anniversary in January 2020. Leading up to the anniversary, each Pieces of …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette In 1937, the Florida Citrus Commission released a booklet titled “How to Get the Most Out of Life,” by etiquette guru Emily Post. It included snippets of wisdom along with numerous plugs for the Florida citrus industry. The first page notes that “Brides Wear Orange Blossoms — because these fragrant, exquisite blossoms, in their flawless purity, symbolize …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette This year, before Halloween was even over I was seeing Christmas decorations. It made me wonder: What happened to Thanksgiving? We used to send Happy Thanksgiving cards and plan big family reunions over Thanksgiving meals with tables loaded with recipes handed down over the years. Now it seems more like an afterthought and “Let’s get our …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette Anthony T. Rossi, founder of Tropicana, immigrated to New York with the dream of making movies, but ended up in the grocery business for 13 years before heading to Florida in search of warmer weather. Using the skills he’d developed in the grocery business, he began packing gift fruit boxes for Macy’s and Gimbel’s, and jars …
Take a shot at nominating a deserving industry member for the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame. By Brenda Eubanks Burnette A few years ago, I was approached by someone at an industry function whose opening line was “I gotta talk to you!” So, we walked out into the hallway to chat. He immediately started jabbing his finger at me and …
