| Christopher Columbus in 1493 introduced citrus | | | | remains of "ancient habitations, being there an |
| trees into America on the Island of Haiti, by | | | | abundance of peach and fig trees loaded with |
| planting the seed of the sweet orange tree, the | | | | fruit." |
| sour orange, citron, lemon, lime, and pummelo fruit | | | | Bartram also reported that orange trees were |
| trees. Records show that citrus trees were well | | | | grown and cultivated in large groves in 1790 and |
| established by the Spanish in coastal South | | | | "3000 gallons of orange juice were exported." |
| Carolina and Saint Augustine, Florida by the year | | | | Bartram mistakenly thought that the extensive |
| 1563. | | | | orchards of citrus trees growing in Florida were |
| Historical English documents show that the | | | | native trees, but they had been planted by the |
| Massachusetts Company in 1629 sent seeds of | | | | Spanish explorers centuries before his book, |
| pear trees to plant and grow into fruit trees at | | | | Travels, was published. |
| the American colony located at Plymouth, | | | | William Bartram discovered the Ogeechee lime |
| Massachusetts. Captain John Smith reported in | | | | tree, Nyssa Ogeechee, growing near the |
| 1629 that seed-grown peach trees were growing | | | | Ogeechee River in Georgia, that "no tree exhibits |
| in the American colony at Jamestown, Virginia. | | | | a more desirable appears than this, in the autumn, |
| Apple trees were grown at Boston, | | | | when the fruit is ripe" and the fruit "containing an |
| Massachusetts, in 1629 by William Blackstone, an | | | | agreeable acid juice." In his explorations, Bartram |
| American colonist, and this practice of planting | | | | also reported seeing Chickasaw plum, Prunus |
| fruit trees rapidly spread among many other | | | | chicasaw, and another wild plum, Prunus indica. In |
| farmers there. | | | | 1773, Bartram discovered fig trees planted and |
| Other fruit tree seeds that were sent for colonist | | | | flourishing at Fort Frederica, Georgia, writing that |
| farmers to plant and grow were: cherry, peach, | | | | after searching the ruins in the town, "only remain, |
| plum, filbert, apple, quince, and pomegranate, and | | | | peach trees, figs, pomegranates, and other |
| according to documents, "they sprung up and | | | | shrubs, growing out of the ruinous walls of former |
| flourished." | | | | spacious and expansive buildings, not only in the |
| In 1707 historical Spanish mission documents show | | | | town, but at a distance in various parts of the |
| that fruit trees being grown by the | | | | island" of Saint Simons, Georgia. |
| Spanish-Americans were: oranges, fig trees, | | | | Banana trees were introduced into America from |
| quince, pomegranates, peaches, apricots, apples, | | | | Europe by the early Spanish explorers, and the |
| pear trees, mulberries, pecans and other trees. | | | | plantain banana, that required cooking to eat, |
| General Oglethorpe, the first governor of the | | | | mutated from a green hard fruit to a sweet, |
| colony of Georgia, settled at Fort Frederica, | | | | fresh eating, yellow banana in the year 1836. A |
| located at Saint Simons Island, Georgia, in 1733, | | | | Jamaican, Jean Francois Poujot, discovered this |
| the same date that the city of Savannah, Georgia | | | | outstanding banana cultivar growing quite |
| was founded, with the appointed purpose of | | | | distinctively different in appearance from the |
| introducing fruit trees that would grow valuable | | | | other plantain bananas planted in the field. Mr. |
| food sources for the Georgia farmers. John | | | | Poujot multiplied this banana tree mutation into |
| Bartram, the famous explorer and father of | | | | what would become the most popular and the |
| William Bartram traveled extensively, after the | | | | most famous fruit tree in the world. |
| Spanish abandoned their lands, to take an | | | | Apple tree orchards developed very rapidly in the |
| inventory of plants, trees, and vines that might be | | | | 1800's from the sale of apple seed for planting by |
| useful to farmers in the American colonies. | | | | the legendary Johnny Appleseed. |
| General Oglethorpe imported 500 white mulberry | | | | Perhaps the greatest developmental horticulturist |
| trees, Morus alba, in 1733 to encourage and | | | | and pomologist who ever lived was Luther |
| economically support the developing colonial | | | | Burbank, who settled in California and published a |
| interests in silk production at Fort Frederica, | | | | giant set of 10 volumes of books that outlined his |
| Georgia, colony of the English on the island of | | | | fantastic experiments to improve fruit trees, |
| Saint Simons, Georgia. | | | | berry plants, grapevines, nut trees, and many |
| Henry Laurens, a President of the American | | | | other perennials to include shade trees. Luther |
| Continental Congress from South Carolina, | | | | Burbank bred out the fuzz from peaches, which |
| introduced: olives, limes, everbearing strawberry, | | | | he stabilized into commercial nectarine trees. He |
| and red raspberry for culture in the colonies and | | | | also made many advances in hybridizing tasty |
| from the south of France, he imported and | | | | varieties of plums and peach trees. Burbank |
| introduced apples, pears, plums, and the white | | | | imported Japanese, Oriental plum trees to be |
| Chasselas grape which bore abundantly. | | | | inbred with native American plum trees, that led |
| In 1763, George Mason recorded in his extensive | | | | to growing many commercial varieties that are |
| fruit journal of his home orchard that he had | | | | top producers even today, such as: Burbank plum |
| planted an old French variety of pear tree, and he | | | | tree, Methley plum trees, Santa Rosa plum trees, |
| "grafted 10 black pear of Worchester." | | | | and many others. Burbank strongly felt that the |
| The Black Mission fig tree was made famous | | | | native American cherry trees that were |
| when it was found growing at a Spanish | | | | extremely cold hardy should be intercrossed with |
| monastery in 1770. | | | | commercial cherries in order to stabilize and |
| The first American fruit tree nursery was opened | | | | inbreed the factor of cold hardiness. Burbank |
| in 1737 by Robert Prince at Flushing, New York | | | | made numerous improvements on fruit trees |
| who sold fruit to President George Washington, | | | | involving pear trees and apple trees. |
| who visited the nursery. Prince Nursery advertised | | | | Fruit trees have provided food to wildlife, bird, and |
| "42 pear trees for sale" in 1771 and "33 kinds of | | | | animals since the Biblical account of creation. Many |
| plums." 500 white mulberry trees, Morus Alba, and | | | | birds are totally dependant on seeds of fruits, |
| 1000 black mulberry trees, Morus nigra, were | | | | buts, berries, and grapes. Even when the pulpy, |
| bought by Robert Prince in 1774. Robert Prince | | | | fleshy portions of fruits are gone, the seed |
| sold an extensive list of grafted peach trees to | | | | remains preserved for months and sometimes |
| President Thomas Jefferson, to be planted at the | | | | for years to provide nourishment for wildlife birds |
| Jefferson home orchard at Monticello, Virginia. | | | | and animals, and many of these seed being |
| President Thomas Jefferson loved eating peaches, | | | | undigested germinate to grow later into pear |
| and he dried the peach slices into "peach chips" | | | | trees, pecan trees, muscadine vines, or black |
| for his granddaughter and fermented fresh | | | | raspberry bushes. The fruit trees of the world |
| peaches into peach wine and distilled the mixture | | | | not only furnish calories for energetic living, but |
| further into peach brandy. Jefferson also | | | | vitamins that are essential for growth are |
| introduced the French mixture of tea and fresh | | | | transplanted by the sunshine photosynthesis |
| peach juice called pesche (peach) tea. Jefferson | | | | processes into forming fruits, berries, nuts, and |
| experimented with the delightful "black plumb | | | | grapes to insure a wonderful healthy lifestyle will |
| peach" of Georgia, well known today and still sold | | | | continue. These fruit trees synthesize hormones |
| as the "Indian Blood Peach Tree." Jefferson | | | | and form the building blocks of proteins, fatty |
| believed the Indian Blood Peach grew true to | | | | acids, and carbohydrates that chemically evolve |
| name from planted seed. Jefferson believed this | | | | into antioxidants. These antioxidants can help or |
| celebrated peach tree had resulted from a natural | | | | suppress harmful body aging processes that often |
| hybrid cross between the French imported | | | | end in heart attacks, stroke, faulty blood |
| variety, "Sanguinole," and naturalized peach trees, | | | | pressure, and Alzheimer's disease. Fruit trees, |
| that were being grown by the Indians. Mulberry | | | | berry plants, nut trees, and grapevines are |
| trees were planted at Thomas Jefferson's | | | | essential for man's continued ability to maintain |
| Monticello home at a distance of 20 feet apart | | | | functional healthy bodies and to accumulate |
| along with a list of other fruit trees, grapevines, | | | | substantial agricultural wealth. |
| and pecan trees. | | | | William Bartram reported in his book, Travels, the |
| William Bartram, in his book, Travels, wrote that | | | | finding of fruit trees at a French plantation on an |
| he saw vigorous "two or three large apple trees" | | | | island at the Pearl River. Bartram wrote that he |
| growing near Mobile, Alabama in 1773. These trees | | | | viewed "manured fruit trees arrive in this island to |
| were likely grown from apple seed planted earlier | | | | the utmost degree of perfection, as Pears, |
| by Indians, a gift from earlier American colonial | | | | Peaches, Figs, Grape Vines, Plumbs & C.; the |
| farmers. Bartram also reported "the wild | | | | last mention genus, there is a native species that |
| crabapple," Pyrus coronaria, growing among the | | | | grows in this island, which produces its |
| apple trees, probably a pollinator. William Bartram | | | | large...crimson frui...of a most enticing appearance. |
| wrote that he visited near Mobile Alabama the | | | | |