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Image via Wikipedia The orange came to Texas sometime in the late nineteenth century. It was brought by Spanish missionaries who also delivered grapefruit seeds to local farmers. This was indeed a blessing, since the state was in desperate need of new agricultural products. Unfortunately, the orange had a less than auspicious start in the Lone Star State. In fact, all of the early crops that were planted in the 1880s died. Farmers were flummoxed, but they continued to experiment with Texas oranges and grapefruit. Years later, they discovered that the problem was the rootstock they were using. Shortly thereafter,…

Image by Houstonian via Flickr Oranges first came to Texas at the end of the nineteenth-century. Since that time, citrus fruit crops have been cultivated in one relatively small section of the state. The region is known as the Rio Grande Valley and it is located in South Texas. Because it has a subtropical climate and fertile soil, this region is perfect for growing citrus fruits like Texas oranges and grapefruit. In this article we are going to discuss the Texas citrus industry. Why grow oranges in Texas? Compared to Florida, Texas farmland is far more affordable. Not to mention…