Thomas A Garey is noted for being an outstanding early citrus pioneer. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, his family moved to Iowa. In 1849 at the age of nineteen Thomas traveled by Ox Team to Los Angeles County, California. The trip took three years, from 1849 to 1852. As a resident of Los Angeles County, Thomas soon acquired a great love of citrus. In 1865 when Tom was 35 years old he opened one of the first citrus nurseries in Los Angeles, growing young citrus trees for commerical and home use. The land that the nursery was located on is now a commerical Los Angeles street. In 1865 most citrus nurseries in southern California grew their trees from seeds extracted from locall fruit, but mostly from seeds received from the citrus fruits grown by the Franciscan Fathers in their grove at the San Gaberial Mission. Thomas Garey, used the Mission's seeds, but further, he also imported seed from Mexico, Australia, Southern Europe, Florida and from the famous Thomas Rivers Nursery in England. He introduced and named many new citrus varieties, including the Mediterranean Sweet and The Saint Michael, both of witch were exttensively planted in the early California orchards. His most famous introduction came when he noticed an extraordinary fine lemon tree, grown from a chance seedling, that had been planted years earlier by his friend C.R. Workman from a large group of seeds that was imported from Italy, and shipped through Hamburg Germany to California. Thomas Garey purchased the propagation rights and through budding re-produced many new clones of the Workman tree. He named the "new" variety "Garey's Eureka Lemon", which today is just called the Eureka Lemon, the famous commerical variety sold in every supermarket in the country. In Mr. Garey's honor the city of Garey, California (Santa Barbara County) is named after him, along with Garey Blvd. in Pomona, California, and Garey Senior High School. He was also a member of the franchise the built a part of the Los Angeles street car system, and a whitness in the court proceeding that found a Mr Shaw mentally sane and thus freed him from the California insane asylum that he had been consigned. So see what can happen by planting a few citrus seedlings and hoping for the one "chance seedling?" - Millet

Very interesting - thanks for sharing that info Millet.

Your welcome Ned. I enjoy citrus history, and plan to write an article every now and than about some of the famous people of citrus history. - Millet

Millet,
Thanks for the inspiration for those of us growing seedlings. And the History Lesson (that I printed out) about the "birth" of my Garey Eureka Lemon..
Gina *BabyBlue*

I see a city called "Millet", Colorado, with a 'Millet' High School, and maybe 'Millet' Greenhouse for Citrus, Fruits & Tropicals in the future.
You might just have that one seed in a million, growing... Hope you do!

Millet's article mentions the Thomas Rivers nursery in England.
Some of my first citrus plants came from there many years ago, but it finally closed down in the early 1980's.
I took what were almost certainly the last photos of some of their greenhouse citrus trees - by then dying from lack of water and winter frosts.
http://www.saalfelds.freeserve.co.uk/MyCollection.htm
I am still growing a satsuma bought from Rivers, plus two varieties that I resurrected from those greenhouse plants. (Shaddock - a not very edible Pummelo, and Imperial Lemon - large but not very juicy).

Citrange, Thank you VERY MUCH for the pictures of the Thomas Rivers Greenhouse. Thomas Rivers Nursery was one of the world's GREAT citrus nurseries. Few citrus suppliers, if any, had as an illustrious history, and importance, as the Thomas Rivers Nursery of London. A post on the history of the Thomas Rivers Nursery would be a very valuable part of what I hope to develop as a learning opportunity of the history of the citrus industry on this forum. How about it Citrange? - Millet

I'll keep it in mind.
The Royal Horticultural Society has an excellent specialist library in London, with many historical books, documents and old nursery catalogues.
I very occasionally spend an afternoon there, so I could do some research on Rivers Nursery. No guarantees when that will be, though.

I stumbled on to these links.. thought I'd share..

Reads Nursery
http://www.readsnursery.co.uk/culturalAdvice/citrus.htm
Royal Horticluture Society
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0101/citrus_cultivation.asp

stumbled on to the links looking at this BEAUTIFUL green house!!!
http://www.rhs.org.uk/about/helpus/glasshouse/legacy.asp

Sorry to be a bit OT Millet.. Hope you enjoy the links though..

Gina *BabyBlue*

Gina, those are nice links. I learned a lot... thanks

Gina, thanks for the links, especially the Royal Horticulture Societ's. Sorry it took me so long to respond, but I went to Toas, New Mexico for the weekend, with some members of the Corvette club I belong to. I am a member of the Royal Horticultural Society Of England. I joined the RHS so I could get into the Chelsea Flower Show in London, England on RHS member's day. The first day of the show, is only open to the Royal Horticultural Society members. Otherwise you have to go when the flower show opens to the general public which is EXTREMELY CROWDED. If you ever get a chance to attend the Chelsea Flower show, be sure to attend. It is certainly one of the world best flower shows. - Millet