Bonnie Brae Lemon facts for kids

The Bonnie Brae was a special type of lemon that was very popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was first grown in Bonita, California, which is near San Diego. Today, no Bonnie Brae lemon trees are known to still exist. However, some might still be growing in Southern California without being identified.

History of the Bonnie Brae Lemon

How the Bonnie Brae Lemon Started

The Bonnie Brae lemon was first grown by Hiram Murray Higgins. He had a 76-acre farm called Bonnie Brae Ranch in Bonita. Higgins used to be a successful music publisher in Chicago. He moved to San Diego County for his health. He also wanted to join the growing citrus business in California. He bought his ranch in 1871 and started planting citrus trees.

What Made It Special?

The Bonnie Brae lemon was known for its very thin skin. It was shaped like an oval and had no seeds. Some people thought it might be a mix of a lemon and a lime. But Hiram Higgins said it was not a hybrid.

In 1889, Higgins explained how he created this unique lemon. He bought two barrels of the best Messina lemons from Sicily. He let them rot and then planted their seeds. From these seeds, he grew many different kinds of lemons. The Bonnie Brae was the best one. He showed it to experts in San Francisco. They were very surprised and thought it must be a lime mix. But Higgins insisted there were no limes on his farm.

Higgins believed that the special climate and soil in San Diego helped create the Bonnie Brae lemon. He also tried grafting the Bonnie Brae onto other lemon trees that produced poor fruit. He also grafted it onto orange trees. He found that grafting onto orange trees worked the best.

Acclaim and Popularity

Winning Awards

In 1885, a citrus expert named William Spalding saw the Bonnie Brae lemon. He said it was so different from other lemons that people didn't know if it was a lemon at all.

The Bonnie Brae lemon won a top award at the 1885 New Orleans World's Fair. After his success, Higgins began to sell parts of his Bonnie Brae lemon trees. This allowed other farmers to grow them too. One of these farmers was Henry Ernest Cooper. He named his farms Bonita Ranch. Later, a group of investors bought Cooper's farms and started the Sweetwater Fruit Company.

Expert Opinions

At a fruit growers meeting in 1889, the Bonnie Brae was praised. It was called a "very thin skinned, juicy fruit of fine qualities." People noted it had "many of the properties of the lime."

However, another citrus expert, L.M. Holt, had a different view in 1889. He said that the Bonnie Brae was once thought to "revolutionize the lemon interests." But he noted that it was later "dropped." He hadn't seen the fruit for years. He also mentioned that the Bonnie Brae was not shaped like a typical lemon. It was shaped more like a lime.

Hiram Higgins passed away in 1897 at age 77. His Bonnie Brae Ranch was then sold.

Challenges for the Lemon Industry

Tough Times for Lemons

In the early 1900s, several problems hurt the lemon industry in San Diego. There was a long period without enough water starting around 1912. Then, a big freeze happened in 1913. A terrible flood followed in 1915. These events made it very hard to grow lemons.

In 1918, C.J. Scott, who managed the Bonnie Brae Ranch at the time, wrote about the lemon. He said that because of its very thin skin, the Bonnie Brae lemon often split open. This made it not good for selling in large amounts. He mentioned he had only one Bonnie Brae tree left as a reminder of the famous lemon.

The Bonnie Brae Ranch eventually became a housing area called Bonita Woods in 1961.