Lue Gim Gong facts for kids
Lue Gim Gong (Chinese: 刘锦浓; pinyin: Liu Jǐnnóng) was a Chinese-American plant expert. He was born on August 24, 1857, and passed away on June 3, 1925. People called him "The Citrus Wizard." He is famous for his important work with oranges in Florida.
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Lue Gim Gong's Journey
Early Life and Moving to America
Lue Gim Gong was born in Taishan, Guangdong, China, in 1857. His family were farmers. He was very interested in the United States and the chances it offered. When he was 15, his uncle came back from America. Young Lue asked his parents to let him go back with his uncle. They said yes and gave him some silk to sell when he arrived.
He first lived in San Francisco, California. This area had many Chinese people. When he was 16, he moved to North Adams, Massachusetts. There, he started working in a shoe factory.
A New Home in Florida
At the factory, Lue met Fannie Burlingame. She taught his Sunday School class. Fannie learned that Lue was very good with plants. She asked him to live with her family and help with their garden. She also helped him become a United States citizen in 1887.
Lue had tuberculosis, a lung illness. Doctors told him to move to a warmer place. After visiting China in 1886, Fannie suggested he move to DeLand, Florida. She and her sister owned land there. Lue agreed, and by 1885, he was working with orange trees.
In 1916, a car industry pioneer named Ransom Eli Olds bought a lot of land in Florida. He hired Lue Gim Gong, who was 60 years old, to plan the farms. Mr. Olds was very happy with Lue's work. In 1918, he named one of the roads on the farm "Gim Gong Road." This road later saw the growth of a city called Oldsmar, Florida. Lue Gim Gong passed away in DeLand on June 3, 1925.
Lue Gim Gong's Amazing Discoveries
Plant Breeding Skills
Lue learned some ways to help plants grow from his mother in China. He learned about pollination, which is how plants make seeds. With these skills, he created an apple that ripened a month earlier than other types. He also grew a tomato plant that produced tomatoes in bunches.
In Florida, he learned how to cross-pollinate citrus fruits by watching bees. He developed a grapefruit that could handle cold weather better. This grapefruit also stayed on the tree longer and grew one by one, not in clumps. He even created a grapefruit that smelled very nice.
The Famous "Lue Gim Gong" Orange
In 1888, Lue mixed two types of oranges: the "Harts late" Valencia and the "Mediterranean Sweet" orange. This created a new orange that was both sweet and could survive frost. This special orange was called the "Lue Gim Gong" orange. It was later found to be a special type of the "Valencia" orange.
In 1911, Lue's orange was given a special award called the Silver Wilder Medal. This was the first time a citrus fruit received this award. Even today, the "Lue Gim Gong" orange is still grown in Florida. It is usually sold under the general name "Valencia."
Lasting Recognition
Lue's work also helped his home country, China. His name is in a Chinese plant database. In the 1940s, "Valencia" and "Lue Gim Gong" oranges were brought to China. New orange types were then developed from them.
In 2000, the Florida Department of State honored Lue. They named him a "Great Floridian" for his important help to the state.
In 1994, Gim Gong Road in Oldsmar, Florida, was renamed. A city council member named Jerry Beverland did not agree with this change. Six years later, he became the Mayor of Oldsmar City. He tried to change the road name back. When he found out it was part of a business deal, he decided to rename another road "Gim Gong Road." In 2022, several Chinese American groups honored Mayor Jerry Beverland for his efforts.
