What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of citrus? Citrus fruits have been part of Florida's history for nearly 400 years. Citrus fruits were brought to Florida from the island of Hispaniola around the year 1579 (Joyner 3). A Spanish explorer named Ponce de Leon planted them in St. Augustine, the oldest European settlement in the United States (Joyner 3). This was the first place to have citrus fruits due to the fertile soil, easy seaport, and the right temperature to produce a successful crop. In the early 1800s, French Count Odet Philippe brought citrus trees from the West Indies to Florida (Joyner 3) . He decided to plant the first grove in Florida's history in Tampa. Additionally, Citrus became the reason Florida expanded with settlers. All around the northern tip of Florida were thickets; until Mother Nature made things worse. In 1894, a disaster known as “The Great Frost” occurred. From oranges to lemons; everything was killed! It took nearly fifteen years for Florida to recover from this tragedy. When the harvest finally returned, it was stronger than ever! More importantly, Florida now has over 100 million oranges and grapefruits (Joyner 3)! Of these 100 million orange trees there are 5 different varieties. What makes these varieties different from each other is the rootstock. There are different varieties of oranges due to the conditions in which they are grown. The five types of oranges are Ambersweet, Hamlin, Navel, Pineapple and Valencia. (Joyner 3)Citrus fruits are not only used for fresh fruit and juices. It has many other uses. One is in jellies and other preserves. Preserves include jams and candied fruit. A byproduct of citrus production is...half of paper...in the largest citrus company in the state of Florida, so you pray that prices go up so you can afford to beat this so-called beast called greening (Alvarez 1). I hope your view of citrus is very different. These farmers are not rednecks; they may not wear dress shoes and a tie every day, but they know what hard work is. If this disease killed citrus in Florida, I have no idea what these farmers would do. When you are a farmer you are taught to live off the land; so I'm sure they'll be fine. Works Cited Alaverez, Lizette. “Without Cure Citrus Disease Is Ravaging Florida Woods.” The New York Times. Np, May 9, 2013. Web. March 20, 2014. Joyner, Cynthia. “The History of Citrus in Florida.” nd: n. page Print.Ziegler, Louis W. and Herbert S. Wolfe. Growing Citrus in Florida. Gainesville: University of Florida, 1975. Print.