The Orange Fruit of Life

[Music] once upon a time long long ago on the southeastern most tip of Asia there was a little pat round no the Gotham this this small patch of ground was blessed with rain and bright sunshine one day a miracle occurred the first orange was born while the Sun smiled gently down the little orange tree grew and its seeds were carried far and wide but the orange tree flied and spread throughout the land and before you can say Marco Polo the orange had become a part of life and the same of this delicious health-giving fruit spread throughout all Asia with the help of trading caravans Phoenician sailors Roman soldiers and the Crusaders 5000 years passed as this wonderful was carried from the Orient to Indian to Persia to northern Africa and finally to Spain in 1493 on his to the new world Columbus brought several varieties of citrus to Hispaniola and the Spanish who like sweet things spread its glory around the Caribbean in 1579 the good ship Clementina sailed into st. Augustine Florida bearing proudly to our shores that golden treasure the are here in this historic setting is the oldest buttered orange grove in America it was here in and around st. Augustine Florida during the days of Spanish rule that the orange had its beginning on this continent the 16th century is remembered for many gifts to the new world but few can compare with the enjoyment and good health this golden fruit has passed on from generation to generation since its original planting here in the year of 1579 nurtured by the rich Florida sunshine and pampered by her gentle winters these first plantings prospered and spread following the Sun into the nearby wilderness all of our first American the Indian proud master of the wilderness the original American played a colorful role in our history whether in a dramatic war dance commemorating ancient ritual or in pursuing the age-old crafts they alone know for it was the Seminole Indian as much as the Spanish grandee who spread the glory of the orange throughout the land which was to become the state of Florida indeed the Indian whose reverence for the Sun is legend honored the orange with the supreme compliment of his reign he's knowing upon at the title Sundrop believing that as the Sun was the giver of life the orange was the fruit of life and therefore a part of the glorious Sun itself a Sundra years passed taking with them the glory of the Florida red man leaving wild orange groves as his living monuments by 1800 these plantings centered around st. Augustine Tampa Bay and along the st. Johns River [Music] 18-21 for the end of Spanish rule in the New World when Florida was annexed by the young United States settlers from the North began the rapid expansion the soldier the Civil War these early group but for sale in northern city the close of the Civil War marked the beginning of a rapid development of a Florida citrus in 1886 the crop reached for the first time a volume of 1 million boxes [Music] production had reached 5 million boxes when the great freeze of 1895 wrecked the industry by the next year production had dropped back to only 150 thousand bucks it looked as though the orange was not to bless the under Florida was finished tris area the industry moved to Central Florida it was not until nineteen ten the Florida crop again reached five million boxes from there it continued to grow until in nineteen twenty more than 10 million boxes were harvested nevertheless only with the birth of the 20th century did it appear the industry might permanently recover [Music] yes the orange has come a long long way since its birth on that plane in Asia so many centuries ago in the 30s the orange was becoming an accepted part of the American Way of life but it was not until 1945 that the orange industry broke loose from the restraint imposed by seasons and perishability the development of frozen orange concentrate by minute made overnight captured the Sun God contained in this fruit and held him prisoner throughout the year with the advent of modern times the Florida citrus industry had become a giant producing over 100 million boxes of fruit each year the red man Sundrop was now the fruit of health to the millions who had inherited his land [Music] these are the finest orange groves in the world Florida are in stroll millions upon millions of glorious trees blooming and bearing billions of gold and oranges beautiful delicious oranges laden with vitamin C and other vital health-giving elements here are 12 fresh oranges and here are 12 fresh oranges yes the juice of a dozen oranges in our little frozen block only two inches wide nothing is added and only the natural water is removed you just put the water back to get all the fresh flavor all the vitamins of nourishing food value of freshly picked oranges the incredible transformation from this to this is something that has to be seen to be believed let's find out how it's done come with me and see how Minute Maid the world's largest producer of frozen orange concentrate transforms those 12 golden spheres into one little six ounce can of concentrated health and energy after passing maturity tests to ensure high quality the fruit is unloaded onto the conveyor belts which carry it into the plant anyone for a bath I can assure you there never was a cleaner mother's darling and these scrubbed babies after they've been through this shower and away they go skipping along on their way to the graters only premium oranges get past these graders who's experienced eyes see them my nudist flaw high speed expect errs have the oranges and gently remove the rich vitamin pack juice here's the process of concentration where only water is removed from the fresh orange juice leaving all the vital health benefits intact this is the basic step which emphasizes the Grove fresh taste of frozen concentrate unprocessed freshly extracted juice is blended with golden syrupy concentrate in these huge tanks this rich liquid with all the bouquet of the freshly squeezed juice flows through special refrigeration equipments and is cooled by quick freezing to the consistency of sherbet just prior to packaging and now the final step when the rich golden magic liquid is poured into the millions of steam sterilized cans eventually to find their way to you and to millions of others in homes throughout the nation the orange because of its delicate sand health-giving contents is always pampered and treated in a manner worthy of its star billing even the government of the United States plays a part in assuring the capture of the sun-god inspectors from the US Department of Agriculture take samples of the freshly made concentrate every hour for careful analysis citrus scientists play their part to assuring your wealth of vitamin C the year round this miracle vitamin is essential for strong healthy teeth and gums four sturdy bones healthy tissue and for proper growth and energy isn't it amazing that from one of these small cans can be made a pie tin to ham of delicious orange juice with the fresh fruit taste in all the nourishing food values of our 12 original oranges amazing and true for this is the miracle of our instrument ratings there is nothing more delicious or better for you than an orange today the orange is not only America's favorite fruit but frozen concentrated orange juice has become the number one fruit juice of the nation [Music] no part of this marvelous fruit is wasted even our dairy industry benefits from the orange the diet of this herd is immeasurably enhanced by a cattle feed derived from the peel and if that isn't enough other byproducts of the orange are used in the production of such things as chemicals and essential oils one byproduct of the orange is even used in today's high detergent motor oils who knows what new horizons await the orange or what further benefits as yet unknown to man are to be derived from this wonderful fruits through all of history the orange has been revered and treasured of all of Jews foods from the chef's on this trip and to all mankind who treasure it's every day is made richer by daily consumption of orange concentrates [Music] on one thing we are all agreed the oranges is necessary a part of our lives as is our good health and to keep our good health we need the orange the Indian called it Sundrop we call it orange truly it is the fruit of life [Music]