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Upland Public Library Local History Collection For more information on the copyright or about this image, please contact the Upland Public Library at (909) 931-4205 or ci.upland.ca.us/#Local_History
Description
These recordings are of an interview with Lonnie Blanton who was born in Texas in 1909. He arrived in Upland in 1929 with his wife and son. The interview with Blanton recounted many of the processes he used to grow citrus and tend to his groves. The interview discussed the process of budding, replanting, irrigation, the use of manure, and the San Antonio West End Water partnership. Blanton noted the planting seasons, use of bat guano as fertilizer, and the 15-day cycle of irrigation. The interview also discussed the process of paying for and using water from the San Antonio and West End water companies; the patron pays for their share in the company, is billed for water usage, and may also incur assessment charges. However, Blanton suggested that the price of water through the two companies was the lowest in Southern California. Blanton also described the Zanjeros and how their job related to irrigation. Blanton discussed the potential dangers of drinking irrigation water while he recounted his experience working in the citrus groves. NH3 fertilizer, produced by Shell Oil, was used in the area and Blanton suggested it was inexpensive compared to other fertilizers because it required no labor cost. Later, Ortho fertilizer, produced by Standard Oil, was used to control pests. Blanton discussed how thrips, spiders, and scale were common pests. When the interview took place in 1978, the citrus growers had stopped fumigating trees with tents. At the end of the interview, Blanton discussed laborers from Mexico who worked in the area. The transcript does not contain the transcription of the audio for tape 2, side 2.
Audio cassette tape, 2 cassette tapes, Oral History #93 and #94: San Antonio Water Company Oral History Collection, Upland Public Library Local History Collection.
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