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Paul Thomson (botanist)
Encyclopedia
Paul Thomson was an American
exotic fruit enthusiast, self taught botanist, fruit farmer and the co-founder of the California Rare Fruit Growers Association
, a group of amateur horticulturists which now has more than 3,000 members in approximately 35 countries. Thomson is credited with helping to expand the farming of exotic fruits in California
- everything from cherimoyas to longan
s to pitahayas.
to parents, Clinton and Bertha Mangon Thomson. His mother was a doctor who ran a local Indian hospital while his father was a minister. Tragedy struck the family when Thomson was hunting with his father when he was 11 years old. His father had shot two ducks for the family's Christmas
dinner, but drowned while trying to retrieve them from a lake.
Thomson, his mother and his four younger sisters returned to the United States
following his father's death. The family settled in his parents' native Nebraska
, where his mother set up a medical practice. Thomson raised chickens, churned butter and grew potatoes during the Great Depression
to earn money for his family. Thomson graduated from high school
in 1934 and enrolled in Nebraska Wesleyan University
for two years, but dropped out in 1937 due to unaffordable tuition
costs. Following his departure from NWU, he briefly worked as an installer of telegraph lines for Western Union
and early railroad-signal control systems in Colorado
. He also worked as a wheat
and turkey
farmer for a short period of time.
Thomson enlisted in the United States Marines in 1938, a year after dropping out of college. He served as a chemical warfare
instructor during World War II
. He later ran a U.S. military sawmill
to produce lumber
for military operations in Korea
during the Korean War
. Another of his assignments in Korea was to monitor horticultural operations, which would lead to a lifelong interest in plants. The Marines stationed him at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot
in San Diego during the 1950s, which brought Thomson to Southern California
. One of his duties in San Diego was working in the base's nursery.
Thomson began experimenting with rare fruits during the early 1950s after being stationed in San Diego. He and his wife, Helen, purchased five acres (2 ha) of land in Bonsall, California
, in 1952. The couple initially lived in a trailer on the land while they were building their home. He began experimenting with tropical fruits and fruit trees that were usually found in climates warmer than that part of Southern California. Thomson initially planted papayas, lychee
s, mangoes, longan
s and other tropical species on his new 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) farm. However, most of his attempts to grow these fruits were a failure due to freezing temperatures during the winters. For example, mangoes could not survive the winter climate in Bonsall.
Thomson decided to make another attempt at growing tropical fruits with a second farm in a different location. In 1962, Thomson purchased another small farm in Vista, California
, and called it Edgehill. His newest farm and orchard
was only five miles (8 km) from his other property in Bonsall, but it had a much milder climate, especially during the winter. This made Edgehill more conducive to growing tropical, exotic fuits that had not been previously grown in California. He was able to finally grow successful harvests of mangoes, cherimoyas, lychees and other fruits.
The Los Angeles Times
reported in 1971 that Thomson was able to grow 96 separate types of fruit between his two orchards in Bonsall and Edgehill. Most of these fruits had not been widely grown in the United States before Thomson planted them on his properties. Thomson grew the first successful Mammee apple
crop, also known as the South American apricot or the mamey, of note in California. He also ran the only longan orchard in the United States at the time. A friend of Thomson, Jim Neitzel, said that his Edgehill farm soon attracted the attention of other botanists and tropical fruit enthusiasts. "His Edgehill property was the biggest feather in his cap. People would come from all over the state to check it out."
However, lack of demand
for Thomson's fruits in the marketplace at the time forced him to close the Edgehill property in 1972. In a 1989 interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune Thomson told the newspaper that, "I was 20 years ahead of my time...I never made enough to pay the water bill, let alone make any money."
Thomson, an organic farmer
, continued to earn his living by budding
and grafting
fruit trees for grove
owners and nurseries throughout California. He also continued to grow cherimoyas and mangoes to be sold throughout Southern California. In particular, Thomson devoted much of his time to propagating
tropical and subtropical fruits that would grow in San Diego's North County.
engineer
from Santa Clara, California
, and fellow fruit enthusiast, began working together to publish a newsletter
beginning in 1960. Riley and Thomson published the early newsletters for years using a mimeograph machine
. The newsletter lead to the foundation of the California Rare Fruit Growers Association
(CRFG) in 1968, as an organization and clearinghouse for rare exotic fruit enthusiasts, hobbyists and amateur
horticulturists. Today the California Rare Fruit Growers publishes a glossy, bimonthly magazine
, The Fruit Gardener, an outgrowth of the early, mimeographed newsletters. The California Rare Fruit Growers Association currently has over 3,000 members in approximately 35 countries worldwide. The CRFG claims to be the largest amateur fruit-growing organization in the world.
The Association rapidly grew in California during the late 1960s, in part because many newcomers were moving to the state "without prejudice to what could not be grown" in California. Thomson's organization became a driving force behind the growing availability of exotic fruits throughout California's supermarkets and farmers markets.
in Fallbrook, California
. He was survived by his four younger sisters, Margaret Greiber, Catharine Kingsolver, Alice Hasenyager and Ellen Hanly. His wife, Helen, died in 2007. They had been married for 65 years.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
exotic fruit enthusiast, self taught botanist, fruit farmer and the co-founder of the California Rare Fruit Growers Association
California Rare Fruit Growers Association
The California Rare Fruit Growers Association is an organization of rare exotic fruit enthusiasts, hobbyists and amateur horticulturists based in California. The CRFG, founded in 1968, promotes rare fruits in the Southern California marketplace, according to a 1997 article in the Seasonal Chef...
, a group of amateur horticulturists which now has more than 3,000 members in approximately 35 countries. Thomson is credited with helping to expand the farming of exotic fruits in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
- everything from cherimoyas to longan
Longan
Dimocarpus longan, commonly known as the longan, is a tropical tree native to South and Southeast Asia, in the Indomalaya ecozone known for its edible fruit.-Vernacular names:The fruit is known as longan or longyan in English...
s to pitahayas.
Early life
Paul Thomson was born on June 29, 1916, in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to parents, Clinton and Bertha Mangon Thomson. His mother was a doctor who ran a local Indian hospital while his father was a minister. Tragedy struck the family when Thomson was hunting with his father when he was 11 years old. His father had shot two ducks for the family's Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
dinner, but drowned while trying to retrieve them from a lake.
Thomson, his mother and his four younger sisters returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
following his father's death. The family settled in his parents' native Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, where his mother set up a medical practice. Thomson raised chickens, churned butter and grew potatoes during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
to earn money for his family. Thomson graduated from high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in 1934 and enrolled in Nebraska Wesleyan University
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Nebraska Wesleyan University is a private, coeducational university located in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was founded in 1887 by Nebraska Methodists. As of 2007, it has 1,600 full-time students and 300 faculty and staff. The school teaches in the tradition of a liberal arts college education....
for two years, but dropped out in 1937 due to unaffordable tuition
Tuition
Tuition payments, known primarily as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in British English, Canadian English, Australian English, New Zealand English and Indian English, refers to a fee charged for educational instruction during higher education.Tuition payments are charged by...
costs. Following his departure from NWU, he briefly worked as an installer of telegraph lines for Western Union
Western Union
The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Its North American headquarters is in Englewood, Colorado. Up until 2006, Western Union was the best-known U.S...
and early railroad-signal control systems in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. He also worked as a wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
farmer for a short period of time.
Thomson enlisted in the United States Marines in 1938, a year after dropping out of college. He served as a chemical warfare
Chemical warfare
Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
instructor during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He later ran a U.S. military sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
to produce lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
for military operations in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. Another of his assignments in Korea was to monitor horticultural operations, which would lead to a lifelong interest in plants. The Marines stationed him at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego is a United States Marine Corps military installation in San Diego, California. It lies between San Diego Bay and Interstate 5, adjacent to San Diego International Airport and the former Naval Training Center San Diego...
in San Diego during the 1950s, which brought Thomson to Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. One of his duties in San Diego was working in the base's nursery.
California Rare Fruit Growers
Bonsall, California
Bonsall is a census-designated place in San Diego County, California. The population was 3,982 at the 2010 census, up from 3,401 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bonsall is located just east of Oceanside and Camp Pendleton....
, in 1952. The couple initially lived in a trailer on the land while they were building their home. He began experimenting with tropical fruits and fruit trees that were usually found in climates warmer than that part of Southern California. Thomson initially planted papayas, lychee
Lychee
The lychee is the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It is a tropical and subtropical fruit tree native to Southern China and Southeast Asia, and now cultivated in many parts of the world...
s, mangoes, longan
Longan
Dimocarpus longan, commonly known as the longan, is a tropical tree native to South and Southeast Asia, in the Indomalaya ecozone known for its edible fruit.-Vernacular names:The fruit is known as longan or longyan in English...
s and other tropical species on his new 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) farm. However, most of his attempts to grow these fruits were a failure due to freezing temperatures during the winters. For example, mangoes could not survive the winter climate in Bonsall.
Thomson decided to make another attempt at growing tropical fruits with a second farm in a different location. In 1962, Thomson purchased another small farm in Vista, California
Vista, California
Vista is a city in north San Diego County, California. It was incorporated January 28, 1963 and became a charter city on June 13, 2007. Located just seven miles inland from the Pacific Ocean in northern San Diego County, the City of Vista has a Mediterranean climate...
, and called it Edgehill. His newest farm and orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
was only five miles (8 km) from his other property in Bonsall, but it had a much milder climate, especially during the winter. This made Edgehill more conducive to growing tropical, exotic fuits that had not been previously grown in California. He was able to finally grow successful harvests of mangoes, cherimoyas, lychees and other fruits.
The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
reported in 1971 that Thomson was able to grow 96 separate types of fruit between his two orchards in Bonsall and Edgehill. Most of these fruits had not been widely grown in the United States before Thomson planted them on his properties. Thomson grew the first successful Mammee apple
Mammee apple
Mammea americana, commonly known as mammee, mammee apple, mamey, mamey apple, Santo Domingo apricot or South American apricot, is an evergreen tree of the family Calophyllaceae, whose fruit is edible...
crop, also known as the South American apricot or the mamey, of note in California. He also ran the only longan orchard in the United States at the time. A friend of Thomson, Jim Neitzel, said that his Edgehill farm soon attracted the attention of other botanists and tropical fruit enthusiasts. "His Edgehill property was the biggest feather in his cap. People would come from all over the state to check it out."
However, lack of demand
Demand
- Economics :*Demand , the desire to own something and the ability to pay for it*Demand curve, a graphic representation of a demand schedule*Demand deposit, the money in checking accounts...
for Thomson's fruits in the marketplace at the time forced him to close the Edgehill property in 1972. In a 1989 interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune Thomson told the newspaper that, "I was 20 years ahead of my time...I never made enough to pay the water bill, let alone make any money."
Thomson, an organic farmer
Organic farming
Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...
, continued to earn his living by budding
Budding
Budding is a form of asexual reproduction in which a new organism grows on another one. The new organism remains attached as it grows, separating from the parent organism only when it is mature. Since the reproduction is asexual, the newly created organism is a clone and is genetically identical...
and grafting
Grafting
Grafting is a horticultural technique whereby tissues from one plant are inserted into those of another so that the two sets of vascular tissues may join together. This vascular joining is called inosculation...
fruit trees for grove
Grove (nature)
A grove is a small group of trees with minimal or no undergrowth, such as a sequoia grove, or a small orchard planted for the cultivation of fruits or nuts...
owners and nurseries throughout California. He also continued to grow cherimoyas and mangoes to be sold throughout Southern California. In particular, Thomson devoted much of his time to propagating
Plant propagation
Plant propagation is the process of creating new plants from a variety of sources: seeds, cuttings, bulbs and other plant parts. Plant propagation can also refer to the artificial or natural dispersal of plants.-Sexual propagation :...
tropical and subtropical fruits that would grow in San Diego's North County.
California Rare Fruit Growers
Thomson and John Riley, a LockheedLockheed Corporation
The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace company. Lockheed was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995.-Origins:...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
from Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
, and fellow fruit enthusiast, began working together to publish a newsletter
Newsletter
A newsletter is a regularly distributed publication generally about one main topic that is of interest to its subscribers. Newspapers and leaflets are types of newsletters. Additionally, newsletters delivered electronically via email have gained rapid acceptance for the same reasons email in...
beginning in 1960. Riley and Thomson published the early newsletters for years using a mimeograph machine
Mimeograph machine
The stencil duplicator or mimeograph machine is a low-cost printing press that works by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper....
. The newsletter lead to the foundation of the California Rare Fruit Growers Association
California Rare Fruit Growers Association
The California Rare Fruit Growers Association is an organization of rare exotic fruit enthusiasts, hobbyists and amateur horticulturists based in California. The CRFG, founded in 1968, promotes rare fruits in the Southern California marketplace, according to a 1997 article in the Seasonal Chef...
(CRFG) in 1968, as an organization and clearinghouse for rare exotic fruit enthusiasts, hobbyists and amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
horticulturists. Today the California Rare Fruit Growers publishes a glossy, bimonthly magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, The Fruit Gardener, an outgrowth of the early, mimeographed newsletters. The California Rare Fruit Growers Association currently has over 3,000 members in approximately 35 countries worldwide. The CRFG claims to be the largest amateur fruit-growing organization in the world.
The Association rapidly grew in California during the late 1960s, in part because many newcomers were moving to the state "without prejudice to what could not be grown" in California. Thomson's organization became a driving force behind the growing availability of exotic fruits throughout California's supermarkets and farmers markets.
Dudleya Researcher, Grower and Publisher
Paul appears to have become interested in the Crassulaceaen succulents of the genus Dudleya. The Dudleya closely resemble the more commonly known Echeverias. Early publications actually listed the Dudleya under either the Echeveria or Cotyledon genera. This genus resides primarily in California and Baja California, Mexico and consists of approximately 60 named species. Limited literature and a passion to learn more on the plants that had peaked his interest, Paul set forth on gathering specimens, assembling descriptions, drawing habitat location maps and taking photographs which all culminated in his privately publishing the Dudleya and Hassenthaus Handbook in 1993. Of note are his SEM photographs of the flowers. It is still the only book dedicated to the genus and contains numerous photographs of specimens in the wild and his own collection. Paul shared his plants freely and supporters provided specimens from their respective collecting trips. Paul shared his insights into their hybridization with avid enthusiasts and his findings were later confirmed as naturally occurring, as he had suspected. Most of his collection was lost during a severe freeze but his legacy lives on. His contributions to the knowledge of this Genus is overshadowed by his work on the rare fruits.Death
Paul Thomson died on May 31, 2008 at the age of 91, of complications related to old age, at a retirement homeRetirement home
A retirement home is a multi-residence housing facility intended for senior citizens. Typically each person or couple in the home has an apartment-style room or suite of rooms. Additional facilities are provided within the building, including facilities for meals, gathering, recreation, and some...
in Fallbrook, California
Fallbrook, California
Fallbrook is an unincorporated community in northern San Diego County, California. The Fallbrook census-designated place population was 30,534 at the 2010 census, up from 29,100 at the 2000 census....
. He was survived by his four younger sisters, Margaret Greiber, Catharine Kingsolver, Alice Hasenyager and Ellen Hanly. His wife, Helen, died in 2007. They had been married for 65 years.