By Cuellar of Hildago                                 H.C.R. No. 42
       74R4198 NBM-D
                                 CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-1        WHEREAS, The Legislature of the State of Texas takes great
    1-2  pride in recognizing January 23, 1995, as Grapefruit Day in Texas;
    1-3  and
    1-4        WHEREAS, Grapefruit is a valuable cash crop that plays a
    1-5  large role in the Texas economy; and
    1-6        WHEREAS, It is an enjoyable source of nutrition that is rich
    1-7  in vitamin C and low in calories and that boosts iron absorption;
    1-8  and
    1-9        WHEREAS, The earliest recorded plantings of citrus in the
   1-10  Lower Rio Grande Valley can be traced to the early 1800s; the
   1-11  practice of grading citrus and the standard packing of citrus began
   1-12  in the 1920s; and
   1-13        WHEREAS, Grapefruit was first introduced to Texas in 1929,
   1-14  and our state became famous for its production of the finest
   1-15  grapefruit of all--the Ruby Red; and
   1-16        WHEREAS, New varieties of this delicious, sweet, and juicy
   1-17  fruit were later developed; during the 1960s, the Star Ruby was
   1-18  introduced, and in 1984, the Rio Red was released to growers; today
   1-19  Texas groves are about 80 percent dominated by the Star Ruby and
   1-20  Rio Red; and
   1-21        WHEREAS, According to a Texas Citrus Tree Inventory of 1993,
   1-22  the Texas citrus industry is growing, and the grapefruit acreage at
   1-23  that time totaled 18,100; and
   1-24        WHEREAS, The grapefruits of Texas are appreciated nationwide,
    2-1  and this outstanding food resource is an important part of the
    2-2  Texas landscape, history, and culture; now, therefore, be it
    2-3        RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas
    2-4  hereby designate January 23, 1995, as Grapefruit Day in Texas, and
    2-5  commend the grapefruit growers of Texas and extend best wishes to
    2-6  people across the state for a celebratory Grapefruit Day in Texas.