GOLDEN-FRUITED ORANGE-TREE. 69 



quicklime, salt, etc., but all have failed partially or entirely, and it appears not 

 to be in the power of man to prevent the ravages of these insignificant and insid- 

 ious destroyers. Most of the cultivated orange-trees in Florida have already 

 been injured by them, their tops and branches having been mostly destroyed. 

 Their roots and stems, it is true, remain alive, and annually send forth a crop 

 of young shoots, only to share the fate of their predecessors. The visitation of 

 these insects in Florida, probably is not destined to continue much longer, at 

 least with its present violence ; for, among the means which nature has pro- 

 vided to check their increase, are various species of birds, that devour inconceiv- 

 able numbers of them, and the coccidse are invariably accompanied by consider- 

 able numbers of yellow lady-birds, {coccinellcB,) which, it has been conjectured, 

 have been appointed to keep them down. 



Properties and Uses. The wood of the orange-tree, when dry, weighs forty- 

 four pounds to a cubic foot, is hard, compact, flexible, slightly odoriferous, and 

 is susceptible of being polished. When recently cut, it is of a yellowish hue, but 

 in the course of time it fades. From its scarcity and small size, it is but little 

 employed in the arts, the only particular uses to which it is applied being to make 

 boxes, dressing-cases, and other articles of fancy; and in Florida, considerable 

 quantities of straight, young shoots, are cut, and shipped in bundles, to be made 

 into walking-canes. 



The fruit of the orange may be obtained fresh, in any region of the globe, and 

 at almost every season of the year. The aromatic oil and the rind preserve it 

 from the eflects both of heat and of cold ; and the acridity of the former renders it 

 proof against the attacks of insects. It is true that oranges decay, like other fruit ; 

 but that does not happen for a long time, if the rind remains uninjured, and they 

 are kept from humidity, and so ventilated as not to ferment. With regard to 

 the quality of this fruit in various places, there appears to be a diversity of opin- 

 ion. Some consider those of Malta the best; others, those of St. Michael's; 

 while others prefer those of Bahia, Havana, or of St. Augustine. 



The Maltese oi'unges are usually large, the rind thick and spongy, and the 

 glands which secrete the volatile oil, are prominent. The pulp is red, and deli- 

 cious, although, sometimes, there is a trace of bitterness in their taste. They are 

 shipped in boxes, of an irregular size, and are generally packed in shavmgs or 

 saw-dust. 



The ;SV. Michael's ora?iges are of a small size, the rind is thin and smooth, the 

 glands small, which secrete but little volatile oil, the pulp light-coloured, and of 

 a delicious, sugary taste. They are put up in boxes of three hundred and fifty 

 to four hundred, with each fruit enveloped in paper, or in the husks of maize. 



The celebrated Navel oranges of Bahia, are of difficult transport to Europe 

 and the United States, in consequence of the length of the voyage, and of the 

 humidity and warmth of the climate through which they have to pass. If they 

 arc gathered green, however, and suspended in the air above deck, or at the 

 stern of the vessel, in netting, they will endure through the voyage. 



The Havana oranges are usually of a good size, with a moderately rough 

 rind, and a pulp well filled with delicious juice. From the shortness of the 

 voyage to any of the American markets, they may be safely transported during 

 the winter months. The fruit is ripe in Cuba at the end of October, and is usu- 

 ally shipped in barrels of two hundred and fifty to four hundred fruits in each, 

 put up loosely, without any envelopes. 



The "SV. Augustine oranges are superior, both in size and quality, to those of 

 Cuba, or the Mediterranean. They resemble those of Havana in flavour, but are 

 much larger, and bring from twenty to thirty per cent more, in the New York 

 and Boston markets. Of the smaller sizes, it requires about three hundred 

 fruits to fill a barrel, but of the largest ones, only one hundred are necessary. 



