14 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Jaxuakv 11, 1908. 



LIME CROPS AND Pr.ODUCTS. 



The information given herewith, is published in 

 tjontinuation of the article on Lime Cultivation that 

 appeared in the last issue of the Agricultural News, 

 and forms a summary of the second part of the 

 pamphlet on Lime Growing and Preparation that will 

 shortly be issued by the Department. Further details with 

 regard to the preparation of lime juice and citrate of 

 lime will appear in a subsc(juent article : — 



The main tloweriiig iieriod of the lime is from Feliruary 

 to June, and the croi) season' from June to December. 

 Accurate observation on the length of time from the date of 

 flowering to maturity of the lime fruit, does not appear to 

 have been made, but it is usually placed at five montlis, and 

 depends chiefly on the local weather conditions and on the 

 region of the trees. The yield of limes per acre varies 

 greatly, but good estate cultivation should produce from 150 

 to 200 barrels annually, while much land does not give more 

 than 80 to 100 barrels of fruit. A barrel of limes gives from 

 "ih to 8 gallons of juice, but the acidity varies according to the 

 rainfail. An estate with a low rainfall may average 14 oz. of 

 citric acid per gallon of juice, while another in a very wet 

 district in the hills may give no more than 10 oz. iier gallon. 



Eighl-uinths of the lime products produced in Dominica 

 is concentrated :or .sale to the citric acid nndcer.-i, while the 

 remaining one-ninth is exported as raw lime juice for making 

 cordial. The e>;tablishment of a citrate factory in Dominica 

 will probably tend to reduce somewhat the manufacture of 

 concentrated juice, for this factory takes the juice after the 

 essential oil has been expressed, and behirc concentration is in 

 the usual courfe begun. The .standard on which concentrated 

 lime juice is usually .sold is a pijic of 1 08 gallons testing 64 oz. 

 to the gallon ; but in the West Indies, a 52-gallon hogshead 

 testing 1^3 ■'••/. to the gallon forms the standard. 



.M.NCniN'RRV l;l''.cjUIREl>, V.TC. 



Mary of the old three-roller sugar mills arc .still in use 

 for crushing limes. These are usually driven by water power 

 and in some instances by cattle. f)n small estates, mills 

 -worked ly iiand-power are in use. The sugar mill with iron 

 rollers adjusted to cru.sh limes has answered admirably where 

 the lime juice is concentrated. The machinery re(piii-ed fur 

 dealing with lime juice consists of a three-roller mill driven 

 by steam, water, or cattle, (iron rollers may be used where 

 the juice is to be concentrated, but they should be of granite 

 where raw juico is prepared for slupn:ent for making cordial); 

 a press for extracting any juice left in the skins after passing 

 through the mill, strimg vats, a copper still, three copper 

 tayches in which to boil the juice, and coolers. 



The Dominica I Man ters ' Association has furnished the 

 following detailed estimate as to the cost of mill, mill lionse, 

 two tayches, battery and boiling hou.se, suitable fm' a beginner 

 in lime cultivation : 



1 Copper tayclie (oU gallons) ,£2.") 



1 .. ■„ (80 callons) £:i5 



Hand mill ' £30 



Vats flO 



Still (80 gallon.s) £80 



Buildings ' £125 



Total ,£305 



Later, as the crop increases, the works would need 



enlargement, and a coiiper still, and three tayches of a larger 



size, would also be re(piired. 



The works shoidd be arranged so that the will house is no 



higher ground than the boiling Imuse, in order that the juici' 



may run by gravitation from the well to the storage^ vats, 



from the vats to the.still, from the .still to the copper tayches 

 wliere it is concentrated, thence to the wooden or copper 

 coolers, and finally into hogsheads for shipment. 



OEEEN LIMES. 



A considerable business in green limes with Xew York 

 and London has been developed in Dominica, the exiiort of 

 fruit during 190G being 15,799 barrels, valued at £5,530, 

 as against the early shipment of !'9 barrels in 1891. 



The American market demands a small fruit packed in 

 well ventilated barrels, and the London market a large fruit 

 [lacked in small crates of a capacity of 1 cubic foot. A barrel 

 holds from 1,400 to l.fiOO fruits, and a crate from 200 to 240. 



Green limes are picked from the trees aud are allowed 

 to ' quail ' for some days before being carefully packed. Each 

 fruit is wrapped in paper, and is carefully packed in barrels 

 or crates. Very great care is required in gathering, handling, 

 wrapping, and packing. 



PICKLED LIMES. 



In Donunica a small business is done in shipping limes 

 [lickled in sea water, but during late years the export has 

 fallen off son\ewhat. The average export of pickled limes 

 from Dominica for the five-year period ending 1896, was 

 1,505 casks, and for the five years ending 1906, 1,000 casks. 

 A cask holds about 2,000 limes, and they are chiefiy exported 

 to Boston. 



For pickling, the finest .specimens of sound yellow limes 

 are selected and placed in vats into which .sea water is pumped. 

 In two or three days,; the water is run off, and fi'esh sea water 

 i.s pumped in. This process is repeated .sevei-al times until the 

 limes are ciu'ed and the fruits are placed in casks filled with 

 sea water to which a small amount of salt is added. The 

 cask^ are then closed and are ready for export. 



II.WO-l'KESSED LIME OIL. 



This is obtained by hand-pre.s.sing the limes over an 

 ecnelle pan. The eeuelle is a shallow, concave, circular copper 

 [lan studded with blunt spikes with a receptacle at the base 

 to catch the oil. The work of obtaining hand-pressed oil is 

 tlone by women, who .select the best limes and pass them 

 (piiekly with a circular movement, over the blunt .sjiikes, exert- 

 ing snlticicnt pressure to break the oil cells in the skins of the 

 limes. The oil runs into a receptacle and is collected from 

 time lo time in bottles. It is then setlled and afterwards 

 passed through filter iiajicr and run into copper vessels for 

 e.\poi-t. 



A barrel of lime.-- should give from 3 to 4i oz. of oil by 

 this [irocess, and the usual jiriee paid for extracting it is 1(/. 

 per dozen fruits. 



The yield of nil varies according to the conditions of 

 inoisliue. In localities where the annual rainfall is from 

 60 to 100 inches, the citric acid content of the juice of the 

 fruit is high, and the yield of oil from the rind of the fruit 

 low. but where the rainfall is high— say from 130 to 200 

 inches —the citric acid content is low and the yield of oil high, 



OISTII.LKO I.IME OIL. 



I'.cfore lime juice is run into tayches for concentration, 

 it is distilled for the oil, and in the ca.se of estates that ship 

 raw juice, the scum that collects on the juice in the settling 

 vats is alone distilled. 



The yield of oil by distillation is from 3 to 5 oz. per 

 barrel of limes, or, taking 30 barrels of fruit to make 

 1 hogshead of concentrated juice, from 15 to 25 It), per 

 hogshead. 



The oil is ex|iorted in cilhei- copper or tin \essels packed 

 in boxes, and commands a lower jiricc than hand-pressed oil. 

 It is used in perfumery and for .soap making. 



