May I, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



80s 



ill his first Catalogue Horti Boyoriensis, published in 1844, 

 has 0. limonellus with two vars. — a pointed fruited aud a 

 rounded fruited ; aiid in the second edition of the same 

 work (1S66) he publishes 0. limonellus var. globosa from 

 Amboyna. B. Hamilton had previously alluded to it in his 

 Commentary on lit'mpk^s Hortus Amhoiiien^ii^ (Wern. Trails.^ 

 vol. vi,); and the name C. limonellus, Ham., accompanies 

 specimens of a plant collected by him in India, and dis- 

 tributed by Wallich {Cat., n. 6,386), which is probably the 

 same species. C. limonellus is also described by Miquel, 

 who says that it is cultivated everywhere in the Dutch 

 East Indies. Curiously enough, whilst Eumph describes the 

 petals as five, he figures invariably four, and this and its 

 other characters indicate his plant being the same as the 

 Rimgpore Lime of Bengal, the sixth variety of Kosbnrgh's 

 0. acida, which includes ihe sweet and sour Limes (not 

 the Lemon), characterised as a small bush, with a small 

 pinkish flower, usually four petals, and a perfectly spher- 

 ical fruit, having a thin skin of a lively yellow colom- and 

 pale acid juice. 



Dr. King has had the kindness to send me copies of 

 Roxburgh's drawings of the Limes cultivated by him in the 

 Calcutta Botanical Garden, and tliey confirm this ident- 

 ification both as to flower and fruit. This plant is very 

 well figured by "Wight as 0. limetta, Risso {Icf/iies^ t. 9.58), 

 who says it is certainly wild in the Neilgherry Hills, form- 

 ing a low, erect, thorny shrub, with a profusion of fra- 

 grant white fourmerous flowers. He adds, however, that 

 the juice is " watery acid," sweetish, " or occasionally 

 slightly bitter " — a variation not likely to occur in a native 

 plant. 



When preparing the Forest Flora of Central and JVorth- 

 Il'e.'itcj'n India, Dr. Brandis a.<!ked me to help-settle the 

 .synonymy of the genns Citrus, so that it should be in 

 harmony with the Ihra of British India, and after a long 

 study we concluded that the various forms grouped them- 

 selves under three generally recognised species, of which 

 two were indigenous to India, and one had been introduced. 

 The native are C. medica (the Citron, Lemon, and Limes), 

 and C. aurantiuni (the Oranges and the Bergamottej; the 

 third, C. decumaua, AVilld., is assumed to have been de- 

 rived from Polynesia, aud is the Shaddock (Pumalo. Pom- 

 plemoes, sometimes called Forbidden Fruit). I think this 

 arrangement holds good, except possibly in the case of 

 the liergamotte, which has the highly-.scented skin of the 

 Oranges, but its pale-coloured skin and sub-acid juice are 

 those of the Limes. Turning to the West Indies, which 

 is the great second homo of the Lime, and the principal 

 area of its cultivation, I find it described by the exact 

 McF.adyen as O. lima, WcF., a thorny shrub with ovate 

 leaves pentamerous white flowers, small nearly globose yel- 

 low fruit, with thin skin and an abundance of pure acid 

 juice : it is uaturahsed in Jamaica, forming strong fences : 

 all characters precisely accordant with Lord Ducie's plant. 

 Grisebach unites with it C.spinosis.siraa, Meyer, and refers 

 both to a variety of 0. aurantium, L., in which he is cert- 

 ainly mistaken. Brandis alludes to the AA^est Indian Lime, 

 following Grisebach as to its position and synonymy, but 

 adds that the fruit is very much like the small acid Lime 

 of India, and suggests the removing of it from under C. 

 aurantium. The 0. spinosissima of Meyer (printed by a 

 lapsus " acidissima '' in Brandis) is no doubt a sub-variety 

 difi'ering in its very small leaves, flowers, and fruit. Other 

 authors refer the West Indian Lime to C. limetta, Risso, 

 which is its nearest European representative, but which 

 differs in its sweet juice. The last reference which I have 

 to make is to a woodcut in the Gardeners'' Clironiclc (n. 

 s., vol. v., p. 690, fig. 123) of what appears to be the fruit 

 of this plant, under the name of " the Bijou Lemon," with 

 unfortunately no history attached. With the exception of 

 this woodcut, I know of no other published figure of the 

 Lime than that here given. It is a favourite fruit in the 

 West Indies and Southern United States, the- add being 

 far more grateful than that of the Lemon ; and it is hence 

 universally used for flavouring soups. &c., .and in the pre- 

 paration of many alcoholic and acidulated drii-ks. In my 

 younger days it was imported in vast quantities into the 

 city of Glasgow, providing an indisjiensable material for 

 the brewing of the famous Glasgow punch. That it is now 

 so seldom seen comparatively is due to the declension of 

 that social and family intercourse that once was so intimate 

 between the groat city aud the Spanish main. It is stil; 



the principal source of critic acid, and is cultivated in the 

 West Indies for its manufacture, especially in Montserrat 

 aud Dominica. 



Earl Ducie, to whom I am indebted for the specimen 

 figured, informs me that he purchased the plant, and is 

 not aware of its origin; it fruited in January, 1883, and 

 the flowering branch was sent in the follomng April. Both 

 were very fragrant. Plants at Kew from the Montserrat 

 estates of Messrs. Sturgess, presented by the firm, have 

 smaller, more membranous, and darker green leaves ; others 

 from the same source, grown in Mr. Hanbury's garden on 

 the Riviera, have ovate-lanceolate long-pointed leaves, — 

 Sir .1. D. Hooker in the Botanical 3Ia(faziue. 



ALOES. 



Like most other produce, the consumption of this article 

 has largely increased during the past quarter of a century, 

 and the following particulars may not be uninteresting to 

 hundreds of your readers who daily have it under their 

 notice, but have seldom, if ever, seen it as imported. 



According to ancient history, this article of the materia 

 medica was well known to our forefathers at least some 

 3,(XI0 years ago, and, although it is only mentioned as a 

 perfume, there is no reason to doubt that its virtues as a 

 drug was also well known. It is worthy of notice that, 

 whereas there are now several kinds of aloes imported, the 

 only description which gives oil that fine aromatic odour 

 comes from the East, and is the sort which our ancestors 

 were alone familiar with. Although now used in certain 

 aromatic perfumes to a small extent, the principal portion 

 is consumed in medicine. 



In the present day it is recognised as one of our most 

 important drugs for certain purposes, forming the bulk of 

 many of the hver and antibilious pills, so extensively ad- 

 vertised, thereby being the partial means of building up 

 more than one colossal fortune. The aloe plant may' be 

 seen at Kew and many other horticultural gardens in this 

 country. In the Scilly Isles it flourishes, and when in bloom 

 is one of the sights of the isles ; but one has to travel to 

 warmer climes to find the plant in full growth and in 

 suflicient number to be of service as the source of our 

 commercial supply. 



There are three kinds of aloes known to commerce, viz., 

 the East Indian, West Indian, and Cape, and these may 

 be subdivided into seven distinct kinds, viz., the East Ind- 

 ian, Socotrine and Hepatic ; Zanzibar Hepatic ; West Indian, 

 Barbados and Curat^oa ; Cape, and Natal. 



The greater portion of this drug is consigned direct to 

 London, and thence distributed to all parts of the globe. 



America oljtains a few West Indian and Cape direct, but 

 draws her supplies of East Indian and Zanzibar from Lon- 

 don. The Continental requirements, with the exception of 

 West Indian, are also obtained through the London mar- 

 ket. Each country has its own idea as to the merits of 

 the different sorts. Thus, the United Kingdom consumes 

 East Indian, the finer sorts of West Indian, and but few 

 Cape; whereas the Continent monopolises at least three- 

 fifths of the .supply of Cape, and only a small proportion 

 of the finer descriptions. The United States, whilst tak- 

 ing a fair quantity of Cape, are also large buyers of fine 

 East Indian Zanzibar. 



I found it impossible to get at the exact quantity import- 

 ed into London, as I was informed the records are re- 

 turned as so many packages, but my uiformaut kindly gave 

 me an estimate which, I was assured, is not far wrong. 



Last year about 4,5(i0 packages of all kinds were im- 

 ported, which was equal to about 350 tons, being about 

 25 per cent more than ten years previously. 



The following particidars relate to the description, pack- 

 ages, &c. : — 



Fast Indian (Socotrine) are brought over in old tin-lined 

 spirit-cases, containing about 70 to 80 lb. each, the sub- 

 stance being about similar to putty, and when of good 

 quality are of a light-brownish colour, with a fine aromatic 

 flavour, and generally realise the highest [jrice. 



East Indian {Hepatic), usually imported iu kegs of 100 

 to 150 lb. each, are much paler than the former kind, and 

 almost liquid, being worth 5 to 15 per cent less than the 

 former. 



Zanzthar ( flcpatic). — These come over in a most curiou.s 

 and original way, viz., iu monkey-skins, and I was gratifiej 



