132 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Apkil 26, 1913. 



FRUITS AND FRUIT TREES. 



THE ST. MICHAEL'S ORANGE. 



An interesting letter in the handwriting ot'the late 

 Sir J. D Hooker, O.M., written in ls96 to Dv. (now Sir 

 Daniel) Morri?, has recently been discovered in one of 

 the tiles at r.his oitice. The communication concerns 

 the old Sb Michael's orange, and the description by the 

 famous botanist of this old well-known variety is 

 extracted as follows from the letter referred to: — 



As I must be one of the very few living persons who 

 knO'V what the St. Michael's Orange was like, it may be expe- 

 dient that I should record my recollections of it. 



In my youth this orange was annually imported into 

 Glasgow in great quantities, being brought by clipper ships, 

 the earliest of which to arrive was reported to have claimed 

 a special award. 



It was a small orange, about one-third short in bulk of 

 the beautiful Canaries fruit, of rather oblate form, high colour, 

 great fragrance and with usually a dark ring around, but 

 a little distant from, the scar of the style. The rtesh was 

 of a good yellow colour with few seeds and of a rich flavour. 

 The pericarp was thin and rather loose. I have seen nothing 

 like it in the market since 1839, when I left home 



It might be worth while to enquire, through our Consul 

 at the Azores, whether such an orange exists there now, and 

 if so, to ask for a box. Also to ask Rivers what he knows 

 of the St. .Michael's Orange. 'When next I go to Kcw I 

 will look up riisso and see if I can match any figures by 

 him with my recollections of it. 



At the Cape de Verde (Porto Preye) I found magnificent 

 oranges, quite half a> large again as the Canaries, of globu- 

 lar form, with an enormously thick, soft, highly coloured, 

 and very loosely attached pericarp; the flesh was delicious. 

 I have seen none like it .since. 



THE INTRODUCTION OF EXOTICS. 



It ha.s been decided by the Govi-rnmcnt of India to 

 publish a .series of memoirs describing the introduction into, 

 and the cultivation of, useful exotic trees in that country, 

 particularly in those habitat.'* where it is difficult to olitain 

 a valuable growth of indigenous species. The first exotic t<i 



be dealt with 'u I'rosopis jnlijlura, D.C. (thecishawof .Jama- 

 ica — familiar in .Mexico under the name of Mesquit bean), 

 the characters and behaviour of which in India are described 

 in the Indian Forest Riconh, Vol. IV, Part 3. 



In this account of the cashaw {Prosopu Julif!ora), it is 

 pointed out in the memoir that the plant is strongly 

 xerophilous and well adapted to thrive in India on dry soils 

 and in arid districts. The tree is stated to be useful as 

 a sand binder, and also as a pioneer in afforesting dry 

 grasslands and waste areas, where more valuable species 

 cannot be got to grow. The pods constitute a useful fodder, 

 and are much enjoyed by cattle, especially in dry years when 

 grass is scarce. Apparently in India these pods do not tend 

 to produce tympanitis in cattle as they do in .Jamaica. 



The wood of the cashaw is of considerable value, 

 especially that of the variety nlntina, which is said to attain 

 a height of 50 feet and a diameter of 2 feet. 



The account of this tree also contains a botanical des- 

 cription of the species, a discussion on taxonomy, and an 

 historical review of the species since its introduction into 

 the Jvist from .\merica. 



The 'World's Production and Consumption 

 of Rubber. — According to statistics published in Singapore, 

 the total production of wild and plantation rubber throughout 

 the world in the twelve months ended June 30. 1912, 

 amounted to 93,669 tons, as compared with 79,302 tons in 

 the previous year, and 76,026 tons in 1909-10. On the 

 other hand, the total consumption of 1911-12, is returned at 

 99,-564 tons, as compared with 74,082 tons in 191011, or an 

 increase of 2.5,482 tons, whereas the quantity consumed in 

 1909-10 was only 4.037 tons in excess of the preceding year. 

 The worlds stocks of rubber on July 1, 1912, are reported to 

 have been 10,181 tons, as against 12, .563 tons on the same 

 date in 1911. This is a reduction of 2,382 tons, and com- 

 pares with an increase of 5,56.5 tons on July 1, 1911, as 

 contrasted with the position on July 1, 1910. The consider- 

 able expansif)n in coiisuniptiun in 1911-12 is attributed 

 largely to the lower level of prices prevailing during the 

 year. (From the .Journal of the Royal Society of Aria, 

 .March 11, 1913.) 



