THE AGniCULTUPAL XE' 



January 9, 1909. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



THE 'KING' ORANGE. 



An orange of superior qn;ilit\-, known as the 

 ' King' variety, the first plants of which were imported 

 directly from Cochin China some twenty-eight years 

 ago, has lately attracted attention in the citrus fruit 

 districts of the United States, and an account of its 

 characteristics, etc. (with illustrations), is given in the 

 course of an article entitled ' Promising New Fruits,' 

 which appears in the latest Ycarhodl,- of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture. 



It is mentioned that tliis orange (whii-li is al.sfp known 

 by the name of ' King of Siaiii ') is the tir.st citins fruit of high 

 quality whicli has reached the United State.s by direct impor- 

 tation from Ea.stern Asia, the u.sual course being a .slow 

 migration through Western Asia, and the orange-growing 

 districts of the Mediterranean. 



The ' Kin;; orange was at first classed with the manda 

 rins and tangerini-s, but further e.xperience with the variety 

 has shown that it is so distinct in the character of the tree, 

 the fruit, and the time of ripening that it appears worthy of 

 recognition as a distiin-t horticultural grouji, if not a sub- 

 .spccies. 



Specimens of the fruit of this orange were first obtained 

 from Eastern Asia by a I)r. S. 1!. Magee, of Riverside, Cali- 

 fornia, in 1880, throngli the ertbrts of the United States 

 Mini.ster at Tokio. From the seeds of these fruits Dr. Magee 

 raised a number of young plants, and in the following year 

 twenty-live jilants of the variety were im[)orted direct from 

 ("ochin ('hina. I'.udded trees appear to h.ive been jiroduced 

 V>oth from the seedlings and the imported plants, and this 

 probalily accounts for the rather wide range in haliit of 

 growth, tliornincss of wood, and ipiality of fruit found on 

 trees of the " King' variety at the jjresent time. 



The ' King ' orange first fruited in the United State.s in 

 188."), and specimens were received by the Department of 

 Agriculture for the first time in 1887. The variety has been 

 disseminated both in California and Florida, and in this 

 pro|)agation work consistent efforts have been made, by care- 

 ful bud selection, to leduce the original thorniness of the 

 variety. 



This variety of orange has U[) to the present done n)uch 

 better in Florida than in California. In certain localities of 

 the latter State it has attained high perfection, and when 

 well grown, the fruit, placed on the market late in spring, 

 has brought higher prices in the northern market than any 

 other variety of orange grown in Florida. The fir.st box of 

 fruit of this kind placed on the New York market is reported 

 to liave sold for i*7-00. 



The ' King ' orange is described as being medium to 

 large in size, dark reddi.^h-orange in colour, the rind moder- 

 ately thick, rather soft, and possessing ,a distinctive and 

 agreeaVile aroiua and flavour, flesh loose and soft in te.\ture, 

 juice abundant, and with a peculiarly rich, sweet flavour. 

 The general quality of the fruit is reported to be very good ; 

 in fact, it is stated that it ranks with the very finest kinds, 

 and therefore is worthy of the attention of growers for 

 special markets whicli will pay for fruit of extra quality. 

 This fruit appears to be ■ mure suited for tropical than for 

 sub-tropical cultivation, since it is mentioned that it is more 

 sensitive to climatic changes than most vi>rieties of oranges. 



COLONIAL FRUIT SHOW. 



The twelfth show of colonial fruit and jncserves held 

 under the auspices of the Royal Horticultural Society took 

 place in London from November \i6 to 30 last. Excellent 

 displays of West Indian produce were on view, those from 

 Dominica and Trinidad being es[iecially noteworthy. 

 Jamaica, Montserrat, and Antigua also participated. 



Some idea of the display made by the several colonies 

 may be gained from the interesting illustrations of the .show, 

 which appeared in the West Indi/i Committee Circiitnr of 

 December 8 last. The same journal mentions that the 

 honours of the exhibition undoubtedly fell to Dominica. 

 The fruit from that Lsland was in nice condition, of good 

 colour, and also free from any signs of blight. The advance 

 in quality made by Dominica fruit, as compared with the 

 collections .sent o\er some four years ago, is alluded to, since 

 it indicites that much more attention is jiaid now than 

 formerly to the essential matters of selection, grading, and 

 jiacking. The excellence of individual exhibits is indicated 

 Ijy the fact that Dominica was awarded no fewer than five 

 medals. The exhibit from Trinidad was not .so gocxl as 

 might have been expected, taking into account the resource.* 

 of the island. A case of fruiting pineapples, in fine condi- 

 tion, attracted a consiileralile amount of attention, however. 

 The bottled fruits from all the colonies were good and 

 .showed great improvement on those of |iast years. 



The following may be mentioned among the awards for 

 fruits: Silver gilt Knightian medals to J)ominica I'.otanie 

 Station for citrus fruits and to Hon A. .Mfor<l'Xleholls, 

 C. .M.(!., for limes and lime products; silver Knightian medals 

 to Hon. J. Cox Fillan and Mr. A. H. C. Lockhart, l>oth of 

 Dominica, for limes ; and silver Ranksian medals to the 

 I'ermanent Exhibition Committee of Trinidad for their 

 general exhibit of citrus fruit, liananas, papaws, growing pine- 

 apples, etc., and to the Agricultural School, Dominica. 



