148 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



May 12, 1906. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



LIME CULTIVATION. 



The following note on the cultivation of the liiuo 

 is extracted from a recently issued Bulletin of the 

 Hawaii Agricultural Ex[iciiment Station entitled 

 Citrus Frultfi in Hawaii : — 



The lime or acid lime {Citrus mrJica wida) is wiclelj' 

 grown within the tropics, but because of its extreme 

 sensitiveness to low temperatures is not at all successful in 

 many orange-growing districts. Here in Hawaii it thrives 

 and produces large crops of fruit. It will prosper on rather 

 rocky soils and those too poor for orange cultivation. 

 The propagation is usually by means of seeds ovi\y, but 

 budding has been practised to a limited extent, and will 

 doubtless be used more extensively in the future. Seed 

 cannot be depended upon to reproduce exactly the same form 

 as that of the fruit from which it was taken, but for many of 

 the purposes for which limes have been used uniformity of 

 shape, colour, or size is not an essential. 



Limes are put to many uses. In the tropics they are 

 freely used as fresh fruit for the making of limeade and in 

 the seasoning of foods. The market for the fruit in this form 

 is increasing in the United States, aud the demands of the 

 future for a lime of fine quality and appearance are likely to 

 becoine increasingly stringent, hence the better forms will be 

 multiplied by budding. At the present time, however, by far 

 the larg»r number of limes are marketed in the form of 

 so-called irecondary products. Considerable numbers of them 

 are preserved in brine and sent to northern markets. Larger 

 quantities ^re used in the manufacture of lime juice and 

 citric acid, while essential oil is extracted from the rind. The 

 lime juice Ls obtained by pressing the fruits between rollers, 

 and is usually marketed iu large containers. Citric acid is 

 obtained from the concentrated juice, which is made by 

 boiling down iu open vessels. 



Vanciies. — Through prolonged seed propagati'^n several 

 more or less distin'it types have been originated. In India, 

 the home of the lime, several named varieties are known. In 

 America, Hawaii, and the West Indian Archipelago the 

 commonest type is th^-t known as the Mexican or West 

 Indian lime. Of this type there are many distinguishable 

 forms, some of which are i.mch larger and finer than the 

 average. But few of them have ^leen named, propagated by 

 budding, and disseminated upon their merits. 



Other varieties are the Persian and the Tahiti. The 

 Tahiti is, in Florida, one of the most highly esteemed 

 varieties of lime. The fruit is large, the rind of lemon-yellow 

 colour, the quality of the juice excellent, and there are few- 

 seeds or none. The fruit is said to have a tendency to decay- 

 on the trees. In California this variety is not a succes.s. 



VARIETIES OF THE MANGO. 



The following list of the principal varieties of 

 the mango known in Jamaica i.s extracted from 

 Mr. Wortleys Fruits and other Food Froducts of 

 Jamaica, reviewed elsewhere in these columns: — 



No. XI. — Medium-sized ; ripens yellowi.sh-green or 

 bright-yellow : kidney .shaped : of fine flavour, more acid than 

 others : large-seeded; a favouiite fruit. 



Jlomlai/. — Round : red ami green ; fine flesh, with little 

 fibre ; small flat seed. 



J-'/ui>!.--f~'mix\l : round : briglit-yclluw or red, and green ; 

 of fine texture ; small seed. 



Hairy. — Yellow : oblong : very fibrous : sweet and 

 delicious. 



Kidnty, — Long, rather flat : green or tinged yellow ; 

 little fibre, less mealy than other .sorts : decays very quickly. 



/.Vrtc/.-.— Small, fat, oval shaped ; green with white bloom; 

 jieculiar, pleasant flavour, sweet : little fibre : medium stone ; 

 light-yellow fle.sh : if eaten to excess causes biliousness. 



y/'j'/. — Yellow ; large, round : consisting chieHy of fibre 

 and water. 



Bof. — Very substantial : large, round ; dark green, 

 slightly tinged red : fine texture, very satisfying. 



Itotjin. — Red and dark-green : shiny skin : daik-yellow 

 pulp ; very sweet. 



Yniii. — Very solid ; large, round : gieenish with slight 

 bli".m ; close substantial meat. 



Turpentine. — Shapes and colours various ; some oval and 

 yellow~ some almost finger-.shaped, with i-ed skins a::d blue 

 bloom ; very sweet, but strong, unpleasant flavour of 

 turpentine. 



THE IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRI- 

 CULTURE AND ANTIGUA. 



At a meeting of the Antigua Agricultural ami 

 Commercial Society held on April 0, his ExceHor.cy 

 the Governor presiding, the following resolution 

 was proposed by Mr. A. M. Lee, seconded b}' the Hon. 

 J. J. Comacho, and carried unanimously : — 



This meeting of [irineipai planters and others, having 

 large interests in Antigua, desires to place on record its 

 grateful aupreciation of the good and beneficial work of the 

 Imperial Department of Agriculture, its fear that this work 

 may shurtly lie brought to an end, and its earnest wish 

 that the Government of Antigua will contribute according to 

 its financial ability to maintain tlie exrstcnce of the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture after September 1908. 



