512 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



Nevertheless, in the New York market, the home of the imported lemon, 

 California lemons have consistently averaged higher during the past 

 two years than the foreign lemon. 



One of the big problems before the California lemon grower is that of 

 producing and handling a lemon of superior quality, on an average, to 

 that which has been marketed. These problems are receiving close 

 attention by the State Experiment Station and the growers are very 

 quick to avail themselves of all information which may be obtained 

 through this or other means. Inv&stigations carried on through several 

 years by the United States Department of Agriculture in the handling 

 of lemons, have pointed out to the growers that a great many difficulties 

 may be overcome by careful handling. There are few fruits which are 

 more easily injured than the lemon, or in which decay follows so 

 ine\atably mechanical injury to the skin. 



BY-PRODUCTS. 



Until the present time there has been no satisfactory by-product 

 industry in the lemon business of California. Several factories have 

 been started by private capital that have been more or less unstable. 

 The growers have this year organized a co-operative undertaking for 

 the purpose of utilizing lemon culls in the manufacture of by-products, 

 particularly citric acid and lemon oil. These two articles are staple 

 products which have a merchandizing value and a world market. New 

 methods of manufacturing have been devised which make it possible to 

 replace with machinery the cheap hand labor of Italy, and which give 

 promise of making a profitable business. When successful, the benefits 

 which may be derived through this move will be two-fold : first, in 

 utilizing a waste product and bringing a small net return, where there 

 was previously none; and second, in utilizing the low grade, the poor 

 keeping fruit, and thus materially strengthening the reputation of the 

 fruit w^hich is shipped. The United States market for citric acid and 

 lemon oil alone would utilize a considerable portion of the fresh lemons 

 produced in California. 



IMPROVED VARIETIES. 



The work of Mr. A. D. Shamel, of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture, has called the attention of the lemon growers, as well as 

 the orange growers, to the fact that the present varieties of citrus fruit 

 may be greatly improved, both in quality and quantity of production, 

 through the selection of individual trees possessing these superior attri- 

 butes. In the same groves trees are found which produce a small 

 quantity of fruit of a very inferior quality — trees alongside of them 

 which have been propagated under the same variety names, produce five 

 times as much fruit of a very superior quality. Already there is a 

 ready market for trees propagated from trees having authentic records 

 of high productivity. Some very careful work has been done along this 

 line, both by the growers and by nurserj'men, to secure accurate records 

 of the production of all the trees of some groves. There is considerable 

 interest at the present time in the budding over of, some of the unprofit- 

 able trees with buds from trees of proven merit. "While the improve- 

 ment of the quality of the fruit shipped from California, through this 



