146 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



The Requirements of a Good Commercial Fruit. 



1. It should be medium to large in size, pink to bright red in color, 

 with a high degree of reflection. 



2. The calyx-tube should be medium to short, lobes reflexed or in- 

 flexed. 



3. The rind should be thin to medium, tough, and well adapted to 

 shipping. 



4. The flesh should preferably be bright red or crimson, and large 

 in amount. 



5. The pulp or rag should be small in amount. 



6. The seeds should be small in proportion to the aril, and should be 

 tender and readily edible. 



7. The juice should be dark colored and plentiful. 



8. The flavor should be rich, sprightly, and subacid. 



A complete list of varieties would be long but there are only five 

 important varieties commonly found on the market. Of these, the 

 Wonderful, a seedling originating on Mr. Barss' place at Porterville 

 is by far the most promising. 



Wonderful. Large and attractive; deep purple red, glossy; flesh 

 deep crimson, juice abundant, deep crimson, flavor excellent, rich and 

 sprightly ; seeds fairly tender ; calyx medium. A good shipper. 



Paper Shell. Large, attractive ; pale yellow washed in pink, glossy ; 

 flesh bright red, juice abundant, bright red, flavor good; seeds fairly 

 tender ; rind very thin ; calyx small. Good for home use. 



Spanish Ruby. Large, attractive ; bright red, glossy ; flesh deep 

 crimson, juice abundant, flavor sweet and aromatic ; seeds fairly tender ; 

 rind medium; calyx medium. Good shipper. 



Sweet Fruited. Medium; pale yellow, lightly striped in pink; flesh 

 pale pink, juice moderate in amount, flavor sweet and aromatic ; seeds 

 fairly tender ; rind medium ; calyx medium. 



Sul) Acid. Medium ; pale yellow washed in pink ; flesh clear red, 

 juice moderate in amount, very tart and sour; seeds not edible but 

 readily chewed ; rind thin ; calyx large. 



Other varieties found to some extent are the Radinar, Dessia, and 

 Sin Pepitas. The last is the so-called seedless variety. There is no 

 such thing as a seedless pomegranate; the seed coats of some, however, 

 are very soft and readily edible. 



DISEASES. 



Sterigmatocystis castanea, or heart rot. This disease shows itself 

 only when the fruit is broken open and its worst feature lies in the fact 

 that its presence can not (for a time) be detected from the exterior of 

 the fruit. The pomegranate looks perfectly normal, highly colored 

 and firm, but when opened is found to be a black mass of decayed 

 material discharging myriads of black spores. In some cases only one 

 or two locul&s will be infected but the remaining arils will be flat, 

 insipid and pale colored. How this disease is introduced into the fruit 

 has not been determined. At the present time the disease is confined 

 to small areas in the Imperial Valley but if it ever becomes wide- 

 spread the industry may be seriously injured. The sensation one ex- 

 periences on opening a beautiful fruit only to find a nauseating mass 



