CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



ment by the fan. The hour and length of time the fan is in motion depends 



.on the weather and condition of the fruit. The fan is naturally used more 



often when the basement is full of fruit; however, temperature and humidity 



are the ruling factors. Along the sides of the basement windows are ar- 



meed with covers that are mechanically operated so that a number can 



be opened and closed at one time. This is for the purpose of allowing tree 



circulation of air when the fan is in motion. 



lie storage capacity of the building is 450 cars of lemons. In addition, 

 ten cars of box material, paper and nails, automatic box-making machines 

 and equipment of various kinds may also be stored. The four machines 

 have a maximum capacity of washing ten to twelve cars daily, and the 

 packing and shipping capacity is ten -cars daily. 



Mr. Teague of the Limoneira Company has concluded that 

 proper conditions for keeping lemons lie just between the points 

 where they wilt and where they sweat, inducing neither if possible, 

 for too much moisture induces' decay and too little causes shrivel- 

 ing. The fragment of the stem left on the fruit by the cutter may 

 be used as a test ; if it adheres, the conditions are right for slow 

 curing; if it detaches easily, the best keeping quality is not being 

 secured. 



This position indicates a belief that a proper degree of atmos- 

 pheric humidity is requisite in lemon curing and storage. Mr. A. 

 D. Shamel also places stress upon the factor of air-moisture and 

 has designed a "humidifier" by which this can be assured even in 

 interior situations where it is likely to be most essential. In the 

 recently built lemon house of the James Mills Orchard Company 

 at Maxwell on the west side of the Sacramento Valley a humidifier 

 is used consisting of a series of blankets suspended from a water 

 tank so that the moisture reaches down the entire width of the 

 blanket, perhaps three or four feet. The blankets hang close to each 

 other and parallel. At one end of this humidifier a large electric 

 fan sends a blast of air over the blankets, taking from them mois- 

 ture and reducing the temperature. This cooled, and to a degree 

 moisture laden, air is then forced into the lemon store rooms. 



With proper curing facilities lemons picked in November and 

 December may be kept until the following July. Later pickings 

 may not keep so well and may be marketed first. Of the finer 

 points in lemon handling, however, there is much which must be 

 learned by experience. 



Forced curing of lemons, by which green fruit may be colored 

 in about two weeks, is done by burning oil stoves in a closed room. 

 The change is effected by the products of combustion and not by 

 the heat alone. The process is described in detail in Bulletin No. 

 232 of the Bureau of Plant Industry of the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, February 13, 1912. 



VARIETIES OF LEMONS FOR CALIFORNIA 

 During the earlier years of California lemon growing there were 

 continuous efforts put forth to secure better lemon varieties. Dur- 

 ing the last two decades three varieties have been accepted as satis- 

 factory and nearly all others have been dropped. The three are 

 Eureka, Lisbon, and Villa Franca, arranged according to present 



