NEW CREATIONS. 191 



Swingle to produce hardier varieties of citrous plants suitable 

 for cultivation in this and kindred localities have sprung 

 some absolutely new creations. The citrange is one of these. 

 Its name is made up of the first syllable of the citrus, the 

 general family of fruits to which the new product belongs, 

 and the last syllable of the word orange, the particular fruit 

 which it most nearly resembles, though it is not an orange. 

 While we have a great number of interesting varieties of ap- 

 ples, due to the efforts of nurserymen and fruit-growers for 

 a period of 200 years, the newness of the citrange is indi- 

 cated not only by the fact that it is as yet unknown in the 

 world's markets, but that up to the present it has not gotten 

 beyond three varieties. These are the Rusk, the Willits, and 

 the Morton. The Rusk was named for the Hon. J. M. Rusk, 

 the first Secretary of Agriculture, under whose administration 

 the initial work on citrus fruits in Florida was undertaken 

 in 1895. 



The citrange is a beautiful little product, nearly round, and 

 when fully matured, deep orange in color, with a reddish 

 flush about the apex. The surface is smooth and glossy, and 

 in weight it is very heavy, frequently sinking in water. The 

 skin, which adheres closely, is thin and tender, while the yel- 

 low pulp is tender, melting and exceptionally juicy. The 

 pulp cells are small and similar in shape to those of the orange, 

 but the membrane of which the cell walls is composed is 

 tender, making very little rag. The fruit is acid in flavor, 

 too sour to be eaten unaccompanied or unprepared, but with 

 sugar it is most palatable. It is also slightly bitter, but this 

 quality is no more pronounced than in the grape-fruit and its 

 aroma is strong and pleasant. It may be used to make cit- 

 rangade, similar to lemonade, and it may also be eaten with 



