CHAPTER XVIII. 



THE LEMON AND LIME. 



COMPARATIVELY little attention has been 

 S3 given in Florida to the cultivation of the lemon 

 and lime ; and yet these are among the most val- 

 uable of the citrus family, whether we consider their 

 monetary value or their healthfulness. This neg- 

 lect has arisen from several causes. 



The lemon is a more vigorous grower than the 

 orange, and when planted on strong or fresh land 

 the fruit grows to a much larger size and with a 

 thicker skin than in Europe. The rind, also, 

 when the fruit is permitted to yellow upon the tree, 

 is bitter, which destroys the commercial value of 

 the lemon. Other ill results are noticed when the 

 fruit is permitted to ripen on the tree. Such fruit 

 is comparatively light, the juice sparse, and charged 

 with a small per cent of citric acid. All this is the 

 result of a want of knowledge of proper treatment 

 of the fruit. My lemons have brought in New 

 York and Philadelphia more money per box than 

 my oranges, and have in these markets ranked as 

 first quality. I would mention also that as a gen- 

 eral rule the lemon tree is more productive than 

 the orange. This fruit which ranked so high was 



