RED SCALE 

 AND ITS 

 REMEDY. 



YIELDS. 



tree springing from one main stem, and are topped 

 when they attain a height of not more then 12 feet. 

 A single spraying with arsenate of lead between the 

 rains is generally sufficient to ward off disease, but if 

 disease does make its appearance continuous spraying 

 is necessary until it has been eradicated. 



The only disease that has given trouble up to the- 

 present is Red Scale, which has found its way into^ 

 several plantations. This is effectively dealt with by 

 fumigation. A canvas cover is spread over the tree 

 and a pot or jar not less than 8 inches deep containing 

 a preparation of sulphuric acid, cyanide of potassium 

 and water is left under it for not less than forty 

 minutes. The fumes arising from this preparation 

 kill the disease but do no harm to the tree. It is 

 of the utmost importance that the cyanide of 

 potassium be absolutely pure, as otherwise it lacks 

 strength and renders the preparation ineffective. 



In the third year the trees bear a light crop. In 

 the fourth a healthy tree should return 1,000 

 lemons, increasing until the trees reach maturity in 

 about the 6th year. If the trees are bearing too 

 heavily it is better to sacrifice some of the fruit for 

 the sake of the tree, but in the ordinary course of 

 events the fruit is picked only when fully ripe, 

 otherwise a loss of oils results. The sooner the fruit 

 is treated after picking the better, a fortnight being 

 the extreme limit that should be allowed to elapse 

 between picking and treating. The principal fruiting 

 season in most districts is from May to August, but 

 picking proceeds practically all the year round. 



Apart from the local demand for fresh limes and 

 lemons, which is mainly supplied by small growers, 

 no attempt is made to export limes or lemons as fruit. 

 An export trade in fresh fruit or pickled limes may 

 possibly develop later on, but at present the aim of 

 citrus growers is to bu.ild up a trade in extracts. 



TREATMENT The first operation in this process is the extrac- 



OF THE CROP, tion of the essential oil from the rind. This opera- 

 tion is performed by putting the fruit through either 

 a hand or power-driven machine known as an 

 Ecueller, which extracts the oil from the rind, ready 

 to be bottled. The essential oil thus prepared is 

 allowed to stand for from three to four weeks, when 



84 



