272 



The World's Commercial Products 



■ The Bergamot Orange' (C. Aurantium, var. Berganiia) produces small pyriform fruits, the 

 pulp of which is acid and bitter ; the rind is thin, golden yellow, and filled with a sweet essence. 

 Formerly, sweetmeats called bergamottes were made of it ; now it is only used for the expression 

 of oil of bergamot. This variety is chiefly cultivated in the South of France, in Sicily, and 

 near Reggio in South Calabria. 



The Mandarin or Maltese Orange (Citrus nobilis) is a native of China, but is now as 

 widely cultivated as the sweet orange. In Malta and the Azores this orange is very successfully 



cultivated. The fruit ' is 

 small, flattened, with a thin 

 rind which separates spon- 

 taneously from the pulp, so 

 that when quite ripe the 

 latter may be shaken about 

 inside. The pulp is exceed- 

 ingly rich and sweet ; unfor- 

 tunately this variety does not 

 keep so well as the ordinary 

 orange. The Mandarin 

 orange is largely grown in 

 China, and certain districts, 

 notably Swatow, are famed 

 for this variety. 



Oranges form the largest 

 item in the fruit imports of 

 the United Kingdom. In 

 1905 our total imports were 

 5,068,526 cwt., valued at 

 £1,949,496. 



The total imports of 

 oranges from British posses- 

 sions was only 104,901 cwt. ; 

 of these no fewer than 

 103,257 cwt. were from the 

 West Indies, which produce 

 excellent fruit. 



The Citron (C. medico) 

 has been found wild in the 

 Khasia Hills and other parts 

 of northern India. It is cul- 

 tivated in China, Cochin 

 China, and in all the warm, 

 moist parts of India. It reached Europe by way of Persia. The Jews cultivated the citron 

 at the time they were under subjection to the Romans, and used the fruit then, as now, 

 in the Feast of Tabernacles. At the present day the citron is cultivated in Sicily, Corsica, 

 Italy, Spain, Portugal, West Indies, and Brazil. 



The inner rind of the citron is thick and fleshy, and a pleasant preserve is prepared from it. 

 Candied citron rind is well known. 



The Lemon {Citrus medica, var. Limonum) is possibly a native of India or China, but its 

 original habitat is uncertain. It is cultivated in the above countries, and found its way to 

 Europe from India about a century after the orange. 



There is a considerable import of lemons into the United Kingdom. In 1905 our total 



THE MANGO FRUIT 



