7o Oranges and Lemons of India. 



either for quenching thirst in sickness, or for other 

 purposes in the arts and cookery. Finally, the lemon 

 stage would appear to indicate a largely extended use 

 of an abundant acid juice for the various purposes of 

 civilized life, and that man had ceased to encourage 

 much any great thickness in the skin, the latter 

 becoming now a much less important part of the 

 fruit. 



The specimens of citron represented in plates from 

 142 to 148 I obtained from the Bombay market, 

 and I was told they came from the places mentioned. 

 By Bassein is meant the place of that name near 

 Bombay. With the experience gained from the fruit 

 of the khatta orange, as shown in plate 29 and others, 

 one need be careful in accepting all these forms as 

 products of distinct trees. Unless the fruit has been 

 seen on the tree, and in different seasons, it is impos- 

 sible to say whether two or more of these Bombay 

 market citrons may not have been the produce of one 

 and the same tree. 



After having read all that has been said regarding 

 the origin of the C. medica, and its derivatives, I am 

 still in doubt whether it is indigenous in India. It does 

 not appear to have any ancient Sanskrit name, and 

 the number of varieties, if they are varieties, on the 

 western sea-coast is suggestive. It is curious that 

 they should be found on the area which came most in 

 contact with foreigners. The huge sweet variety of 

 Almora may have been easily introduced from 

 "Lemghanat" on the Afghan border, and become 

 further improved by acclimatization in that genial 

 moist clime. 



It has been stated that the Citrus medica proper 

 the citron had already reached Italy from Media, 

 about the third or fourth century, and that the Jews 



