236 Oranges and Lemons of India. 



melon-like sweet variety of Almora and other places, 

 now known as mudhkakrce may have been introduced 

 from there. Finally, we have near Cochin in South 

 India a Jewish colony, settled there so early as 

 490 A.D. As the citron was known in Media before 

 the Christian era, and as the Jews made use of its 

 fruit in their religious festivals, it is not at all impro- 

 bable that this Jewish colony brought the citron fruit, 

 or seed, with them to Western India, where it may 

 have become naturalized. The varieties on that coast 

 are more numerous than in other parts of India. In 

 Ceylon it is called siderun. This clearly indicates its 

 origin either from the Portuguese cidra, or the Eng- 

 lish citron. 



As to the derivation of the sweet variety called 

 either mudkanker or mudhkakree, Prof. Cowell says, 

 " the first part seems to be the Sanskrit madhu 

 sweet ; but Sir Monier Williams gives in his Sanskrit 

 Diet, madhukukkuti a kind of citron, with ill- 

 smelling blossoms. As t always can become r, this is 

 the same as your Madhukakree. This, however, is 

 not an old Sanskrit word. It only occurs in com- 

 paratively modern dictionaries." 



Kakree or hanker is the name of a sort of melon, 

 and this sweet citron of Almora, being as large as a 

 melon, the name of sweet melon, or madhkakree, may 

 have been given it. 



On the Western Coast of India, the citron is also 

 called mauling and ma'pala. I have not been able 

 to trace the derivation of these words. The former 

 may not impossibly be connected with the baleng of 

 Baber. 



The Lemons. The lemon proper is considered by 

 botanists as a variety of the citron. C. medico, var. 

 limonum. The foliage of the lemon proper is different 



