vr THE LIME 153 



up the laths on top it is as well that they should slightly 



compress the fruit as it dries and decreases in bulk on the 



voyage. The oranges in each box should be of the same 



size and of the same degree of ripeness. These are matters 



of great importance. Before packing the fruit ought to be The oranges 



sorted out, each kind being packed separately, for when a ^° ^ ^°^'^ 



buyer takes a sample orange out of a box he expects to find 



all the fruit of the same size and quality as the sample. After 



the boxes are packed they should be handled carefully, for Careful 



fear of bruising the fruit ; and, if the estate be far from the necelsa?y. 



shipping place, it is as well for the packages to be carried in 



light spring waggons as in Jamaica, lest the jolting of a cart 



should injure the delicate contents. 



The Lime. — Citrus Medica var. acida. 



In regard to commercial importance, the lime comes next 

 to the orange. The acidity of the fruit is more pronounced 

 than that of the lemon, and many persons prefer it on that 

 account. Limes are shipped in small quantities to Europe 

 and North America packed in the same way as oranges ; 

 but, as the lemon is a better known fruit, it will take some Lemons, 

 time before there is a demand for limes in the great fruit 

 markets. 



Limes are now, however, principally grown for the sake of Concen- 

 their juice, which is shipped from Montserrat and Dominica j^^^^^ ^™^ 

 in a concentrated form, and from these two islands — as well 

 as from Jamaica and Trinidad — it is sent to Europe and the 

 United States, in its natural or "raw" state. The concen- 

 trated juice is the source of a considerable portion of the 

 citric acid used in medicine and the arts, and the natural Citric acid, 

 fruit juice is bottled up and sold in Europe and America as 

 a refreshing and wholesome beverage. It is also used as an Raw juice, 

 antiscorbutic, — that is, to prevent the outbreak of scurvy on 

 board ships and elsewhere — and all English vessels leaving 

 Great Britain for long voyages are bound to have a good 



