ORANGES AND LEMONS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 455 



of eating it is to cut away pieces of tbe pulp with the riud adhering to 

 them, leaving the core with the seeds in it in an oblong square piece. 

 The outside pieces are then taken in the fingers and the juice squeezed 

 into the mouth. As a rule the juice has a watery taste although one is 

 occasionally found that yields rich and deliciously flavored juice. 



Citrus Aurantium or "Pisong" resembles in shape and flavor the 

 Mandarin or * Kid-glove" orange of China and Japan, but unlike the 

 latter the skin is always green ; it can be easily peeled with the fingers, 

 and the pulp separates freely and without breaking ; it grows plentifully 

 and is very cheap. 



Citrus Decumana, called by the natives " Lucban," is generally from 4 

 to 6 inches in diameter, with skin an inch or more in thickness, and 

 closely resembles the " Pomals," brought here from China, except in 

 the color of the skin. The pulp is white and separates readily, and the 

 juice is quite tart. 



Citrus Madurensis, called by the natives u Sua," is an exact counter- 

 part of the Lucban except that the pulp is red and the juice sweet, with 

 a suggestion of tartness. 



Citrus Medica or "Limon Eeal" (royal lemon) is shaped like the Mes- 

 sina lemon but is very much smaller and less juicy. The skin is of a 

 yellowish green color when ripe and the juice is very sharply acid. It 

 is excellent fruit for lemonade, for which it is used almost exclusively. 



Citrus Medica or " Limon " is seldom more than an inch or an inch 

 and a half in diameter, is nearly round, and its flavor closely resembles 

 that of the lime. The skin is quite green until it begins to decay. 



Citrus Medica or " Limoncito n (little lemon) is seldom more than half 

 or three-quarters of an inch in diameter, and, when ripe, has a yellow- 

 ish green skin. It is slightly sweetish and is used only by the natives 

 io making preserves. 



Citrus Medica or " Calamondin," when ripe, is usually about an inch 

 in diameter, almost perfectly round, and has a very thin bright yellow 

 skin, and red pulp. The juice is very sour and is used for flavoring 

 sauces and for lemonade. 



Situations. The orange and lemon trees are seldom found at a dis- 

 tance of less than 100 meters from the sea and they thrive best at about 

 200 on high ground and in dry, sandy soil. They are most productive 

 on the higher-level lands where they are partially in the shade of larger 

 trees, although they seem to do fairly well even under the blistering 

 rays of the tropical sun. 



Climate. The temperature of the best producing districts varies but 

 little. Last year, which may be taken as a fair average year, the maxi- 

 mum temperature was 765.33, the minimum 755, and the average 759.35. 



The average annual rain-fall is about 3,000 millimeters. The greatest 

 rain-fall since 1865 occurred in 1876 when it reached 3,072.8 and the least 

 was in 1885 when 905.5 millimeters fell. In September, 1867, 1,110 milli- 

 meters fell in three days, being the heaviest continuous rain-fall ever 

 156A 6 



