ORANGES AND LEMONS IN CORSICA AND MARSEILLES. 489 



thrive in localities where the thermometer does not fall below li or 3 

 centigrade. It must be planted on hills exposed to the south and well 

 sheltered against north and northeast winds by elevations or artificial 

 means. It must be irrigated by running water, by trenches, every four- 

 teen or twenty days and must be placed in holes having 1 meter or 

 l..'>() centimeters square in depth, or the ground must be dug to a depth 

 nf IK) centimeters, which is preferable. The trees must be 5 or 7 meters 

 distant from one another, according to the fertility of the soil. 



Insect pests. The lemon is also liable to be injured by winter frosts, 

 ityjaunisse or chlorose, or by excessive humidity. It is also attacked by 

 kermes or the white louse (Dorthesia citris), the cochineal (Cocus citris), 

 and byfumagine. Thejaunisse and decay of the roots is arrested by 

 draining the ground, the multiplication of insects and fumagine is 

 stopped by syringing the branches and leaves with hyposulphate of 

 lime in March and April. 



Maturity. The lemon and orange begin to bear fruit the third year 

 after grafting, but do not produce abundantly till the fourth or fifth 

 year. They are generally best from the ninth to the twelfth year 

 and yield on the average 3,000 fruit. The lemon tree yields even 

 more. The fruit is gathered with much care and after the disappear- 

 ance of the dew. They are packed in cases and in rows, after being 

 wrapped in thin paper. Each case contains about 500 or 380 to 400 

 oranges. 



Varieties. The kinds cultivated in this locality are 



Oranges: The Sweet Fruit of Brazil (Brasiliculis), the Blood Eed 

 (Hiero chuntisum), the Sweet Portugal (Lusitanirum), the Sweet Malta 

 (Meliteuse), the Otaite (Otaiteuse), and the Mandarins (Nobilis.) . 



Lemons: Bignette of Genoa, the most productive; Biguette of Va- 

 lence, without pippins (Citrus aspernum); Bignette of Spain (G. his- 

 l>anium)-j Bignette of Malta (G. melitcuse) ; Bignette of Vulgare (ordi- 

 naire). 



* SIMON DAMIANI, 



Consular Agent. 



UNITED STATES CONSULAR AGENCY, 



Bastia, February 6, 1890. 



MARSEILLES. 

 REPORT BY CONSUL TRAIL. 



In this consular district orange and lemon trees are only cultivated 

 to any extent in Corsica. 



The climate in the region around Marseilles itself is not temperate 

 enough for these two trees. Up till about thirty years ago there were 

 plantations still in the plains of Toulon and Hyeres, but even these 

 have long since been converted into market gardens. 



