14 BULLETIN 813, V. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



variety. For this reason and in the interest of simpUcity of nomen- 

 clature, the name Open Productive has been dropped and Eureka 

 adopted in its place. 



The habit of production of the trees of the Eureka strain in the 

 performance-record plats includes the heavy bearing of high-quality 

 fruits which first set at the ends of the branches, frequently in clus- 

 ters. As the branches bend down from the weight of the end fruits, 

 others set along the branches in the axils of the leaves until 15 to 20 

 fruits are sometimes produced by a single branch. The lemons 

 develop in their order from the tip to the base of the branches. The 

 trees have a tendency toward regular production throughout the year, 

 in contrast with the trees of some other strains which tend to bear 

 their crops largely during the fall or the spring or some other limited 

 season. The comparatively heavy production of good commercial 

 lemons regularly throughout all seasons of the year under normal 

 conditions is a very important characteristic of the trees of this 

 strain. 



The habit of growth of the trees is open, as shown in figure 1. 

 Usually the fruits first set at the ends of the branches, and as the 

 lemons develop in size and weight the limbs are pulled down in a 

 somewhat drooping position, as shown in figure 3. This condition 

 results in a somewhat open and drooping arrangement of the branches, 

 and, as a result, the trees are opened up to the sun and air. One dis- 

 advantage of this habit of tree growth is that the fruits are more 

 likely to be injured by sunburn or extreme climatic conditions than 

 those borne by trees having a dense habit of growth. Few or no 

 suckers are produced by the trees of this strain. The leaves of the 

 trees of the Eureka strain are rather sparse in number, usually of 

 medium size, broadly elliptical and bluntly rounded in shape, with 

 slightly crenate margins and of a deep-green color. The rounded 

 leaves in contrast with the sharply pointed ones of some other strains 

 are a striking and important characteristic of the trees of this strain. 

 The blossoms are perfect, as shown in figure 4, A, and the anthers 

 produce viable pollen. Under normal conditions the trees bloom to 

 some extent at all seasons, but most heavily during the spring and 

 fall months. There is no period of the year when blooms and fruits 

 in various stages of growth are not present. 



The typical fruits of the Eureka strain, as shown in Plate I, are ob- 

 long in shape, medium in size, with smooth texture, thin rind, tender 

 rag, an abundance of juice, and have an average of about seven seeds. 

 Frequently the fruits are shghtly ridged. The flesh of the fruits is 

 usually solid and firm. When cured they have a very smooth, satin- 

 like texture and a light-straw color. The receptacle, or button as it 

 is ordinarily called, is usually raised above the surface of the rind 

 somewhat, so that in picking it is possible to sever the stem close to 

 the button without injuring it or the rind with the clippers. Under 



