16 BULLETIN 813, U. S. DEPAKTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The typical fruits are globular, almost spherical in shape, of medium 

 to small size, have a smooth texture, and are without the rather dis- 

 tinct ridges characteristic of fruits of the Eureka strain. They are 

 likely to have a miarked depr-ession or crease on the blossom end. The 

 rind is thick, the rag tender, the juice abundant, and theaverage num- 

 ber of seeds in each fruit is about six. 



One of the characteristics of the fruits of this strain develops during 

 curing. As a rule, the fruits cure much more slowly than those of the 

 Eureka strain. The color change takes place very slowly, so that in a 

 lot of fruits of mixed strains it is sometimes necessary to sort out those 

 of the Small-Open strain and retain them in the curing rooms for a 

 longer period than the fruits of some other strains. This condition is 

 unsatisfactory iii the handling and curing of lemons, in that it adds to 

 the expense of assorting and delays the packing and shipment of the 

 fruits, while the additional handlings are likely to result in mechanical 

 injuries, which often lead to decay and loss to the growers. 



SHADE-TREE STRAIN. 



The name Shade Tree was adopted for this strain because the trees 

 have a spreading habit of growth, with luxuriant fohage. At certain 

 seasons they have few or no fruits, making them somewhat resemble 

 ornamental trees grow;n for shade rather than trees cultivated for 

 their fruits. 



The production of the trees of the Shade-Tree strain is very much 

 less than those of the Eureka strain, and the fruit is of very inferior 

 commercial quality, from the standpoint of both the fresh and the 

 cured fruits. The production is largely a seasonal one, the main crop 

 being borne during the fall and winter seasons. 



In assorting the fruits of the Shade-Tree strain picked in the perform- 

 ance-record studies it was found that an unusual proportion of the 

 lemons was dark green. This condition was found to be due to the 

 fact that the crops of these trees were largely borne during the season 

 when environmental conditions were favorable for the growth of the 

 fruits and from the fact that the crops were very small in comparison, 

 with the size of the trees. 



In the beginning of these studies the green fruits of the Shade-Tree 

 strain were included in the first or Green grade, because they were 

 green in color. Later studies, not only of the freshly picked fruits but of 

 the cured lemons as well, brought out clearly the inferior quality of the 

 fruits, as shown by their thick rinds, coarse rag, and scant juice. Not- 

 withstanding the discovery of these facts it was decided to continue 

 the classification of the fruits of the Shade-Tree strain under the Green 

 grade because this characteristic is one which can be unmistak- 

 ably distinguished in the work of assorting the grades in the orchard. 

 It must be kept in mind that in the case of the crops of the Shade- 

 Tree strain the green color is not synonymous with high grade and 

 quality. In fact, the reverse is true, and if the fruits from these trees 



