BUD VARIATION IN THE LISBON LEMON. ' 9 



The trees bear low yields of inferior crops, mostly during the 

 late-fall and early-winter seasons. They have a spreading habit of 

 growth and attain great size unless pruned vigorously. They develop 

 a large number of vigorous-growing, upright, vegetative branches, or 

 suckers. 



The leaves are large and sharply pointed. They develop abun- 

 dantly, making dense-appearing trees, and their normal color is deep 

 {;/reen. The flowere are often imperfect, the pistil being small or 

 j-uclimentary. The pollen is frequently scant and of low vitality. 

 The thonis are abimdant and often very large, long, and sharply 

 pointed and have been found to be responsible for injuries to the 

 fruits which in many cases lead to decay and loss to the growers. 



The fruits, as shown in Plate III, are somewhat oblong, usually 

 collared, and blunt or flattened at the blossom end. The rinds are 

 thick, coarse, and rough in texture and are more or less ridged. The 

 rag is tough and abimdant, and the juice is scant and of low acidity 

 and poor quahty. The seeds average between one and two to a fruit. 



The reputation for extreme thorniness of the Lisbon variety in 

 most cases is due to the many thorns developed by the trees of this 

 strain. It also seems likely that the decay sometimes observed in 

 Lisbon lemons is due to the thorn injuries to the fruits borne by the 

 trees of this and the Bull strain. This condition serves to emphasize 

 the desirability of eliminating these strains and planting only trees 

 of the Lisbon or Open strain, which have relatively few thorns. 



BULL STRAIN. 



The name of this strain was adopted because the word Bull is in 

 common use among Lisbon lemon growers for certain rank-growing 

 undesirable trees. These trees show very vigorous vegetative growth 

 and have large, sharply pointed, Hght-green leaves. They produce 

 coarse fruits with thick rinds and little juice, which is of poor quahty. 

 This strain is one which should be eliminated in all estabUshed 

 orchards. It should not be propagated for any commercial purpose. 

 In many established orchards many trees of the BuH strain have been 

 recently top-worked successfully with buds from carefully selected 

 trees of the Lisbon or Open strains. A very noticeable improvement 

 in the commercial grade of fruit has followed the elimination of the 

 trees of the Bull strain in those orchards. 



The trees bear comparatively heavy crops during the winter. 

 They have a spreading habit.of growth and unless restrained by heavy 

 pruning attain great size. They develop many large upright-growing 

 suckers formerly highly prized as bud wood for propagation. The 

 pointed leaves are large and very abundant, so as to make dense- 

 appearing trees, and their color is usually light green. The thorns 

 are large and abundant and are frequently very long and sharply 



