April 22, 1896.] 



Garden and Forest. 



163 



California ; Mr. A. E. Wild, Bengal, India ; Mr. E. I. Applegate, 

 Klamath Falls, Oregon, and Dr. Charles Mohr, Mobile, Ala- 

 bama, for specimens kindly furnished by them. 



College of Pharmacy, Philadelphia, Pa. Henry Trimble. 



Grape-fruit and Shaddocks. 



DURING my recent visit to New York I was much 

 interested to notice the considerable demand that 

 existed there for grape-fruit,* from the West Indies. It 

 appears to be very strongly recommended by the medical 

 faculty for its refreshing and tonic properties, and, in con- 



Fi< 



.23. — Pumelow or Shaddock, globular fruit. Diameter, 6 inches; weit! 

 49 ounces ; flesh pink, with good flavor. 



sequence, the use of it has become an important feature in 

 the diet in American cities. The fruit I saw in New 

 York called grape-fruit consisted of various sorts and quali- 

 ties, and there is little doubt that much confusion exists as 

 to what is really grape-fruit as distinct from the allied 

 Citrus fruits passing under such names as Pumelow, f Shad- 



the different varieties of the Orange are associated with the 

 size and color. They are all, or nearly all, larger than the 

 largest orange, and they are uniformly of a pale yellow 

 color. In texture the rind maybe smooth or even polished. 

 It is seldom rough, nearly always firm and not very thick. 





Fig. 25. — Grape-fruit, as sold in New York. Diameter. 5 inches; weight, 31 ounces: 

 juicy, thin-skinned, excellent flavor. 



The pulp is pale yellow or greenish white, sometimes pink 

 or crimson ; the vesicles of the pulp (juice bags) are more 

 distinct than in the orange; very juicy, somewhat sweetish, 

 with a distinct, but agreeable, bitter flavor. The pith sur- 

 rounding the segments possesses more of the bitter than 

 the pulp, but is less agreeable, and on that account is never 

 eaten. In shape these fruits vary a good deal. Some are 

 quite globular, others somewhat flattened at the top and 

 tapering below, forming a pear-shaped body. Even in the 

 globular fruits the top is more or less flattened. There are 

 none, I believe, pointed at both ends. 



Having indicated the general characters of this class of 

 Citrus fruits I may venture on a brief sketch of their origin 

 and history. It is agreed by all authorities that these fruits 

 are quite distinct from the other groups of the Orange 





Fig. 24. 



-Pumelow or Shaddock, pear-shaped fruit. Diameter, 5 inches ; length, 

 6 inches ; weight, 32 ounces ; flesh pinkish, fla\ or fairly good. 



dock, Forbidden-fruit, Paradise-fruit and others. The chief 

 characteristics of all these fruits distinguishing them from 



* It is so called because the fruits grow in clusters like a bunch of grapes, 

 t It is invariably spelled Pomelo in the United States. 



Fig. 26 



-Forbidden-fruit, as sold in New York. I)i ti I . 



long ; flesh pale pink, skin thick. 



family, such as the true Oranges and the Citrons. I 

 have, therefore, been kept apart and ranged under the 

 giant Citrus, Citrus decumana. In this species the tree is 

 twelve to eighteen feet high, with a flat crown and spread- 

 ing branches, usually with no spines. The leaves are 

 elliptic-rounded at both ends, emarginate (that is, with a 

 notch at the apex) and cremilate (having the edge marked 

 with small depressions); the under side of the leaf is softly 

 hairy, with the wings broad, crenulated as in the leaves 

 and bordered with fine hairs. The flowers are in clusters of 

 from three to nine, large, white and fragrant. The fruit is 

 either globose or pear-shaped, forming many seedling varie- 

 ties without distinct names. This is supposed to be a native 

 of the islands of the Pacific, whence it had been brought 



