ORANGES AND LEMOiTS IN VENEZUELA. 417 



none beiuj; raised for exportation. Tlie trees are set 15 feet apart ; lliey 

 suffer little or no injury from insects or fungous growth ; they come into 

 bearing after five years from planting, wlien they begin to bear :iverage 

 crops and are thereafter quite neglected. When planted near the coast 

 tiie orange does not do well, but those raised in the interior are of good 

 size and fine flavor. 



Lemons. — The lemon is uot grown in Venezuela. There is a larger 

 sour-sweet fruit raised here that is, in general appearance, much like 

 the lemon. There is also the smaller fruit called the lime, tiiat is raised 

 iu great abundance, but never exported. These are the only fruits prop- 

 agated here that bear any resemblance to the lemon of commerce. 



WiNiPELD S. Bird, 



Oonsui. 



United States Consulate, 



Laguayra, November 15, 1889. 



MARACAIBO. 



Oranges and lemons of many varieties grow wild in abundance on 

 our river bottoms but nobody has ever paid any attention to their culti- 

 vation. Figs are also planted, but very few ; they bear in great abun- 

 dance. The same may be said of olives; both figs and olives grow in 

 the hot sandy soil of the coast as well as in the higher parts of the Cor- 

 dilleras. There is no doubt that if those fruits would receive proper 

 attention and were cultivated on a large scale a great export trade 

 could be established. 



B. H. Plumaoher, 



G07lSill. 



United States Consulate, 



Maracaibo, December 14, 1889. 



PUERTO CABELLO. 



REPORT BY CONSUL DE BLANO. 



Eelative to the cultivation of oranges, lemons, figs, and olives in this 

 district, I have the honor to report that I have been unable to obtain 

 information of sufficient value to be transmitted to the Department of 

 State. The olive tree is not known in this district ; as for oranges, 

 lemons, and figs, they are not cultivated in the proper sense of the term ; 

 they grow without any care or attention here and there, and flourish 

 and thrive, or languish and perish, according to circumstances. No 

 lemons, oranges, or figs are exported from this district. 



Charles De Blano, 



Consul. 

 United States Consulate, 



Puerto Gabello, February 20, 1890.. 



