ORANGES AND LEMONS IN SICILY. 519 



fruits are considered as the best for quality and long-keeping. The 

 second cut, larger than the first one, begins in March and lasts until 

 the end of April, and the last one, or third cut, known as verdelli, from 

 May to the end of September. Finally lemons bear all the year around. 



Orange picking commences in low land in November, and on the 

 montagna (mountain) from January to April. These are the best fruits, 

 and durable, fit for packing and shipment. The same are always picked 

 a little greenish, and not in full maturity ; but they acquire their nat- 

 ural bright color after they are wrapped in tissue paper and boxed for 

 shipping. 



Before shipment, however, they are chosen into four different sorts; 

 that is, first and second choice the fruits are thoroughly examined to be 

 entirely free from thorn touch or any disease, and they are shipped for 

 farthest markets. The third choice are sent to near markets, and with 

 the fourth one is made essence and agro cotto. 



The fruit is gathered with care, the stem is cut with a very sharp 

 round-bladed knife, and left to the eye to prevent decay. 



Planting and propagation. — ^The distance planted apart must not be 

 more than 16 feet, for the reason that if trees are allowed to grow too 

 large they can not stand to support the lateral branches overloaded 

 with fruit, besides preventing free ventilation, without which disease is 

 generated. 



As before stated, trees are propagated by seedlings , and grafting. 

 The best varieties are of course obtained from seedlings, and then 

 grafted to the desired kind. 



The orchards are pretty large in some localities and small in otherg. 



Maturity. — The age of fruiting is at 8 years, giving the largest crop 

 at 20; the maturity of trees is from 70 to 100 years, and according to the 

 soil, exposure, locality, and culture of same. 



Insect pests. — The insects damaging this beautiful plant are: H 

 pidocchio del limone (lemon louse) and II pidocchio delVarando (orange 

 louse). . 



The first one is an insect of a whitish color, which attacks both leaves 

 and fruits. It made its first appearance in Sicily in 1862, and notwith- 

 standing the several efforts to destroy it, nothing has as yet been 

 accomplished to succeed. 



The second, pidocchio (louse) of orange, is another insect of a dark 

 brown color, and a very injurious one to both orange and lemon, by in- 

 festing the tree bark, leaves, and fruits. 



Another insect, supposed to be the cossus aurantii and a crittogama, 

 called nero degli agrumi (black disease) first of a whitish color and then 

 black. Both of them attack, also, the bark and branches of the tree, 

 propagating on the leaves, blossoms, and fruits, causing the former to 

 stiffen, turn yellow and dry, while the latter grow very little, turning 

 black, and never acquire the natural color of the ripe fruits. 



If the parasite develops early in the season the plant will thoroughly 



166a— 9 



