2o6 THE FRUIT GARDEN 



The value of the flowers, which are always in demand for weddings, is also an 

 item that deserves passing mention. The varieties worth cultivating for their 

 fruits are : — 



Oranges 



Blood or Malta. — Fruit large, with a thin and rather smooth skin ; pulp stained 

 with crimson, very juicy and sweet. 



St. Michael's. — This is the most commonly cultivated for market, and it varies in 

 quality according to the conditions under which it is grown and the variety. The best 

 forms are known as Exquisite, Dulcissima, Silver Sustain, and Egg. 



Tangerine. — Fruit small, compressed; skin easily removed and peculiarly aro- 

 matic ; pulp juicy and very sweet. AH the forms of this are excellent, one of the best 

 being that known as St. Michael's. 



Navel. — Fruit large, egg-shaped, with a nipple-like projection at one end; skin 

 thin ; pulp pale in colour, very juicy and sweet. 



Jaffa. — Fruit large ; skin generally thick ; pulp juicy, and when the fruits have 

 been left long enough to mature before being gathered, pleasantly sweet. 



Seville. — Fruit large ; skin thick ; pulp acid and not sweet. Grown for the manu- 

 facture of marmalade. A free-flowering variety. 



Lemons 



Bijou. — Fruit small, globose, juicy, aromatic, slightly bitter as well as acid ; tree 

 dwarf and fruitful. Seems to be intermediate between the lemon and the lime. 



Imperial. — Fruit large, juicy, aromatic ; tree vigorous and free. 



Sweet or Brazilian. — Remarkable in being almost devoid of the acidity charac- 

 teristic of lemons. 



Metford's. — Fruit as large as an ostrich's ^%%; skin smooth, pale yellow ; ^k,^ 

 juicy and superior. An excellent lemon for culinary purposes ; in the size of the leaf, 

 flowers, and fruit it resembles a shaddock, but it is a true lemon. 



Lime. — The true lime is a thorny shrub with ovate leaves, white flowers, small, 

 nearly globose, yellow fruit with thin skin, and an abundance of pure acid juice. It is 

 largely grown in the West Indies, and is the principal source of citric acid, so largely 

 employed for flavouring and as a summer beverage. The best forms are known as 

 bitter, sweet, and Persian. 



Shaddock. — This is also known as the forbidden fruit, pumelo or pomalo, and 

 grape fruit. The largest fruited forms are sturdy trees, with large leathery leaves, very 

 thick petalled flowers, and oblong fruit as large as an ostrich's ^'gZi °r nearly globose ; 

 skin thick and rather coarse ; flesh in coarse, bladder-like grains, pale, watery, and 

 lacking both sweetness and acidity. The variety known as grape fruit is about the size 

 of a swan's ^^g, has smooth skin, and the flesh is slightly bitter and aromatic. It is 

 largely eaten in the United States as a morning tonic. 



Cultivation. — As in the case of apples and other cultivated fruits, the 

 forms of oranges and lemons cannot be relied upon to come true from seeds. 

 Grafted plants must therefore be secured. They may be grown in pots or tubs 

 of about the same proportions in relation to the plants as camellias, or they may 

 be planted out in a border exactly as for peaches or vines. In either case they 

 prefer good fibrous loam, which should be periodically enriched with top-dressings 

 of manure — preferably sheep or deer dung — applied in March. When in 

 growth they require plenty of moisture both at the root and overhead ; while 

 resting in winter the soil should be kept just moist. Plants wintered in a low 

 temperature will not require any water from about November till March. 

 Where a house can be devoted entirely to the cultivation of oranges it should 



