248 
The climate must be warm, free from hard frosts and suffic- 
iently moist unless irrigation can be practised. 
Numerous species belong to the citrus family, but of these four 
or five only have for us a commercial value, viz., the Orange, the 
Mandarine, the Pomelo, the Lemon, and the Kumquat. 
ORANGE (Citrus aurantium). 
The most notable of these are arranged in the order in which 
they ripen. The sorts we favour are smooth, thin-skinned, tender, 
juicy fruit, that will sink in water, preferably the seedless varieties. 
They are known as “sweet” oranges in contradistinction to “sour” 
oranges of which the Seville is the type. 
The orange stands frost better than the lemon, and does not 
succumb to a temperature of—3° or 4° C. (20° to 25° F. of frost) if 
these low temperatures are not lengthy, and when the thawing is 
gradual. It requires a mean summer temperature of 22° or 23° C. 
(71° to 74° F.) to ripen. 
Tue Navat (syn. Bahia) stands prominently to the forefront 
amongst our choicest oranges. Imported from Bahia, Brazil, into 
the United States, it has been distributed to every part of the world 
offering suitable climatic conditions to its successful cultivation. 
The blossoms of navel oranges are double, having a _ secondary 
blossom within and no pollen. When an occasional seed is found 
in them it is the result of transported pollen. With us the Navel 
Oranges do well from the Gascoyne River in the North to the Har- 
vey in the South. The ripening season ranges from April to Aug- 
ust, and they can thus be landed in the European market where 
the variety is little known in the summer when the demand is the 
greatest. 
Few citrus varieties sport more readily than does the Navel, 
and we have now in cultivation a number of these oranges, which 
differ materially from one another as regards appearance and time 
of ripening. Amongst the most noted are:— 
AustTRALIAN Navet.—tThe foliage resembles that of the Wash- 
ington Navel. The fruit varies in size, all sizes generally being 
found on the same tree. A very shy bearer. Blooms profusely, 
but very few of the blossoms set; often the trees are loaded with 
fruit, and after having attained the size of marbles drop to the 
ground, without any apparent cause; fruit also has a tendency to 
split at the navel, which is, usually large and prominent, unlike that 
of the Washington Navel, which is round and generally small. 
Seedless. Flavour as good if not superior to that of the Washing- 
ton Navel. The tree is a strong grower. 
Wasutneton Navet.—The variety was, like all Navels, intro- 
duced from Bahia, Brazil, into the United States, whence they 
found their way to every part of the globe where climatic con- 
