PURE AND IMPURE FOODS. 



Edited by C. F. Langworthy, Ph.D. 

 Author of "On Citraconic, Itaconic and Mesaconic Acids," " Fish as Food," etc. 

 " What a Man Eats He Is." 



MANDARINS AND KUMQUATS'. 



At the present time 3 classes of citrus 

 fruits are extensively cultivated in Florida, 

 namely : sweet oranges, pomelos and man- 

 darin oranges. These occupy the first place 

 in citrus culture in the State, although 

 lemons, limes and kumquats are also grown. 

 It is probable that lemon culture will be- 

 come of considerable more importance than 

 it now is, but at present, and probably for 

 some time to come, the statement, as made 

 above may be allowed to stand. 



Of the 3 important classes, sweet oranges 

 occupy the first place and are destined to 

 do so throughout the whole future of citrus 

 culture in Florida. The sweet orange is a 

 staple fruit, just as the apple is. It is al- 

 ways in demand, and it is the dessert fruit 

 par excellence of America. Professor 

 Hume, of the Florida Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station, has recently published an 

 extended account of the growing of man- 

 darin oranges and kumquats. 



Mandarin oranges, also called tangerine 

 and kid glove oranges, are fairly common 

 in most markets. An orange which is 

 found occasionally and will doubtless be 

 better known in the near future is the kum- 

 quat, the small oval or round Chinese or- 

 ange, which is only about as large as a 

 plum. 



The mandarin orange, according to Pro- 

 fessor Hume, is essentially a fancy fruit, 

 and as such commands a fancy price in its 

 season, but it would be useless to attempt 

 to place it on the same plane with the sweet 

 orange as a staple fruit. The fruit, gen- 

 erally speaking, is smaller than the sweet 

 orange. The bearing capacity of the tree 

 seldom reaches and rarely exceeds 30 

 boxes and all the members of the group re- 

 quire careful cultivation and fertilization 

 to secure the best quality. Of course, this 

 may be -said of sweet oranges or any other 

 citrus fruit, but it is peculiarly true of 

 oranges of the mandarin group. 



Mandarin oranges originated in Cochin- 

 China. In 1805 2 varieties were introduced 

 into Europe. The China mandarin, accord- 

 ing to the best information which can be 

 secured, was brought to Louisiana by the 

 Italian consul at New Orleans some time 

 between 1840 and 1850. The first trees 

 were planted on the grounds of the consul- 

 ate at Algiers across the river from New 

 Orleans. It has been impossible to obtain 

 the name of the consul or the exact date. 

 Shortly after, or about 1850, some one of 

 he mandarin oranges was known to North- 



ern nurserymen, for Buist, in 1854, refers 

 to one of them as a recent introduction, 

 valuable for pot culture. 



The introduction of the China mandarin 

 from Louisiana into Florida is credited on 

 good authority to Major Atway, and not 

 long ago the original tree was growing in an 

 orange grove at Palatka. Mandarin orange 

 culture is on a staple basis at the present 

 time and the number of trees may be con- 

 servatively increased. 



The introduction of the kumquat orange 

 into Europe appears to have been recent. 

 As far as can be learned it was probably 

 taken to London from China in 1848 by 

 Mr. Fortune, a collector for the London 

 Horticultural Society. Soon afterward it 

 must have been forwarded to America, for 

 there are records of its cultivation by flor- 

 ists in the United States in 1850. The 

 kumquat can not be regarded as anything 

 else than a fancy fruit, and in most cases 

 a demand must be created. The package 

 best adapted for shipping the kumquat is 

 the strawberry carrier. Each quart basket 

 may be lined with fancy fringed paper and 

 the whole crate should also be lined with 

 heavy paper. It is the usual custom to 

 fill each basket level full of the fruit and 

 place a small twig on top with one or 2 

 oranges attached. Sometimes the fruits 

 are all cut with one or 2 leaves and are 

 attractive and ornamental. Professor Hume 

 states that cut and packed as indicated they 

 have frequently brought 75 cents to $1 a 

 quart. It may, however, be stated that the 

 demand is not unlimited and heavy ship- 

 ments should not be made at any one time. 

 The price usually obtained in 1902-3 was 

 25 cents a quart. Forty or 50 fruits fill a 

 quart basket, but if the fruit is cut with 

 leaves attached this number is considerably 

 reduced. 



The kumquat may be eaten raw, and when 

 served in small glasses holding 3 or 4 fruits 

 they make a pretty addition to the table. 

 If cut with leaves attached they may be 

 used as table decorations. In eating the 

 fruit the skin is not removed, and the 

 spicy, aromatic rind and acid pulp make a 

 delightful combination. An excellent pre- 

 serve can also be made from the fruit, and 

 the Chinese export considerable numbers 

 put up in small stone jars or in tins. Large 

 numbers of kumquats are also dried in 

 sugar or crystallized, and in this form are 

 fairly common as a confection. 



The following recipe for preserving the 

 kumquats, Professor Hume states, has been 



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