PRODUCTS OF THE ORANGE FAMILY. 



447 



on an average 226 fruit ; the chest, which is a box and a half, would 

 have 340. 



A full-grown orange tree yields from 500 to 2000 fruit annually, 

 and arrives at the bearing state in three or five years, as does the 

 lemon tree ; both grow luxuriantly in most soils. The plantations (in 

 the Mediterranean countries) are called gardens, and vary in size, the 

 smallest containing only a small number of trees, and the largest 

 many thousands. The fruit is gathered in baskets lined with canvas, 

 the basket being held by a strap attached, and passed around the 

 neck or shoulders. From the garden the fruit goes to the packing 

 magazine, where it is removed from the boxes in which it was placed 

 in the gardens, and repacked for shipment by experienced female 

 packers, after having been carefully assorted by women, and wrapped 

 in separate papers by young girls. As many as 500 persons (mostly 

 women and children) are employed by some of the fruit growers in 

 their gardens and magazines, in gathering, sorting, and packing for 

 shipment, the wages paid them varying from 9 to 16 cents a day. In 

 sorting, every fruit that wants a stem is rejected. The boxes are then 

 securely covered, strapped, and marked with the brand of the grower, 

 when they are ready for shipment. Twenty years ago, this trade 

 was trivial in its commercial characteristics, or the inducements it 

 offered to capitalists. Now it is progressing with giant strides into 

 prominence, and is a considerable source of revenue to the Italian 

 government. 



Sicilian lemons, which were formerly very plentiful, have been 

 getting scarce of late years, and the island can with difficulty supply 

 the demand for the United States, which is always large. The con- 

 sequence is that prices have risen considerably, and essence of lemon, 

 which used to be 8s. per lb., is now 19s. ; while boiled lemon-juice is 

 nearly double its former price. Leghorn was the great seat of the 

 candied citron trade, about 5000 boxes (1000 to 1100 tons) being 

 exported in good seasons. But the trade has declined, as more sugar 

 is lost in making the citron than the government allows drawback on. 



In the province of Salerno, Italy, there were gathered, in 1874, 100 

 cwts. of citrons, 150 cwts. of mandarin oranges, at Pagani ; Monticorrini 

 possesses 500 orange trees, which yield from 25 lbs. to 1 cwt. of 

 fruit. Most of this fruit is sent to Eome, Naples, and Sorrento. 



The exports of oranges, bergamots, and lemons, are given in the 

 Italian returns in kilogrammes of 2-1- lbs. The following will serve 

 to indicate the course of trade : 



Kilos. 



1862 45,829,894 



1863 68,807,140 



1864 64,414,125 



1865 69,223,276 



1866 90,151,696 



1867 67,219,463 



1868 71,460,936 



Kilos. 



1869 88,098,468 



1870 77,701,673 



1871 88,784,000 



1872 87,526,000 



1873 83,241,000 



1874 70,403,000 



1875 94,236,000 



Spain. — The export of fruit forms an important branch of Spanish 

 commerce ; Malaga is the centre of the dried fruit trade ; Seville, 

 Valencia, and the Balearic islands, for oranges and citrons. The 



