THE LEMON, LIME AND CITIiON. 



89 



ty, and testifies nnniistakably to the su- 

 periority of the climate and soil of this 

 locality. The orchard now contains quite 

 a nuniber of trees of the Bonnie Brae va- 



riety, budded on orange stock. Thei-e is 

 no tendency to i-eveision, l)nt, on the oth- 

 er hand, the fruit goes on steadily inn- 

 proving." 



CHAPTFR VIL 



THK I.TME AND OTHER CITRUS FRUITIS. 



The lime grows in Southern California 

 Avith the same culture as the orange and 

 lemon. It is a dwarf tree or shrub, ac- 

 cording to training, and bears asmallfruit 

 about one-half or one-third the size of a 

 lemon, and strongly acid. 



The lime industry in California — if it 

 may be thus dignified — is in statu quo. 

 Some 3'ears ago ttiese trees were planted 

 to a considerable extent, but they proved 

 very susceptible to frost and were mostly 

 killed out. A grove of some size is to be 

 found at the vSierra Mad re Yilla on the 

 mesa, at an elevation of eighteen hundred 

 feet abo^ e sea level. Here, being practi- 

 cally free from frost, the trees flourish and 

 bear well. 



No systematic effort has ever been made 

 to improve the quality ot limes grown 

 here. Tiie Mexican product is superior to 

 ours, and being imported in large quanti- 

 ties, and at low prices, practically drives 

 California limes out of the San Francisco 

 market. Enough of the fruit is produced 

 ill Southern California to supply local re- 

 quirements, but there is at present no 

 stimulus for lurther plantations. 



Some people align their places with 

 lime trees which they trim close for a 

 hedge. Thus shortened in the limbs 

 thicken, making the foliage dense, and 

 forming altogether a ver3^ prettj^ hedge- 

 row. If, in a severe winter, they chance 



to be stricken by frost, the lateral bl anches 

 may be cut away, when the stocks will 

 put forth new growth antl, in a year, the 

 hedge is itself again. 



Citrons are cultivated to a less extent 

 even than limes. I may say, in fact, tliat 

 they are only grown as curiosities. The 

 same may be said of the Pumalo orange 

 and Chinese lemon. All of these fruits 

 are very laige and tJiick skinned. When 

 utilized, the rind is the valuable part, the 

 pulp being either insipid or bitter. We 

 are all familiar with the citron of com- 

 merce, which '.onsists of the rind of the 

 citron fruit, deprived of its essential oil 

 and cured as a preserve or confection. 



A few j'^ears ago a firm in San Francisco 

 attempted the preparation of citron for 

 tne traxie, ana, to tnis ena, purcnasea an 

 the citrons, Chinese lemons, and Pumalo 

 oranges that were available in our section 

 of the State. But we heard nothing fur- 

 ther from the venture, and it was prolja- 

 bly a failure. There is no question, how- 

 ever, but that, with the proper process, 

 the citron of commerce might be manu- 

 factured from our fruit. 



Meanwhile, the Pumalo and its coujgen- 

 ers, when allowed growing space, continue 

 to load themselves down with fruit as 

 large as foot balls. They are matters of 

 wonder, and that is all. The best citrus 

 goods are done up in smaller parcels. 



