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or flat orange, was received direct through the Persian Gulf, although 

 its yariety, the oval orange, must have been really a Portuguese in- 

 troduction. 



It is with the greatest difficulty, that we can trace the numerous 

 varieties of the orange tree to their respective species. Thus it is now 

 imiversally admitted that the bitter or Seville orange, which is still by 

 many authors considered as a distinct species (Citrus Bigaradia), as- 

 sumed its rough peel and bitter taste after its introduction into Eu- 

 rope. Also, the sweet orange has been made to assume numberless 

 forms in the European gardens, although the principal varieties of this 

 delicious fruit have been produced by special condiiions of soil and 

 climate of their new home, and not by the ingenious contrivances of 

 cultivators. The curious form of the orange tree known as Bizarre, is 

 remarkable for producing on the same branch and often in the same 

 bunch perfect lemons and perfect Seville oranges, the pips of the 

 fruit similar to the Seville orange will germinate and produce Seville 

 orange trees, and the pips of the fmit similar to the lemon will pro- 

 duce lemon trees. Therefore, unless we are ready to admit that two 

 distinct species may originate from the same tree, we must agree that 

 the orange and the lemon tree are, in fact, varieties of the same species. 

 It is the general opinion of botanists that the lemon, the citron, the 

 lime, the bitter and the sweet orange, the mandarine orange and others, 

 are merely several distinct forms of the same species of the wild lime 

 which grows in the forests of Northern India and Southern China. 



The orange tree flourishes in a great diversity of climates, but too 

 much heat and too much cold are alike contrary to it. The orange tree 

 is a large-leaved evergreen ; moreover its buds are not covered with the 

 scales and cottony substance which cover the buds of deciduous trees, 

 that is, it has no provision to resist the severe cold of northern latitudes. 

 Although we cannot agree with the old writers, who stated that the 

 orange tree cannot grow beyond 50 miles from the sea-shore, yet in the 

 regions situated near the sea, the temperature is more uniform, and 

 there the orange tree, which is peculiarly sensible to variations of tem- 

 perature, flourishes better than in inland countries. The direct heat of 

 a tropical sun is unfavourable to the development of the orange tree, 

 and there it requires the shade of large forest trees, to bring its fruit 

 to maturity. 



A locality exposed to the northern winds is not suited for an orange 

 grove. We find that the forests where the orajige tree grows wild are 

 situated on the southern slope of the Himalayan and Quen-lun Moun- 

 tains. A northern situation retards the blooming season and exposes 

 the trees to the immediate action of cold winds, which strip them of 

 their leaves and dry up the new twigs, so that in a severe winter the 

 tree ceases to be an evergreen. 



Too sandy and too compact soils are alike unsuitable for the regular 

 growth of the orange tree. This tree, when planted in a sandy soil, is 

 very liable to suffer from dry weather. A sandy soil is, generally 

 speaking, a poor soil, because the nutritive compounds on which the 

 tree subsists are very readily carried away by rain water, beyond the 

 reach of the roots of the orange tree, which, it must be remembered is 

 essentially a surface feeder. A too compact soil keeps the water stag- 

 nant and is one of the chief of causes chlorosis. Moreover the roots are 



