November, 1908.] 



437 



Edible Products. 



Varieties. 



The ordinary variety of lime that is 

 cultivated is the spiny variety. There 

 are also 'spineless' and 'seedless' 

 varieties. 



The variety of lime now known as the 

 spineless lime was first noticed ou Shaw- 

 ford estate, Dominica. Seeds from this 

 locality were collected and sown by Mr. 

 H. F. Green, the Curator of the Botanic 

 Station, Dominica, in 1891. Seedlings 

 from these, in turn yielded fruit, and 

 plants were established in ' spineless 

 lime plot ' at the Botanic Station. From 

 this plot the spineless variety has been 

 propagated for general distribution in 

 the island. 



The spineless lime is characterized not 

 only by the absence of spines, but also 

 by an erect habit of growth while 

 young. This erect habit is modified 

 with age, for as the trees grow older 

 and bear fruit the branches tend down- 

 wards. 



The fruits contain comparatively 

 few seeds, while the skin is smooth 

 and thin. They are smaller than the 

 fruits of the ordinary variety, but are 

 very juicy. The juice would appear to 

 be purer and richer in acid. 



Various samples of ordinary and of 

 spineless limes, grown under similar 

 conditions, have been examined by Dr. 

 Watts at the Government Laboratory, 

 Antigua. They showed that the spine- 

 less variety gave an average acidity of 

 14*4 oz. of citric acid per gallon 

 against 13'3oz. by the ordinary variety. 

 The average weight of one fruit of the 

 spineless lime has been calculated to be 

 43'95 grammes against an average weight 

 of 65 - 7 grammes for the ordinary lime. 

 Mr. A. E. Agar has also kindly under- 

 taken comparative crushings of spine- 

 less and ordinary limes. These also 

 show the richness of the juice of the 

 former variety in acid its purity, the 

 juicy character of the fruit, the thinness 

 of the skin and the comparative free- 

 dom from seeds. Fuller particulars of 

 analyses of spineless and ordinary limes 

 mav be found in the Report of the 

 Bontanic Station, Dominica, for 1906-7. 



There are now over 20,000 trees, equi- 

 valent to about 100 acres of the spine- 

 less variety growing in Dominica, and 

 information, based upon observations 

 made on large field plots, should soon 

 be forthcoming. 



When the seeds of this variety are 

 sown, they come fairly true to type, 

 about 75 per cent, of the seedlings being 

 spineles?. The spineless seedlings are 



readily distinguished from the others, 

 even at a very young sta,ge, by the 

 different shape of the leaves. 



' Seedless ' varieties have been noticed 

 in Trinidad, Dominica, and Montserrat, 

 and budded plants have been obtained 

 for distribution. 



The United States Department of Agri- 

 culture have obtained hybrids between 

 the West Indian lime and the Sicily 

 lemon. Two hybrids appear to possess 

 characters of merit, but it is not yet 

 known whether they will prove of real 

 economic value. 



GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS. 



Choice op Land. 



The flat or gently undulating land met 

 with near the coast line of Dominica are 

 considered the best for lime cultivation. 

 In some instances, these lands may ex- 

 tend for considerable distances from the 

 coast inland up the valleys. 



Limes can also be successfully culti- 

 vated on fairly steep slopes, especially 

 where the land is held by numerous 

 boulders, and fed with vegetable matter 

 from forest land above the cultivation. 

 On slopes that have been cleared of 

 forest to the top of the ridge, lime trees 

 have been established in some instances, 

 but unless trees so situated are carefully 

 terraced and manured, they cannot be 

 expected to bear such good crops as trees 

 growing under more suitable conditions. 



The flat coastal lands of Dominica 

 were formerly cultivated in sogar-eane. 

 On the collapse of that industry the 

 more sheltered .positions were planted 

 with cacao, and the lands which were 

 more exposed with limes. Limes, which 

 are surface feeders, will grow vigorously 

 and yield heavy crops in comparatively 

 shallow soils overlying heavy clays. 

 Such lands could not successfully be 

 cultivated in cacao. 



This line of development has continued 

 to the present day, both industries 

 flourishing side by side. Dominica is 

 therefore producing two staple crops of 

 first-rate importance. 



Lime trees will develop best and yield 

 the heaviest crops in rich, well sheltered 

 lands, situated from sea-level up to 800 

 feet elevation, and possessing a rainfall 

 varying from 80 to 160 inches per annum. 



They are, however, being cultivated 

 in Dominica at elevations up to 2,000 

 feet, and in districts possessing a rainfall 

 of over 200 inches per year. 



The most serious consideration in con- 

 nection with the cultivation inland at 



