Edible Products. 



38 



[January, 1909, 



A. B. C. OF LIMB CULTIVATION. 



(Continued from page 538.) 



Crops. 



Generally speaking, the main flower- 

 ing period of the lime is from February 

 to June. In the rainy season, extending 

 from June to December, a week of fine 

 weather will often cause the lime trees 

 to put out a few clusters of flowers, and 

 it is from these minor flushes that a few 

 fruits are procurable all the year round- 

 The main-crop season extends, as a 

 general rule, from J une to December. 

 Whether the main crop is early or late, 

 whether the bulk of the crop ripens in a 

 short period, say, from six to eight 

 weeks, or is prolonged over several 

 months, or whether there is an early 

 crop in July and August followed by a 

 distinct second crop in November and 

 December, depends chiefly on the local 

 weather conditions and on the vigour of 

 the trees. 



Accurate observations of the length of 

 time from flowering to the maturity of 

 the lime fruit do not appear to have 

 been made, but it is usually placed at 

 five months. It depends upon the local 

 climatic conditions and upon the vigour 

 of the trees. 



The yield per acre of fully established 

 lime estates varies greatly. Good estate 

 cultivation should produce from 150 to 

 160 barrels of fruit per acre annually, 

 but there is much cultivation that does 

 not yield higher than from 80 to 100 

 barrels of fruit per acre. A barrel of 

 limes gives from 7 A to 8 gallons of juice, 

 but the acidity of the juice varies 

 according to the rainfall- An estate 

 with a low rainfall may average 14 oz, 

 citric acid per gallon of juice, while 

 another with a higher rainfall may 

 average 12 oz. In the very wet districts 

 in the hills the acidity is as low as 10 oz. 

 per gallon. 



The yield per acre of a lime plantation 

 is sometimes expressed in barrels of fruit 

 and sometimes in hogsheads of concen- 

 trated juice. Neither conveys much 

 meaning unless accompanied by the 

 acidity of the raw or concentrated juice. 

 It would be better expressed as pounds 

 of citric acid contained in the concen- 

 trated juice, for it is evident that a 

 return of 200 barrels of lime per acre 

 o-iving juice testing 14 oz. per gallon is 

 very different to the same return per 

 acre in barrels giving juice testing 10 oz. 

 per gallon. Similarly with concentrated 

 juice, some estates concentrate to 100 



oz. per gallon, others to 120 or 130, and a 

 few to 140 to 150 oz. It will be seen that 

 there is a wide difference between hogs- 

 heads of concentrated juice testing 100 

 oz. per gallon and others testing 140 oz. 



About eight-ninths of the lime juice 

 produced in Dominica is concentrated 

 for sale to citric acid makers and to 

 cotton bleachers. The remaining one- 

 ninth is exported as raw lime juice for 

 making cordial. The establishment of a 

 citric factory in Dominica will tend 

 probably to reduce somewhat the pro- 

 portion of concentrated juice, for this 

 factory takes the juice after the 

 essential oil has been expressed and 

 before concentration in the usual course 

 is begun. 



The standard at which concentrated 

 lime juice is sold is a pipe of 108 gallons 

 testing 64 oz. to the gallon. Its equi- 

 valent is a 52-gallon hogshead, the pack- 

 age used in the West Indies testing 

 133 oz. to the gallon. 



Limes, when ripe, fall from the tree, 

 and are collected from the ground by 

 women and children into heaps. The 

 usual price paid for collecting the lime 

 is at the rate of 3d. per barrel, but this 

 rate is increased when they have to be 

 carried for long distances. 



The fruits are then put into carts and 

 taken to the mill house for the extrac- 

 tion of the juice. 



Machinery Required, Fuel, Etc. 



Many of the old three-roller sugar 

 mills placed in position when sugar was 

 the staple crop are still in use to-day 

 for crushing limes. The sugar mill with 

 iron rollers adjusted to crush limes has 

 answered admirably where the lime 

 juice is concentrated. These are usually 

 driven by water power on large estates, 

 and in some instances by cattle. On 

 small estates, mills worked by hand 

 power are in use. 



The machinery required for dealing 

 with lime juice consists of a three-roller 

 mill (iron rollers may be used where the 

 juice is concentrated, but they should be 

 of granite when raw juice is prepared 

 for shipment for making cordial) driven 

 by steam, water, or cattle ; a press for 

 extracting any juice that may be left in 

 the skins after passing through the mill; 

 storage vats ; a copper still ; three copper 

 tayches in which to boil the juice; and 

 coolers. 



Iron rollers should be washed down 

 after use to prevent the acid eatiug into 

 the iron, and when raw juice is exported 

 for making cordial, the juice should be 

 run to the settling vats through earhten- 



