LEMON CULTURE. 



115 



that it is useless to try to compete with the foreign or Mediter- 

 ranean lemon; and, certainly, the latter is far superior in quality 

 to the orange from the same localities — a fact abundantly proved 

 by recent statistics, which show an enormous increase in the im- 

 portations during the last few years, and a corresponding decrease 

 in the amount of oranges brought into this country. 



Now, there is no reason whatever Avhy the hundreds of thou- 

 sands of dollars annually sent out by the United States in ex- 

 change for this popular and necessary fruit, should not be kept 

 at home, and go to enrich our own citizens rather than foreigners. 



The whole trouble has originated — first, in the inexperience 

 of the growers in properly gathering and curing the lemon for 

 market ; second, in the general and erroneous impression that 

 the lemon tree is more liable to become diseased than the orange ; 

 third, the fact that nearly all seedling lemon trees bear fruit 

 with a rind so bitter and coarse as to be unfit for market ; and 

 fourth, in a totally mistaken idea on the part of the growers as 

 to the kind of lemon most popular in the markets. 



But, latterly, our people have waked up to the importance of 

 the subject, and these old-time rocks in the sea of lemon culture 

 are being at last blown to atoms before the " Hercules powder" 

 of investigation and common-sense. 



The first rock — that of the lemons reaching market in bad 

 condition — has been removed. They used to be picked when 

 quite ripe, packed at once, and sent off, to be found almost in- 

 variably heated and rotten at their journey's end. 



But now they may be kept perfectly good for six months or 

 more by proper treatment, and they will improve rather than 

 deteriorate by being so kept. 



It is a very simple matter, this preparation of lemons for 

 market, being exactly the same process we have already described 

 as applied to oranges — namely, an avoidance of moisture while 

 curing, by spreading the fruit on well-ventilated shelves, and aft- 

 erward sorting in grades and wrapping in Manilla paper. 



But at the outset there is one point of difterence, and this it is 

 which is of paramount importance, involving success or failure. 

 The orange will keep well, even if picked when quite ripe; the 



