11(3 



LEMON CULTURE. 



lemou will not. It must be picked when just commencing to 

 turn yellow, and at least one-half of the rind is still green ; picked 

 in this condition, it should be kept ou the drying shelves for at 

 least six or eight weeks. 



This is the secret of curing lemons successfully, as recom- 

 mended by a special committee of California citrus fruit growers, 

 appointed expressly for the purpose of investigating this impor- 

 tant subject. 



The second rock that has stood in the way of lemon culture 

 in the United States — the idea that the tree is more subject to 

 disease than the orange — doubtless arose from the pioneer trees 

 having been planted on soil too moist for them, under the belief 

 that Avherever the orange would flourish, the lemon should do 

 likewise. 



As a matter of fact the latter, in suitable locations, outstrips 

 the orange in the rapidity of its growth, even though on much 

 poorer soil ; it is even less liable to disease, and scale insects 

 more rarely attack it. Where an orange tree will bear one thou- 

 sand oranges, a lemon of the same age will bear from three to 

 five thousand. 



It is rather a notable oddity that the first two or three crops, 

 even of the finest varieties, are apt to be coarse and spongy, and 

 totally unlike its after-crops. One might almost imagine the 

 tree to be following the example of the " lords of creation," and 

 " sowing its wild oats " in its youth, before settling down as a 

 staid, demure " dealer in first-class fruits only." 



The third rock on which the lemon barque of the United 

 States was erewhile threatened with shipwreck, was the "sport- 

 ing " tendency of the seedling lemon. 



But our growers have learned at last not to put their faith 

 in trees of this class, for, after patiently waiting for years, the 

 fruit, in nine cases out of ten, is Avorthless. The moral of this 

 is, raise no seedling lemons for their fruit; they make good, 

 thrifty stocks, and that is all they are good for. 



Bud approved varieties of lemon, on lemon, citron, lime, or 

 sweet orange stock ; the last is best of all, as it renders the tree 



