LIMES. 



121 



Granted — the first reason ; but the injury done by the cold 

 in South and East Florida is, after all, infrequent, and rarely 

 amounts to more than killing the tender new gro'vvth which the 

 lime is ever putting on, regardless of season, drought, or poor soil, 

 and this does not really hurt the tree. It is true that the area of 

 successful growth of the lime is limited ; all the better, then, for 

 those who dwell within that area, there is no danger of their 

 enterprise being overdone. 



Here, in Sumter county, two or three winters ago, the ther- 

 mometer several times sunk to 31°, and once or twice to 28°, 

 but the limes survived ; only the young growing shoots were 

 killed, and it is rare, indeed, that the cold touches such low 

 degrees in this locality. 



Therefore, South and East Florida may pass by this first 

 reason for non-cultivation of the lime, as of minor importance to 

 them, at least. 



Now, for the second — " the fruit will not ship well, " and m ove 

 -an amendment : "It has not shipped well ; " and, then, we grant 

 this, too. But this is not the fault of the fruit, no more than 

 that of the sweated orange, which, started On its downward jour- 

 ney by heedless or ignorant hands, reaches its destination in an 

 unsaleable condition. This frequently happens, yet we never 

 heard any one say that the " orange will not ship well," nor 

 does any one refuse to set out groves of the same on this account. 



The truth is, that limes will ship just as well as its kindred 

 fruit, the lemons, if picked only when quarter or half ripe, 

 cured on drying shelves, and packed just like oranges and 

 lemons. 



But we have never known a single instance where this 

 ordinary care has been taken wdth the lemon. It has never 

 had a fair chance given it to reach its market in good condition. 



Nor is the absence of the curing process the only trouble, 

 as a prominent grower plainly puts the case : 



" Our producers have not selected their fruit. They have 

 not sent to market only first-class fruit ; but have sent instead 

 a heterogeneous collection of large, small, ripe, green, and in 

 some instances, from sheer carelessness, half rotten fruit. Of 



