THE ACID LIME FRUIT IN HAWAII. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 1 



Varieties 1 



Culture 4 



Insect pests 10 



Fungus diseases 12 



Page. 



Spraying appliances 13 



Composition of the lime 14 



Commercial products 15 



Recipes 16 



Summary 19 



INTRODUCTION. 



The acid lime (Citrus aurantifolia) is commonly found growing 

 in both the semiwild and the cultivated state in most tropical and 

 subtropical countries. Some authorities are of the opinion that it is 

 indigenous to India because of its presence in the native vegetation. 

 Jn the Malay Archipelago, or Malaysia, and other islands of the 

 Pacific Ocean it is grown for home consumption, and in the West- 

 Indies, tropical Mexico, and to a lesser extent in southern Florida, it 

 is cultivated for commercial use. The lime was introduced into 

 Hawaii early in the nineteenth century and seems to be the most 

 readily adapted of any of the citrus fruits to island conditions. 



The tree has many points in its favor for profitable culture in 

 Hawaii. It can be propagated in several ways, will thrive in a great 

 variety of soils, and produce large crops of fruit during the greater 

 part of the year. Moreover, it withstands drought remarkably well 

 and is not as susceptible to insect attack and disease as are most of 

 the other citrus fruits on the island. The fruit is not imported 1 

 into Hawaii, and therefore meets with less local competition than 

 do the orange, lemon, and grapefruit. 



The fruit has many uses which the orange and lemon can not well 

 serve. The demand for lime juice to improve the palatability of 

 many kinds of tropical fruits as well as for seasoning fish and meat 

 is naturally larger in Hawaii than it is in countries where there is 

 greater variation in temperature. The rapidly increasing popula- 

 tion and the widespread demand for the fruit seem to assure local 

 development of the lime-fruit industry and to call for the selection 

 of varieties of high quality for home consumption as well as for the 

 market. At least one lime tree should be grown in every home gar- 

 den in the Territory. 



VARIETIES. 



The lime is closely related to the lemon, orange, mandarin, pomelo, 

 and shaddock. Botanically, it belongs to the genus Citrus. It is 

 known by several specific names, being described by various writers 



ir The lime is too tender to be grown commercially in California for exportation to 

 Hawaii. - 



