THE WEST INDIAN LIME. 



183 



1903, when the exports dropped from £45,370 to £23,470, a decrease 

 entirely due to the attacks of the scale pests previously mentioned. It is, 

 however, very gratifying to see that the former position has almost been 

 regained, and it is generally expected that this year (1906) will see this 

 industry well above the hitherto maximum figures. 



The rapid progress this industry has made during the last ten years is 

 in no small measure due to the assistance rendered by the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture, which through its local Botanic Station 

 distributes lime plants at Is. per 100 ; thus for £10, sufficient plants 

 can be obtained to plant 100 acres of land. Since the inauguration of 

 this department, the annual distribution of lime plants from this station 

 alone has been thirty odd thousand, and this year the distribution will be 

 65,000, and even this will not meet the demand. Valuable services were 

 again rendered by this department in successfully checking the scale 

 attacks in 1902 and 1903. 



Owing to the rugged configuration of this island it is very difficult to 

 estimate the total acreage of the lime cultivation ; but by taking the total 

 value of exports for the year 1902 and reducing it to barrels of fruit, and 

 adding to this the number of lime plants distributed from the Botanic 

 Station during the last six years, one can by a simple calculation arrive at 

 a fairly accurat'e result ; and upon this basis the total lime cultivation in 

 Dominica at the present time is roughly 2,500 acres, of which number 

 only 1,500 is bearing; therefore in the next five or six years, granting 

 the prices of juice remain constant, the value of this export should be 

 practically doubled. This year has been a most successful one to lime- 

 planters, the prices having risen higher than has been experienced for 

 many years past, the price at the time of writing being £25 per pipe, as 

 against the usual £12 and £15. 



Improvement of the Lime. 



In conclusion I might mention that there are two recent " sports " of 

 the ordinary spiny lime. The first, known as "Spineless," wa,s obtained 

 from a plantation in Dominica in 1892. A plant growing on an estate 

 was noticed to be free from spines ; seeds were sown from this plant and 

 75 per cent, came true. 



Although this variety has been named the " Spineless " lime, it is 

 not in this respect alone that it differs from the ordinary spiny lime, as 

 will be seen by the following description. 



Description of Fruit and Tree. — Fruit elliptical or nearly round, little 

 or no apical nipple, having the form and appearance of the ordinary lime ; 

 size small ; average long diameter If in. ; average short diameter If in. ; 

 average weight 40-78 grams (1| oz.) ; average water displacement 41 c.c. , 

 colour, very dull pale yellow ; surface smooth ; rind very thin, less 

 than ^gih of an inch ; contains little or no oil ; segments 8 to 10 ; 

 membranes tender ; axis small ^ in. to Y\th of an inch in diameter ; seeds 

 few, from two to three ; pulp tender ; exceedingly juicy ; light greenish 

 colour ; acidity superior to that of the ordinary lime. Tree of a more 

 erect habit than the ordinary lime ; vigorous and very prolific. 



The Hon. Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G., recently tested the acidity of 



