300 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[Nov. 1, 1901. 
might impart to the contents an unpleasant flavour, 
and they should not be constructed of too flimsy 
material When the slats are less that j in. in 
thickness, and especially if these slats are wide, the 
cases are often damaged and go to pieces wlea 
slung in loading and unloading, and much fiuit is 
in consequence injuieJ or iost. A trifling saving 
may possibly be made in first cost of the thinner 
packages, and pounds' worth lost in the end on the 
consignment. 
Lemons- 
A fow notes on lemon curing will end this chapter. 
A number of new methods have been propounded 
for curing lemons by enthusiastic experiments and 
the results have at times surpassed the most 
sanguine expectations, and at other timen proved 
disastrous. When all is said and done, the only 
secret in the art of curing lemons consists of no 
more than careful handling. 
Several desiderata, when found combined, ensure 
profit to the lemon grower, and unless theee are 
secured there is no money in lemons, which are 
imported in large quantities from the Mediterranean 
ports in the height of summer, when they are 
most required, and sell at a comparatively low price. 
The first of these is suitable soil and climate, 
then come suitable varieties, careful picking and 
handling, and long storing. 
The best soils for lemons is a loose, deep, and well- 
drained loam, moist and fertile ; it also does well on 
coarse granite soil, intermixed with a sediment of 
rich sand, but in these soils will require irrigation 
ofiener than in the heavier soils. 
Except in the more arid localities, irrigation is 
deprecated for the first two or three years, to a.? to 
force the tree to send its roots deeper into the soil in 
search of moisture and of nourishment. The wisdom 
of this treatment is made more apparent in the 
matter of both water and fertiliser in after years, 
when the trees are in full bearing. Early irrigation 
also stimulates an already excessive tendency on the 
part of the lemon to make too rapid a growth of wood. 
The cultivation amongst the lemon tree.s, as in- 
deed amongst all citrus trees, should be frequent 
but shallow, as the roots are mostly surface feeders, 
and too deep cultivation would tear them to pieces. 
A climate moist and warm suits the lemon best, 
as the tree is susceptible to hard frost and loves 
moisture. 
Aa to varieties, the list is a long one, but three 
or four stand out prominently, each having its ad- 
vantages as well as its disadvantages, viz., the 
Eureka, the Villa Franca, and the Lisbon. Of this 
last several strains are known, good, bad and in- 
different, and every care should be taken, when 
propagating by buds, to ascertain the merits or the 
defects of the parent plant. 
Picking is the essence of curing, and when lemons 
have been rightly picked, they will with ordinary 
care keep for a long period. 
All lemons which have reached 3 to 4 inches in 
diameter, those that have already turned yellow, or 
show thorn pricks, those that have been punctured 
by scale insects, or are soiled by the sooty mould, 
are not fit for curing and long keeping, and should 
be sold to the best advantage and without delay. 
The lemon tree blooms and sets its fruit continuously 
all the year round, although in the early spring and 
the late autumn more especially the picking is 
heaviest. The tree it is known makes in favourable 
seasons several growths in the year, and likewise 
produces two main crops, with a few stray lemons in 
between. 
For curing, the autumn pick of lemon is the best. 
This is done not all at once, but the trees are gone 
over several times, and the fruit picked as it reaches 
the right degree of development. At that time the 
skin is perfectly smooth and the end is filled out ; 
before this time there seems to be a little depres- 
sion or a little ring at the end. When this stage 
is reached the rind ia thinner and lesa puify than 
later on, the juice cells are tender and gorged with 
acid. The months ]May and June in Australia are 
the best for picking lemons for curing. The fruit 
should he picked when still green, with just a 
tinge of yellow showing. They should be stem cut 
and handled as carefully as has been mentioned in 
the c.ise of the orange. 
The sizes most suitable for the maiket are those 
ranging between 2i to 3 inches transverse diameter. 
Some people nee a ring for the pui pose of measuring 
the fiuit, and every lemon that just goes through 
is clipped, the eye, however, soon gets trained to (he 
size required, and when in doubt, the forefinger 
and the thumb round the lemon will, if they nearly 
meet at the stem, approximate the size wanted. 
When picked, the lemons are placed in the sweat 
boxesj'.as describcd;above when speakins, of oranges and 
there left for a week or so 
The size of the sweat box is of no special, importance, 
but it should be shallow and not more than 9 to 10 
inches deep, with a few slits on the side to allow ven- 
tilation, and check the growth of ths moulds of decay. 
Packing is done when the skin is dry, clear and 
smooth. Several grades are made, each fruit ia 
handled separatelj- and none but those absolutely 
without blemith are wrapped in tough tissue paper 
and cased for long keeping. 
When it is intended to store for a long period, 
the sorted and graded fiuit may be placed on shal- 
low trays superposed one on the top of the other 
in a cool, daik room, with sufiBcient ventilation pro- 
vided to carry away the foul gases and the moisture 
thrown cff the lemons. In this way ihsy will keep 
through the winter until the approach of the warm 
weather in the ef.rly summer. A coel temperature 
is maintained in the rocm by opening the door 
and window at night, and closing them in the day 
time if found necessary. 
Some packers place the fruit from the sweating 
boxes into barrels or large cases, and run over 
thefli fine dry sf.nd and thus leave them until they 
are marketed when the demand sets in later in the year. 
Other packers anoint each lemon with a light film 
of vaseline. For that purpose they rub the fiuit all 
over with a piece of flannel witb the vaseline on. 
It is claimed that vaseline never becomes rancid 
and is tasteless and odourless, and after a few weeks 
it is difficult to pick out the fruit that have been 
thus rubbed with vaseline, as by that time they 
have lost their oily and shining appearance. Vase- 
line checks the growth of moulds of decay and pre- 
vents the skin drying up too quickly. Some use 
steam for colouring the lemons, but the process is not 
to be recommended. Others dip their lemons in some 
antiseptic fluid and thus keep them sound for a 
long time, but lemons thus preserved, although 
bright and fresh when fresh from the dip, soon turn 
brown and show a horny rind. 
In conclusion the art of curing lemons consists in : — 
Growing the right kinds. 
Manuring, cultivating and tending the trees well 
and maintaining them in a state of health and 
thrift. 
Picking at the right time and in the proper man- 
ner as where the stem is pulled from the lemon 
the cells are exposed to the air and decay seta in. 
Sweating and grading ; storing in a cool, dark 
place. Specially constructed storing sheds have been 
constructed for keeping cured lemons in, but any 
ordinary chamber answers the purpose just as well, 
provided it is not damp or too much exposed to 
sudden changes of temperature. Such a chamber 
should be dark and well ventilated 
The lemons are marketed as are the oranges, and 
in connection with our local market it may be men- 
tioned that the best months for handling the local 
crops are September and October, and before the 
November-out^ main crop of Sicilians come in, and 
also in April and May, after the Sicilians are done, 
and before the cold winter steta in. — Journal of the 
Department of Agriculture. 
