i63 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Sept,  i,  1896. 
THE  KOTMALE  VALLEY  ESTATES 
CX)MPANV  OF  CEYLON,  LD. 
The  inail  has  brought  us  intelligence  of  the 
forniation  of  this  Company  with  a capital  of 
i)oU,0U0  (liviiletl  into  ‘2,0U(J  live  per  cent  cumu- 
lative preference  sliares  of  £10  each  and  8,000 
ordinary  shares  of  £10  each.  The  Company  has 
been  formed  for  acquiring  from  the  Queens- 
berry  Estates  Coy.,  Ld.,  the  estates  called 
Oucensberry  and  Strathlonacli  situated  at  Kot- 
male  Valley  in  e.xtent  1,072  acre.s.  'J'lie  con- 
sideration for  the  purchase  is  £4  *,120. 
THE  POMELO-COMMONLY  CALLEL) 
OilAPE  FRUIT. 
This  wonderful  citrus  fruit  was  introduced  into 
Florida  about  1839  from  .Jamaica  and  Pernambuco. 
It  was  planted  more  ns  a curiosity  and  not  thought 
much  of,  only  being  eaten  by  the'  old  Floridians  as 
a Spring  tonic  and  to  drive  away  malaria,  until 
the  live  Yankee  got  hold  of  it  about  1881,  and  began 
to  introduce  it  into  the  larger  eastern  cities.  As 
it  has  great  medicinal  qualities  the  doctors  of  the 
east  soon  began  to  recommend  it  for  indigestion, 
and  as  a tonic  to  tone  up  the  system  in  the  Spring ; 
also  as  an  appetizer. 
The  majority  of  people  who  eat  this  fruit  do  not  like 
it  at  first,  and  many  have  not  tried  to  like  it  on  account 
of  the  extreme  bitterness  of  the  rink  and  membrane,  or 
lining  between  the  pulp.  The  correct  way  to  eat  this 
peculiar  fruit  is  to  separate,  or  take  away  all  this  lining, 
and  eat  only  the  pulp  ; or  better  still,  cut  the  fruit 
open  through  the  center,  dig  out  the  seeds  and 
core,  then  sprinkle  a little  sugar  over  the  pulp  (work- 
ing it  in  a little  with  a spoon  or  knife),  let  stand 
several  hours  or  overnight;  eat  just  before  meals. 
This  way  one  soon  learns  to  like  and  even  crave 
for  it.  Unlike  strong  drink  or  stimulants  that  create  a 
craving  appet'te,  the  pomelo  is  not  only  harmless  but 
beneficial,  and  will,  1 understand,  even  alleviate  the 
rum  appetite  and  if.persistently  used  cure  drunkenness. 
There  is  nothing  in  the  fruit  line  yet  discovered 
that  has  the  medicinal  qualities  of  the  pomelo. 
Hence,  the  demand  will  increase  from  year  to  year 
and  take  all  the  fruit  that  will  be  grown  in  the 
United  States  for  the  next  twenty  years. 
The  product  of  Florida  was  about  wiped  out  by  the 
great  freeze  in  that  state  in  1894-95,  and  this  past 
season,  what  few  pomelos  the  east  obtained  from  the 
extreme  southern  border  of  Florida  and  South  America, 
brought  fabulous  prices.  A few  boxes  sent  from 
California  sold  at  from  jflO  to  :gi20  per  box  in  JJoston 
and  other  eastern  cities.  Very  common  and  poor 
fruit  from  Jamaica  sold  in  Buffalo  at  from  fT2  to 
fl5  per  barrel.  Of  course  these ’high  prices  will  not 
continue  when  the  live  California  planters  get  trees 
in  bearing.  There  is  not,  however,  any  doubt  but  the 
demand  has  come  to  stay,  and  that  it  will  increase 
as  the  fruit  becomes  known. 
Now  about  varieties.  Most  people  think  there  is 
but  one  variety.  This  is  a mistake,  as  all  fruits  have 
different  kinds.  I travelled  over  all  parts  of  Florida 
during  the  winters  of  1890  and  1892  looking  up  the 
best  varieties,  and  bought  trees  of  what  I considered 
the  four  best,  and  planted  them  at  South  Riverside. 
I found  the  Seedless  a large  fine  fruit,  having  all 
the  medicinal  qualities  desired  with  only  an  oc- 
casional seed ; is  a very  luscious  fririt.  The  one 
I considered  next  best  was  the  Arantium, 
or  Sweet  Rind,  a cross  between  the  pomelo  and 
orange.  It  has  none  of  the  bitter  about  the  rind  or 
lining,  and  only  a trace  of  it  in  the  pulp,  and  still 
much  of  the  flavor  of  the  pomelo  as  well  as  that  of 
the  orange,  and  will  suit  the  taste  of  all.  I do  not 
think,  however,  that  it  has  the  medicinal  qualities 
of  the  bitter  rind.  I also  found  a very  tine  fruit  in 
St.  Petersburg  on  the  Gulf  coast  called  Leonardy’s 
Grape  Fruit.  This  has  as  thin  a rind  as  the  orange, 
is  juicy,  tine  flavored,  with  all  the  medicinal  qualities. 
I also  found  the  Walters.  The  original  tree  was  on 
the  place  of  a Mr.  Walters  at  Belleview,  Florida, 
and  the  fruit  is  the  largest  of  the  bitter  rind  I ever 
saw.  The  tree  was  over  twenty  years  old  and  had 
some  5,000  pomelos  on  it  weighing  from  two  to 
three  pounds  each.  I secured  trees  budded  from 
all  four  of  these  varieties,  and  have  them  all  in 
bearing  but  the  Arantium  or  Sweet  Rind,  which 
will  probably  bear  some  fruit  this  season.  I consider 
these  varieties  the  best  yet  discovered.  The  more  com- 
mon varieties  of  seedlings  are  about  all  called  Triumph, 
and  will  stand  in  comparison  to  these  varieties  as  the 
seedling  orange  does  to  the  budded  varieties. 
The  Seedless  will  undoubtedly  take  the  lead  over 
all  others.  The  California  growers  who 'get  the  fir.st 
orchards  into  bearing  will  undoubtedly  have  a gold 
mine  in  the  shape  of  gold-producing  fruit  that  will 
outdo  all  other  fruits  in  this  respect.  It  is  no  fad, 
but  the  demand  has  come  to  stay  and  will  increase 
for  years  to  come.  It  will  take  at  least  ten  years  of  ac- 
tive planting  for  California  to  make  up  Florida’s  loss 
in  this  line.  I have  given  this  fruit  my  especial  attention 
for  at  least  five  years,  and  if  I were  to  do  any  more 
citrus  planting  it  would  be  nothing  but  the  pomelo. 
The  tree  is  the  finest  of  all  the  citrus  family,  is  a 
thrifty  grower,  has  large  glossy  leaves,  and  a tough 
wood  that  will  bear  its  enormous  weight  of  fruit  with- 
out propping.  I have  seen  as  many  as  (i,000  pomelos 
on  a single  tree  that  would  average  32  ounces  each, 
or  12,000  pounds  of  fruit  on  a tree  22  inches  through, 
the  trunk  three  feet  from  the  ground,  and  the  tree 
over  49  feet  in  height,  and  30  feet  across  its  widest 
branches.  This  tree  was  31  years  old.  The  fruit  from 
this  tree  sold  for  such  a fabulous  pi'ice  that  I will 
not  mention  it  here  for  fear  of  being  set  down  for  a 
combined  Florida  and  California  liar. 
C.  B.  Hewitt. 
Pasadena,  Cal. — Rural  Californian,  June. 
Botanic  G.vrdens  at  the  C\pe.—NcUu7-c  of 
June  25  says  : — 
The  Agricultural  Gazette  of  Cape  Colony  publishes 
a letter  sent  by  Sir  Ferdinand  von  Mueller  to  Sir 
Hercules  Robinson,  the  Governor  of  the  Colony,  and 
appealing  for  a reserve-ground  for  the  preservation 
of  rare  Cape  plants.  As  the  veteran  botanist  of 
Victoria  points  out,  the  vegetation  of  South  Africa 
is  the  richest  in  the  woild,  not  only  as  to  number 
of  species,  but  also  as  containing  an  astounding 
variety  of  plants  of  special  and  peculiar  type,  aggre- 
gated chiefiy  in  the  south-western  provinces  and  (oc- 
curring nowhere  else.  Hundreds  of  these  are  quite 
local  and  restricted  to  very  circumscribed  areas.  They 
are  sure  to  be  swept  out  of  existence  altogether, 
unless  special  provision  is  made  for  their  preserva- 
tion; and  it  is  on  that  account  that  the  appeal  is 
made  for  a wild-garden  or  reserve  for  the  conserva- 
tion of  Cape  plants  in  areas  where  they  can  be  main- 
tained for  the  knowledge  of  generations  to  come. 
It  may  be  said  that  botanic  gardens  exist  already 
in  several  parts  of  the  colony,  but  in  a report  upon 
Baron  von  Mueller’s  proposal,  Brof.  Mac  Owan  re- 
marks; “These  places  can  only  exist  by  making 
themselves  into  a lounge  or  pleasaunce  of  idle  horns 
for  the  population  living  close  by.  I speak  as  one 
who  knows,  for  it  was  my  lot  to  run  one  of  these 
tor  fourteen  of  the  hardest  and  most  unsatisfactory 
years  of  my  working  life.  The  conditions  of  support 
compel  the  iilace  to  grovel  down  into  a nursery-garden 
in  commercial  lines,  in  order  to  get  money  enough 
to  keep  it  presentable  for  the  daily  stroller.  Nor 
did  I ever  dare  to  plant  up  any  single  portion  of 
it  with  typical  representatives  of  our  Flora.  The 
public  would  have  taken  the  alarm  at  once.  They 
care  nothing  for  the  special  prehistoric  flora  of  the 
land  they  live  in,  compared  with  the  newest  hideous 
abortion  in  chrysanthemums.  ...  So  that  some  of 
the  gardens  which  we  complaisantly  call  botanic, 
have  it  in  them  to  stand  between  the  living  and  the 
ilead,  and  stop  the  slow  and  sure  extinction  of  the 
most  ancient  and  interesting  part  of  our  Cape  Flora. 
This  Slate  of  things,  brought  home  to  me  yearly 
as  I traverse  the  same  solitudes  each  season,  and 
note  the  increasing  scarcity  of  rare  plants,  has  been 
much  in  mind ; but  I do  not  see  any  other  way  of 
dealing  with  the  matter,  than  by  the  reserve,  now 
recommended,  of  chosoii  localities  for  all  time  and 
inalienable.’’  Hut  much  as  this  is  to  bo  desired 
I’rof.  Mac  O.van  has  to  confess  that  the  idea  is  not 
likely  of  even  approximate  fulfilment. 
