16 BULLETIN 813, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
The typical fruits are globular, almost spherical in shape, of medium 
to small size, have a smooth texture, and are without the rather dis- 
tinct ridges characteristic of fruits of the Eureka strain. They are 
likely to have a marked depression or crease on the blossom end. The 
rind is thick, the rag tender, the juice abundant, and the average num- 
ber of seeds in each fruit is about six. 
One of the characteristics of the fruits of this strain develops during 
curing. As a rule, the fruits cure much more slowly than those of the 
Eureka strain. The color change takes place very slowly, so that in a 
lot of fruits of mixed strains it is sometimes necessary to sort out those 
of the Small-Open strain and retain them in the curing rooms for a 
longer period than the fruits of some other strains. This condition is 
unsatisfactory in the handling and curing of lemons, in that it adds to 
the expense of assorting and delays the packing and shipment of the 
fruits, while the additional handlings are likely to result in mechanical 
injuries, which often lead to decay and loss to the growers. 
SHADE-TREE STRAIN. 
The name Shade Tree was adopted for this strain because the trees 
have a spreading habit of. growth, with luxuriant foliage. At certain 
seasons they have few or no fruits, making them somewhat resemble 
ornamental trees grown for shade rather than trees cultivated for 
their fruits. 
The production of the trees of the Shade-Tree strain is very much 
less than those of the Eureka strain, and the fruit is of very inferior 
commercial quality, from the standpoint of both the fresh and the 
cured fruits. The production is largely a seasonal one, the main crop 
being borne during the fall and winter seasons. 
In assorting the fruits of the Shade-Tree strain picked in the perform- 
ance-record studies it was found that an unusual proportion of the 
lemons was dark green. This condition was found to be due to the 
fact that the crops of these trees were largely borne during the season 
when environmental conditions were favorable for the growth of the 
fruits and from the fact that the crops were very small in comparison 
with the size of the trees. 
In the beginning of these studies the green fruits of the Shade-Tree 
strain were included in the first or Green grade, because they were 
green in color. Later studies, not only of the freshly picked fruits but of 
the cured lemons as well, brought out clearly the inferior quality of the 
fruits, as shown by their thick rinds, coarse rag, and scant juice. Not- 
withstanding the discovery of these facts it was decided to continue 
the classification of the fruits of the Shade-Tree strain under the Green 
grade because this characteristic is one which can be unmistak- 
ably distinguished in the work of assorting the grades in the orchard. 
It must be kept in mind that in the case of the crops of the Shade- 
Tree strain the green color is not synonymous with high grade and 
quality. In fact, the reverse is true, and if the fruits from these trees 
