1911. 
THE RURAL* NEW-YORKER 
646 
Ruralisms 
AUSTRALIAN DESERT KUMQUAT. 
Fig. 186 shows, in natural size, fruit 
of the desert kumquat, Atalantia 
glauca. The specimens were presented 
to the Plant Introduction Bureau of the 
U. S. Department of Agriculture, by Mr. 
James Pink, of Queensland, Australia. 
The Bureau says regarding it: 
This is one of the most interesting of 
all Citrus fruits and one which, curi¬ 
ously enough, has never yet received 
adequate attention from botanists or 
horticulturists. It was first mentioned 
by Leichardt, the German explorer, to 
whom we owe much of our knowledge 
concerning the interior of the deserts 
of northeastern Australia. It is a shrub 
or small tree from 12 to 15 feet high, 
with a trunk two to six inches in di¬ 
ameter. It has small but thick, leathery 
leaves of gray-green color and one is 
struck by the scantiness of the foliage. 
The flowers are small and the fruits 
about a half inch in diameter. An 
agreeable beverage is made from the 
acid juice and a fair preserve may be 
made out of the fruit. The peel has 
the sweetish flavor of the kumquat. It 
is known in Australia as the native 
lemon. The plant was described botani- 
cally in a footnote to Lt. Col. Thomas 
Livingston Mitchell’s “Journal of an Ex- 
THE AUSTRALIAN DESERT KUMQUAT. 
Fig. 186. 
pedition into the Interior of Tropical 
Australia in Search of a Route from 
Sydney to the Gulf of Carpentaria.’’ 
This plant was discovered on October 
17, 1846, not far from Lt. Col. Mitchell’s 
camp, near the juncture of the Maranoa 
and Merevale Rivers, in the southern 
limit of Queensland. Decidedly cold 
weather was encountered near this point, 
in some cases the ice being so thick 
that it had to be broken in the morning 
before the horses could drink. It seems 
quite probable from this that the plant 
grows in a region where the tempera¬ 
ture occasionally falls to 10° F. and in 
rare cases nearly to zero. It is the 
hardiest of all evergreen Citrus fruits 
and is very promising for use in breed¬ 
ing new and hardy types. Not only has 
it highly developed ability to withstand 
cold, but it is very likely to have an 
even more desirable quality of being 
able to withstand occasional spells of hot 
weather in Winter, a quality usually 
possessed by desert plants and also 
characteristic of the kumquat, to which 
this plant is to be referred. It is not at 
all impracticable that it can be utilized 
in its present form in many parts of 
Arizona, as well as in some parts of 
southern Utah, Nevada and southern 
Oregon. It is obviously drought re¬ 
sistant, a point of the very greatest in¬ 
terest, both botanically and agricultur¬ 
ally, and its introduction into the 
United States will undoubtedly lead to 
the inauguration of a new era in the 
breeding of Citrus fruits. This very in¬ 
teresting fruit is now introduced for 
the first time at the suggestion of Mr. 
Walter T. Swingle, because of its re¬ 
sistance to cold, drought, and hot spells 
during Winter. He believes it may be 
of the greatest importance in the breed¬ 
ing of Citrus fruits. The seeds, which 
are quite small, germinate very readily, 
and in 10 days from the time of sowing 
in the greenhouse were an inch or more 
in height, and of sufficient strength to 
be inarched on two-year-old stocks. By 
this means it is hoped that within two 
years there will be flowers sufficient for 
whatever crosses may be decided to be 
worth while. 
Moving Asparagus Bed. 
T. P. W., Rye, N. Y .—I have a flnc as¬ 
paragus bed, five or six years old. which has 
borne prolific-ally for the past three years. 
I am moving ' from my present home and 
should like to take the bed with me. Cat) 
I do this, and if so let me know the best 
way in which to dig it up? 
Ans. —Asparagus plants of this age 
have great vitality, and may, with due 
precaution, be moved to a new locality 
without appreciable loss, but experience 
has shown that such plants rarely 
establish themselves well enough, even 
under the best culture, to produce 
satisfactory crops. A vigorous five-year 
plant may have roots extending as many 
feet in all directions, and it is only 
possible to secure with the most careful 
digging a portion of such an extensive 
root system. Broken asparagus roots 
soon decay, and are rarely replaced in 
old plants by others equally effective, 
the result usually being a permanently 
crippled plant. Better start anew with 
selected one or two-year plants. The 
outcome will be far more satisfactory. 
w. v. ’ F. 
For Apple Scab 
ROWERS who have used 
Bordeaux Mixture for 
Apple Scab and Leaf Spot 
have found that the russetted, 
rough appearance usually re¬ 
sulting from its use is nearly 
as detrimental to their crops 
as the diseases which infest 
them. The best way to elim¬ 
inate this condition is by 
spraying with 
Sherwin-Williams 
Lime- Sulfur Solution 
This preparation is equally as valu¬ 
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tion, properly diluted, produces a 
clean, smooth, well-marked fruit — 
the kind that sells profitably. Send 
for “Spraying, a Profitable Invest¬ 
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mailed free for the asking. 
The Sherwin-Williams Co. 
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Cleveland, 
Ohio ton 
Sent free, “ Spraying, a n-m 
Profitable Investment." ^ ^ 
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i# 
