Citrus Fruits

The citrus is a genus of plants from which spring many valuable fruits. Botanists call the orange-bearing plant Citrus Aurantium, that is the Sweet orange; the plant yielding the bitter orange is called Citrus Bigaradia; that bearing the lemon, Citrus Limonum; the one from which the lime is produced, Citrus Limetta; the bearer of the citron, Citrus Medica; and the plant on which grapefruit is grown, Citrus Paradisi. Those are the chief citrus fruits of commercial value. Three or four of them enter into international trading very extensively, on account of their subtropical origin, and their consequent shipment to millions of consumers in temperate climates. We will consider them in the order of their importance.

The common oranges of commerce, although differing in size, colour and quality, are usually accepted as one species springing from a small evergreen tree of moderate stature, bearing white flowers. The tree thrives best in subtropical climates, but it can be cultivated successfully in the warm areas of temperate climates.

The most familiar varieties of the common orange are Portugal, or Lisbon Orange, which is round, and has usually a thick skin; the China Orange, the juice of which is abundant and sweet, and the rind never thick; the Maltese, or Blood Orange, with blood-red pulp; the Egg Orange, oval in form; The Mandarin Orange, much broader than it is long; and the Tangerine Orange, which is probably an offspring of the Mandarin. The Tangerine, sometimes called the Mandarin, is also cultivated in Jaffa, and its abundant sweet juice enables it to command a higher price than many other varieties. The methods of orange propagation are similar in all countries. Carefully selected seeds are planted.

Four or five years afterwards the seedlings are removed to a nursery bed, being grafted three years later with the variety of orange desired. Regular and careful pruning is necessary to produce perfect crops.

Lemons. Lemons are the fruit of a small tree belonging to the same genus as the orange. There are many branches of: the family, but, speaking generally, they can be included in one or other of the four recognized types:

(1) the Common, or Genoa Lemon, the commonest type or the market;

(2) the Thin-skinned Lemon, larger than the former;

(3) the Sweet Lemon which, as its name implies, contains a more palatable juice than the other types;

(4) the Citron Lemon, a large oblong fruit with a thick skin.

The abundance of citric acid confers on the lemon a distinction among medicinal fruits. The juice is said to prevent and to cure scurvy, and its value in inflammatory diseases is appreciated by the medical profession.

It is cultivated in the warmer countries of Southern Europe, and is naturalized in parts of the American Continent, in the East and West Indies, Africa and Australia.

In the month of November the gathering of the fruit for export is begun. It is all picked by hand in order to prevent injury by bruising, and the baskets are lined with cloth to afford every protection to the fruit. Each lemon is wrapped separately in a silky paper, and then the whole are packed in boxes containing from 250 to 350 lemons.

The boxes are not air-tight, but contain interstices through which the air may freely pass. The fruit is gathered in a green condition as soon as it has attained an acceptable size. Were it left to ripen on the tree it would become of inferior quality by the time it had reached the markets, especially those located at a long distance from the groves. After cleansing the sorters set to work and grade them, according to their colours, named dark green, light green, and yellow, each colour signifying a degree of maturity.

It is from Sicily that we receive the large lemon from which candied peel is made. It is known as the Spadaforse lemon. This fruit (unlike the ordinary lemon) is allowed to ripen on the trees. After it is gathered it is cut in halves longitudinally, picked in brine, and then exported. The salt is removed from the peel before candying by soaking in fresh water. From the rind of the lemon as essential oil is produced on extensive scale in Sicily, in Calabria and of Mentone and Nice.

Essence of lemon used in confectionery is imported chiefly from Messina and Palermo. The Lime is a fruit similar to the lemon and orange, but ft is much smaller, averaging not more than one to one and half inches in diameter. In fact, such is its resemblance to the foregoing that it is regarded by some authorities as originally springing from one or the other. Numerous varieties exist, differing in size, colour and flavour. Although of uncertain origin, it is regarded as a native of the East; nevertheless, for many centuries it has been cultivated in countries the shores of which are washed by the Mediterranean, notably Italy and France. The fruit is put to uses similar to those applied to the lemon.

Grapefruit. Grapefruit is not so well known in the United Kingdom as are many other kinds of fruit. Its size and price are probably obstacles to its popularity, and perhaps it is rather too acid for the average tongue. It is extremely popular in the United States of America, big quantities being daily consumed at the hotels as well as in private houses. The fruit is sometimes called by other names, the Pamela, the Shaddock, but grapefruit is the name by which it is generally known. It is a native of the East Indies, and it is reported to have been carried to the West Indies by a certain Captain Shaddock at the beginning of the nineteenth century.

The leaves of the tree are large, and big white flowers are produced on the branches. The fruit often weighs from ten to fourteen pounds, but the average weight for table use is about one pound. In shape it is much like an orange, and the skin has a pale yellow colour which darkens with maturity. The rind-is thick and the flavour is pungent, although the juice does not contain as much citric acid as the lemon.

The virtues of grapefruit are many. It is an excellent appetizer when taken before breakfast, and an infallible stomach cleanser, as well as being a stimulant and a preventive of influenza. Unfortunately, few people have any knowledge of the way it should be eaten. Often it is eaten in the same manner as an orange would be eaten, that is by first peeling, and then getting along with the rest of the process in a clumsy style. The fruit should be cut in halves, the core and seeds cut out, the pulp loosened with a knife, taking care to leave the bitter white skin attached to the rind. The pulp should be cut into sections not too large for the mouth, and a little sugar should be sprinkled upon them before they are conveyed to the mouth.

Grapefruit must not be rejected merely on account of a discolored skin, nor because the rind may not have a pale yellow, smooth interior. Frequently a brownish and coarse skin covers a juicier and more richly flavoured pulp than does a clear, clean and pleasantly coloured skin.

Citrons. The citron, which is a native India, is now grown in the South of Europe and in many warm, temperate and subtropical countries.

There is often a good deal of confusion regarding this fruit and allied species. The lemon, the biome, the orange, the bergamot, etc., are best referred to as citrus fruits, rather than as citrons. The Americans frequently refer to their lemons as citrons, whilst the Germans do not hesitate to call their lemons by the name of citron.

The fruit of the citron-tree is large, knotty and furrowed and is from five to six inches long. The tree is an evergreen, which grows to a height of about nine feet. It grows in the open air in China, the West Indies, and parts of Spain and Italy, The interior of the fruit is used in the manufacture of syrups, and as a beverage. It is the skin, or rind, however, that is valued in the commercial world, as it is everywhere sold in preserved or candied form.