Los Angeles daily herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1873-1876, 1874-04-07
THE clrRON.

The following reply to our article on
on the citron is more than welcome.
The true spirit of progress is to discuss
such matters and bring before the peo-
pie the facts:
EDITORS HERALD: In reply q
request contained in late issue of
your excellent journal, l would beg
leave to submit an extract taken in SUBJ
stance from the New American Cy-
clop Edin," edited by Chas. A. Dana
and George Ripley. This tree CITRUS
medicd, Linn, which belongs to the
same genus as the lime, lemon, shad-
dock and orange trees, attains in all its
wild state to highth of about eight
feet and is erect and prickly with long
reclining branches. Its leaves are al
ternate. and pale green; its pelioles are
naked and its flowers forty-androus,
and externally purple; and its fruit is
ovate, about six inches long, furrowed
with protuberance at the tip, and
with two rinds-the outer thin,
greenish yellow, with numberless mil
iary glands full Of a most fragrant oil,
and the inner thick, fungus and white.
The trees of this genus, one of the most
vi llGCoj CIV Al
digenous in the Oriental, and are sup
posed to be alluded to in the "golden APP
plesu which the Greeks attributed to
the gardens of Hesperides. There is
however no evidence that any of them
were cultivated either by the Geeks or
earlier Romans. The citron tree, the
most beautiful of them, and the first
that were introduced into Europe,
was obtained from Medea and perhaps
Assyria and was cultivated in Italy by
Palladius in the I'd century A. ID. In
| the Oriental it is constantly in BIOS
som doubtless it is constantly in bios
som here, but your correspondent has
never had occasion to examine this
fact, he can only assert that such Is
the fact with the lime treel, flowers
and fruit always hanging upon the
trees together. At Nice, Genoa and
Naples, and also in the West Indies,
it endures the open air; but at Flor
ence and Milan it requires protection
in the Winter, and in more northern
climates it is cultivated in conservato-
ries. Observe the fact that while this
tree must be protected from Winter in
Florance and Milan, here in the city
of Los Angeles it grows in the open
air, and as is well known, certainly
one species grows to an enormous size.
The editors 60 on TO say: " In
China there is splendid variety, with
large and solid fruit, divided at the
end into five distinct lobes, whence it
is called by the Chinese fingered
citron. 1t is kept for its agreeable
| f,or ftnn r,nrna1nin djShpS in
sitting-rooms. The citron is a some
what acid fruit, rarely eaten raw, and
highly valued for its very fragrant
rind, which by being preserved in SUI
gar becomes a delicate sweetmeat.
From the outside of the fruit and
leaves the oil of ctron is prepared;
| the pulp furnishes citric acid; the
seeds are very bitter and tonic, and
| the bark of the root is a febrifuge.
Twelve well known varieties of citron
are growing in Italy, about twenty ia
France and six in England, Seven
teen varieties are described and figur-
ed and the methods of their culture
infinitely given in Risso's Historic
Ndtarette des Orangero paris, 1879.
Possibly we have not been preparing
VIC very Aic, ioiSO opSCiCS VIC he' Z
have here correctly, so as to avoid the
citric acid of the pulp and the great
bitterness of the seed. And again, We
possibly may have an inferior variety.
Now, we think if our Trustees and
President of the Public Library of the
city, as soon as they can obtain the
means, will send for a series of horti-
cultural works, including some later
edition of Risso's, or some other elab-
crate author Of the entire citron fam
lily, that they will have taken a step
that will meet with unanimous ap-
proval. The suggestion is made be-
cause we are, in the city more espe-
cially, very greatly interested in hor-
ticulture and viniculture. If the
| Common Council would see fit to re-
quest our energetic and thoroughgoing
Mayor to address the Agricultural
Bureau at Washington for seeds, cut
tings, etc., we have no doubt much
good would result therefrom. w.