The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-06-04
Florida Lemons.

The following article on lemons,
was read before the Little Sarasota
Farmers Club, by John G. Webb,
who had the subject given him, for
discussion, and reported in the Sam
land Tribune:
The Secretary read extracts from
northern papers speaking favorably OF
Florida lemons received at New Y DIRK,
and also at Boston. He said it was
absurd for Florida to undertake to
supplant European oranges in our
markets, and still leave the country
dependant on Europe for the necessa-
ry lemon. The orange is absolutely
a luxury, the lemon is a necessity.
No man eats an orange who could not
do without it if he would, but the
lemon is an essential in the kitchen, in
the bar-room, and at the sick-bed.
Now it is plain that if the country
is obliged to send ships and steamers
to Spain, France and Sicily for lem
ous, oranges will continue to be i'm
ported, and sold as they are sold in
every fruit store in the north as the
genuine product Of Florida. If Flor
ida is going to furnish the United
States with oranges, she must be pre-
pared to supply the demand for lem
ons too.
Now, it is we'll known to the people
here, but perhaps not so we'll to many
who will read this, that we have in
Florida three lemons, which will
briefly describe.
1st. The ever present French (so-
called) lemon. Large in size, nearly
globular, the rind thick, and destitute
of very fine flavor, the pulp separa
ting readily from the rind, and the
sections from each other; the juice
not abundant, and weak. Such is the
common lemon. 1t makes fair lem
onade or punch, but poor pie, and is
used chiefly for raising bread with
soda. But it cannot be sold in New
York.
End. The Pine Island, or miscalled
Massena lemon. This lemon origina.
ted $50 far as South Florida is con-
cerned) on Pine Island in Charlotte
HHarbo.-. Pie Island is a long, mar
row island, some fifteen miles from
Peace Creek to Punta Rassa, and is
separated from the mainland by a
narrow and shallow creek of salt wa
ter called Matt lie ebay; it is covered
with pine woods and looks like the
mainland. Near the middle OF it
there stands shell mound, and on
this mound lived tor many years a
hermit named Brown. believe he
was once coasters but he settled on
the mound, planted orange and other
fruit trees, and imported from Masse-
ma i'll Sicily, so he said, the seed OF a
lemon. The tree on which this fruit
grows resembles citron tree more
than the lemon trees of either variety
that we cultivate in South Florida
1t is bushy in size, spreadingin habit,
and drops its fruit when ripe, and
bears at two years OF age. The fruit
is bright yellow in color, of the true
lemon shape, the rind is rather thick,
but not excessively SO, and it would
fill the bill but tor one thing, viz ::
the rind and seeds are bitter. If the
punch or lemonade IS drank soon at
ter making, it is all right. DIR. Hough
and Mr.. Lopez have an extensive
plantation of them down the coast at
Kettle Harbor, and they report that
a shipment they made to New York
two years ago was sold well, and that
the commission merchant reported
that the bitterness was "no objection"
Was Brown deceived in this lemon
by design?
3rd. The seedlings of the common
Sicily lemon. They resemble each
other, but do not resemble the fruit
of which they are seedlings in all
respects They fail in many impor-
tant respects. They are too large !;
the rind is too thick; they are too
round. A buyer Of them buys too
much lemon peal, and too little lem
on juice. ] sent boy with some
lines to New York in the Fall OF
1877. l got one dollar for them
there. l am satisfied that they will
not do, and the sooner we can graft
them into something better, the
sooner we shall make something off
from them. .i't
There is nothing remarkable about
the fact that the Seeding in this case
is unlike the parent. How many
thousands of seeding strawberries,
Seeding apples, and Seeding pears,
and above all, Seeding grapes have