The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-08-18
Deand Vousia County, Florida Wednesday, August 49, $780,

Vi Lu0 ululOSb OctOiOIlhCut' ~
possess and grow this plant we'll is
regarded by the natives as feat and
a good test to judge horticulturist
by in these countries, whether he
grows a scrub or bush is the point.
1t is capable OF one as well as the
other and as rule the land that will
grow this plant is in parlance good
for any orange to grow upon. So,
after all, Parsons, of New Y York, may
be right as to the good orange land
being III Florida, it a fellow can find
it out.
The leave of Berger0 hB'aigii are
used by the Hindus as stomachic
and tonic, the bark and root as sum-
ulants. The leaves are used to give
a picquant and marked flavor to
curries and give the Distinguishing
zest to the famous MulligatawnY
soup of that country.
FerO'eiG eteiohantuna yields a gum
which closely resembles gum-arabic
and is used for similar purposes.
The young leaves of the tree have a
smell like that of anise, and are used
by the native practitioners as stom-
achic and carminative. The order
contains about a hundred known
species mostly natives OF warm
countries and almost all of the East
Indies. II is very questionably if
America can claim the sour orange as
indigenous, and the French Guiana
species is equally in doubt. If the
claim be good it would certainly be
an unique divergence in the distribu
tion OF plants in nature. AS to the
sour and bitter.sweet orange being
naturalized on many OF the lands OF
Florida, there is no question; still
the preferences they show and local
distribution where they occur is no
| less remarkable and worthy of con.
Lsi.laE>t
The natural order OF Aurdnti0ce@
is very marked and characteristic
among the orders Of the vegetable
kingdom. The name OF the order is
derived from Aurantium, modern
Latin for an orange. The leaves and
bark are generally very smooth and
all parts are filled with little trans
parent receptacles OF a fragrant vola-
tile oil which especially abounds in
the leaves and in the rind Of the fruit
The leaves for the most part are ever
green, and arranged alternately on
The stem and always articulate with
their stalks. Which latter are fire..
quently winged. Examples OF the
grapefruit show large development
on the leaf stalk and in the lemon
the leaf is apparently naked. Prop
erly speaking the leaves may be re-
garded as illustrating a simple COM
pound leaf or two leaves Joined end
to end and is so regarded by Ameri
can Botanists. The flowers have d
short three to five toothed whitening
calyx, and three to five petals, which
are broad at the base, sometimes
slightly coherent and imbricated in
the bud. The stamens equal the
number of petals or a multiple OF
their number; the tilaments some
times slightly coherent i'll one or
more bundles the anthers terminal
and erect. The ovary is free, there
is one style with thickish stigma.
The fruit IA hesperidiatna) is pulpy
with leathery Or spongy rind, of
one cell. or of number OF separate
cells, the seeds attached to the axis
with thick cotyledons and no albu'
men, not unirequently containing
more embryos than one. The latter
fact accounts for number OF plants
being raised from one seed.
The order is altogether an interest
inc one TO all concerned in growing
the all prominent members OF the
citrus tamily-the orange, lemon
and lime and it is to be hoped
others not yet introduced will not be
long withheld from cultivation in
Florida. }. b. 5.