The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-04-14

of Europe, north ahd western Africa
and western Asia. ID is said 20 have
been brought to Rome by Sextus
Pampinus in the tine of Augustus
Cesar and is nowfperfectly natural
ized IN Italy, Span, the south of
France and along the Mediterranean
shore of Africa The trees from
which these plant are ofshoots,
were received by me from LYONS,
France, in 1878, and are probably
the first OF the kind ever brought to
this State. They were planted in
Sonoma valley, where they have made
a vigorous growth and have produced
several crops OF fruit.
1t is naturally a prlckly entangled
shrub, but may be trained into
shapely tree ten or twelve feet high.
The young wood is OF reddish
brown color, and the whole plant is
armed with stroug, sharp thorns.
The leaves are small, entire, oval,
finely dentate and OF light, delicate,
glossy green. The flowers are mi
mute, but fragrant. The fruit is of the
form and size of ali olive, and when
ripe the skin is OF a reddish or saffron
color, and smooth and tough like that
OF the date, which IL Slightly resem-
bIes in flavor. It has a sub-acid.
rather dry pulp surrounding an oval,
pointed seed, which contains "a little
oily kernel. 1t is consumed in large
quantities i'll the south of Europe,
both fresh and dried, and is said to
be an invariable accompaniment i'll
the peasant boys lunch basket. 1t
is extensively used forjellies, rectoral
tablets, syrups, etc. The well known
Jujube paste of the contectioners,
where genuine, is made of it, though
modern invention has concocted
mixture OF gum arabic and sugar
without a particlstt the fruit, that
is palmed vlt' as pt Re pate de jujube.
- tsasse krs.:y yiFs.s isS q lsssa1s ser uf
varieties which differ from each other
principally in the form and size of
the fruit. They have one which they
call the large fruited Jujube, another
the oblong, and a third the globular
The tree is sufficiently hardy to en-
dure the trosts of central France, and
shows no injury from the coldest
winters Ill this portion of California.
1t thrives on almost any soil, if not
too Wet, and will live and produce
moderate crops OF fruit in dry and
arid locations. 1t is raised from cut
tings, seeds OF suckers, the last
named, which come up around old
trees, being preferred. In France
seedlings do not come into bearing
until seven or eight years of age,
while sucker and cuttings produce
fruit i'll two or three years. The
French plant it i'll orchards at dis
tances OF fifteen feet apart, and as
the tree is of slow growth, peaches
and apricots are planted between,
and are removed when the jujubes re-
quire the whole ground.
In this State it is not likely to be
extensively planted for its fruit,
which is OF Indifferent quality when
compared with many varieties now
in cultivation. The shrubby habit of
the plant, however, its armament OF
thorns and the beauty OF it's foliage,
render it well adapted to the purpose
OF hedge plant. Planted thickly it
would prove All etfectual barrier to
any animal larger than squirrel,
aud would doubtless continue to
yield its annual crops OF fruit. Tue
general atLractiveness entities it to
place In every garden, while its fruit
Is by no means unpalatable nor
valueless.
The fruit of Z.JWa<bo is similar to
that OF the species just described,
and is native of India and China.
1t is extensively cultivated in China,
and there are said to be as many as
sixty varieties differing in the size
and color Of their fruit. Some are
oval and others flat, while there are
free-stone and cling varieties as in
our peaches. This species reaches a
height OF twenty-five to thirty feet,
blossoms in January and February in
China, and ripens its fruits in June
and July. In dried state the fruit
may be found in the shops of the
Chinese quarter Of this city. 1t
would doubtless grow in the warmer