The Florida agriculturist., 1884-11-05
CHAPTER ".

ART. III.-Search for the Natire Country
of the Lemon and Orange Trees-Ori-
ginally from I1adia-Pdssdge into Ard-
bio, Syria and Egypt-Brought to Eu-
rope by the Crusaders -EtymOlogy Of
their Names-P Progress of their Culture
Origin of Orangeries
Palladius is the first who speaks of
these coverings, but only as appropriate
for the citron, and gives no description
of them. Florentin, who wrote, proba-
bly,, after him, describes them at more
length; and it seems by his expressions
that in his time the citron was covered
in the bad seasons by wooden roofs,
which could be withdrawn when there
was no occasion to defend them from
cold, and which, also, could be arranged
to secure for them the rays of the sun.
(FLoRENT., bk. 10, chap. z, p. 2l9.)
This agricultural luxury, which began
to appear about the time of Palladius
and Florentin, must have been entirely
destroyed in Italy by the invasion of the
barbarians. have remarked that Pierre
de Crescent, who wrote a treatise on
agriculture in 1900, while treating of the
citron, speaks only of walls to defend it
from the north, and some covers of straw.
Brunsius and Antonius, quoted by Spren-
gel, have thought to find in the Stat
utes of Charlemagne indications of hot
house. | have closely examined the
article cited by those writers, lin Com
ment. de reb. Franc. orient, blk. ,, p.
902, etc.), but have not found word that
could make me believe this means of
preserving delicate plants was employed
at this period.
/ have even remarked that in these
-10loffc or.0 non1nd
which Charlemagne wished to have in
his fields, but no word to be construed
into ordering shelter for any, unless
the fig and almond.
1t is astonishing that having spoken
in detail of all the parts of the house
of laboring utensils the most ordinary
and even of those of house-keeping-he
forgot an object of such great luxury as
hot-house.
But in proportion as civilization and
commerce increased riches and extrava-
gance, the fruit of the tree became more
sought for, and at the same time, more
common; whilst, above all, the proper
ties of the new species just introduced
extended its use in medicine, in agreea-
BILE drinks, and as luxury of the table.
At first they We're, in cold countries,
only a foreign prodution, procured from
the South but afterwards the people
began to covet from the more happy eli
mates the ornament of these trees, and
to wish aboye all, to embellish with them
their gardens.
In temperate climes they began to
cultivate them in vases, depositing them
during winter in caves; and in the cold
latitrdes the necessity of struggling
against nature, gave the idea of con-
structing apartments which could be
heated at pleasure by fire, and which
would shelter the plants from the rigor
of the season.
1t is difficult to fix the date at which
they began to build editices for protec-
ton of oranges. The oldest trace of it
that have been able to find is furnished
by passage in the History of Dauphiny,
dated 1886, Eve find in this History,
printed at Geneva in 1722, an extract
from an account of expenses, made by
Humbert, the Dauphin, in his voyage of
Naples in 1886. In the expenses for the
return, we see the sum of ten tarins-
the tarin was the thirtieth part of an
ounce of Naples-for the purchase of
twenty orange plants. Item pro dbOribus
ciginti de plants drdnqiOroDl Gd pldntGn-
dlm tdren. Y. Hist. of Dauph., blk. 2,
p. 276). This it is true, offers few cir
cumstantial details for fixing the fact that
the princes of Dauphiny had really, at
that time, an orangery but as this his
torian tells us that Humbert bought at
Nice twenty roots of oranges for a plan
tation lad plastondum), it is to be sup
posed that he had in his palace at Wen
ma, place designed to preserve them in
the winter; for without this precaution,
they certainly would have perished in
. the rigorous climate of Daphiny. In
Z southwest part of France.-Tr.)
This luxury must have passed imme--
diately into the capital Of France, and
though ] have not yet found in history
indications of these establishments be-
+ fore 1900, it is very probable that they
were known there about the middle of
I the fourteenth century.
I The celebrated tree, preserved still i'll
the orangery at Versailles, under the
name of Francis First, or Grand Bourbon,
was taken from the Constable Of Bour-