The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1884-10-22
CHAPTER ".

CHAPTER ".
ART. III.-.Search fes. the Natire Coaatry
of the Lemon and Orange Trees-Orj
ginally from Indid-PdsSdge into Ard-
biz, Syria and Egypt-BrouglH to En-
rope by the MISUNDERSTANDING of
their NdmeS-Progress Of their Culture
Origin Of Or@ageries.
had thought to have found proof that
the lemon was known by the Arabs in
the ninth century; having seen in his
tory of India and China, dated 23S of the
Hegira ca. d. $40, IT, of which a French
translation was printed in Paris in Ills,
the writers had spoken of the lemon as
fruit found in China. ButM. de Sacy,
who examined the original, ascertained
that the word. imOn was inserted by the
translator; in the Arabian text one tinds
only that OF 0trOdj, which signifies mere
ly citron. Therefore this history, far
from proving that the Arabs knew the
lemon tree at this period, proves quite
the contrary.
1t was not.until the tenth century of
our era that this warlike people enriched
with these trees the garden OF Oman
lin southeastern Arabia, Tr.), whence
they were propagated in Palestine and
passed into Barbary and Spain; perhaps
also, into Sicily.
Leon, OF Ostia, tells us that in 1902
prince of Salerna presented citrine apples
(poma cits@nG) to the Norman princes
who had rescued him from the Saracens.
The expression, poned citrilt0, ased by
this author, appears to me to designate
fruit like thecitron rather than the citron
itself, then known under the name of
citri, or Of ,asala 'aedica. It is thus that
citron gosd spoken Of by Massondi n
passage already quoted.
This conjecture accorded with known
events and data. The Arabs Invaded
Sicily about the beginning Of the ninth
century (S2S); the orange was taken
from India to Arabia after the year 800
of the Hegira-that is to say, early IN
the ninth century of our era the,citrine
apples of Leon d'Ostia date from LOOP,
and were regarded as objects rare and
precious enough to be offered as gifts TO
princes Thus we have between its in
PRODUCTION into Arabia and propagation
in Sicily an interval of nearly a century.
In order to, conform to the expression OF
AIassoudi, let us suppose that the orange
tree was brought from Arabia some thur
ty or foEty years later-say about $50 OF
the Hegira; if we allow fifty years for
it's propagation in Palestine, Egypt and
BarbarKs and finally twenty years tor its
naturalization in Sicily, we fill precisely
the interval between one epoch and the
other.
A passage in the History OF Sicily, by
Nicholas Specials, written in the four
teenth century, gives still more ptoba-
bility tothis opinion. N a0
This writer, in recountlng the deyaS-
tatlon by the army of the Duke OF Cal
abria in 1888, in the vicinity of Palermo,
says that it did not even spare the trees
\of sour apples (p0mmes dcides,) called
by the people ardngi, which had adorned
since old times the royal palace of Cmbbo.
(Nicholas.Specialis, blk. Z, C. I'D
The name Cubbd, given to this royal
pleasure-house, seems to refer to the
time of the Arab rule; it is probably
derived from the Arabic word cO6tch,
meaning vault or arch. Perhaps some
grand dome upon this country-house
gave the place its name.
These data, however, do not appear to
me sufficiently strong ITO combat the aa-
thority of very reliable historian, who
says expressly that the lemon and the
orange trees were not known in Italy ca
France, or in other parts OF Christian
Such are the words of Jacques de vi
try, in speaking Of syrian trees, in his
History of Jerusalem. The testimony
OF this bishop, who ought to have known
these countries, would appear to have
more weight than simple conjectures
based upon reasoning from analogy.
Whatever be the authority of this his
torian, compared with the Prescriptions
advanced by us with regard to Sicily, it
will always be decisive respecting Lake
Garda and the coasts of Liguriaand Pro-
Vence.
There is not doubt that in these last
named countries the lemon and orange
were unknown, not only in the tenth but
even in the eleventh century.
But an extraordinary, event, destined
10 change the face of Europe, was TO
open anew to the people of the West the
entrance to Syria and Palestine. 81
Y This was also the time when the CRU
\ sades, which began at the close OF the