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

eleventh century 1896, 1r.), reawak-
ened among Europeans the spirit of com
merce and taste for arts and luxury.
The Crusaders entered Asia Minor as
conquerors, and thence spread them
selves as traders into all parts of Asia.
They We're not mere soldiers, but brave
men drawn from their families by reli-
gious enthusiasm, and who, in conse-
quence would hold fast to their country
and their homes.
They could not see without coveting
these charming trees which embellished
the vicinity of Jerusalem, with whose
exquisite fruits Nature has favored the
climates of Asia.
1t was, indeed, at this time that Eu-
rope enriched its orchards by many of
these trees, and the French princes car
ried into their country the hanson, the
st. Catharine "a pear, Tr.) !, the apricot,
from Alexandria, and other species in
digenous to those regions.
Sicilians, Genoese, and Provincials
transported to Salermo, St. Reno, and
Hyeres the lemon and orange trees.
Hear what historian of the thirteenth
century says to us on this subject; he
had been in Palestine with the Crusa-
ders, and his word should have great
weight.
Jacques de Vitry expressed himself
thus "Besides many trees cultivated in
Italy, Genoa, France, and ether parts of
Europe, we fad here lin Palestine) spe
cies peculiar TO the country, and of which
some are sterile and others bear fruit.
Here are trees bearing very beautiful
apples-the color of the citron-upon
which is distinctly seen the mark of a
mans tooth. This has given them the
common name of pOmme dAddm (Ad-
ANS APPLE; others produce sour fruit,
OF disagreeable taste (pontici), which
are called Unions. Their Juice is used
for seasoning food, because it is cool,
pricks the palate, and provokes the APP
petite.
eve also see cedars of Lebanon, very
fine and tall, but sterile. There is a
species OF cedar called cetlfe aaarifinae,
whose plant is small but productive, Civ
ing very fine f ftIItSs large as Jan &
citrinee. These fruits are formed OF a
triple substance, and have three differ
ent tastes The first is warm, the sec
ond is temperate, the last is cold.
''Some say this is the fruit OF which
God commanded, in Leviticus: TAKE
you the first day Of the gear the fruit Of me
finest tree
eve see ia this country another spe-
cies of apples, borne by small trees, and
of which the cool part is less, and OF a
disagreeable and acid taste; these the
natives call 0renqe;."
Behold, then, the Adams apple, the
lemon, the citron, and the bigarade
found in Palestine by the Crusaders, and
regarded as new trees foreign to Europe.
This passage does not accord, as far as
the citron is concerned, with what Pal
/ ladius says. He tells us that this plant
was, in his time, cultivated in Sardinia
and in Sicily But we see, by Jacques
de Vitry, that the citron of Palestine
was distinguished by the extraordinary
size of its fruit, equal to a mans head,
and it must be that this last was varie-
tn unknown to Europe.
1t is, indeed, only since this epoch
| that we find in European historians and
writer's upon agriculture any mention OF
these trees.
DOUBTLESS the Arabians had already
naturalized them in Africa and Spain,
where the temperature favored so much
their growth.
Doubtless Liguria is the part Of Italy
where the culture of the AgrNmi has
made most progress. We have certain
testimony to this in the work of doc
tor of medicine of Mantua, writing near
the middle of the thirteenth century.
He says:
s'The lemon rs one OF the species of
citrine apples, which are four in number.
First, citron; secondly, orange (citrdn-
!, .gulune) !, of which we have spoken before
thirdly, the lemon; fourthly, the fruit
vulgarly called I6p,0. The four species
are very well know, principally in Ligu-
I,yia. The lemon is handsome fruit, OF
fine odor; its form is more oblong than
that of the orange, and, like the orange,
it.is full of sharp, acid juice, very prop
er for seasoning meats. They make ct its
flowers odoriferous waters, fit for the
use of the luxurious
"The trees of these four species are
very similar, and all are thorned. The
leaves of the citron and lime are larger,
less deeply colored than those of the
oEange or lemon. The lemon is composed
of four different substances, as well 81
the citpon, lime and orange. 1t has an
outer skin, not as deep in color as that OF
the orange, but which has more of the
whites it is hot and biting, thus it shows
it's bitter taste. The second skin or pith
between the outer skin and the juice, is
white. cold, and difficult to digest. The
The third substance is its juice, which is
! sharp. and of strong acid, which ex-
pel worms, and is very cold. The fourth
lis the seed, which, like that of the