The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1884-12-24
lCoPYRIGHTED.I
A Treatise on the Citrus Family.
Translated from the French. expressly for The
Florida A0ricuhurist.
CHAPTER ".
BY NJ. GEORGE GALLEsIo.

CHAPTER ".
ART. VII.-OfH.e Varieties aud Hybrids
of the Citrus History of tie Origin and
i'ransmigrati0ns---1he Multiplication.
All this, which is but a repetition Of pas
sages reported by NJ. de Sacy, proves
III an unanswerable manner, first, that
there exists. a balm-tree type which has
flower and fruit, and reproduces itself
from seed. Secondly, by formulation
varieties are formed, which most often
have the ordinary trait of monsters, ster-
ility. Thirdly, that this monstrous va
riety, following the example OF other
vegetable mules, is UNIDENTIFIED for this
sterility by singular property which,
in this kind, is letting flow in greater
abundance humor probably destined
to nourish modification. Fourthly, that
in nature this variety has existence only
during the life of the individual, conse-
quently it cannot perpetuate itself save
by art.
Filthy. That according to all these
facts, this variety could have been lost
in Egypt, and might have reappeared In
the vicinity of Mecca; and in this place
could have shown traits of the ancient
variety, modified and changed by Access
sory accidents, thus causing it to differ
from the descriptions of the ancients.
We can apply very nearly the same
reasoning to the pe,seo of Theophrastus.
NJ. de Sacy has proved very conclusively
that this tree is the Lobdkh of the Arabi-
ans. He has also proved that it is.
closely connected with the sidrd (rhdna-
nus spinG cJ.isti. Desf.) o. ndbtd OF the
Egyptians.
Why might it not be variety of that
species, whose fruit is larger and more
agreeable? f st5a fBeg.etf -
Species never lose themselves IN the
regions where they are acclimated.
Nature has provided for their multiple
cation BY numerous means which make
up the deficiencies of art, and elude the
destructive spirit of man. II the perseti
had been a species, it would have of it
self, multiplied itself by its seeds, and
revolutions of Egypt would have only
facilitated its propagation. 1t must, then,
have been but variety due to fecunda-
ton, and consequently could be perpet-
uated only by the cutting or the graft. In
this event the character of its fruit
would differ from those of its type as
much as the butter-pear differs from the
wild pear.
Thus all research to find plant with
fruit, answering exactly to that described
by Theophrastus, is useless; We must
content ourselves with slight similarity,
chiefly with regard to the fruit, and adj
init that the variety of Theoprastus may
have disappeared, but that the species to
which it belonged still exists.
One might think it extraordinary that
these disappearance have not taken
place among varieties of many other
plants-the banana, for instance. But
/ would observe that it (the banana) has
received from nature a prodigious facil-
ity for reproducing itself by cuttings and
and suckers; consequently has the pow
er of self-preservation whilst our frult-
trees require extraordinary care, such as
grating, or careful slipping, which pre-
suppose degree OF, civilization, and
certain completeness in the culture.
Besides, there are species which, more
often than others, form varieties, and
among such varieties there are some
which are regularly formed in the ordi-
nary state of blossoming, and others
which are the result of an extraordinary
combination, taking place very rarely.
From the complication of all these cir
cumstances result the differences seen
in these phenomena. ia vmsas
This depression may seem out OF place,
yet is useful in throwing light upon the
principles of the theory advanced by
me in the first chapter of this work.
In examining the descriptions of Add
Allatif, we easily recognize the. mon
strous citron (''GTos CitrOn." Abd-All.,
blk. l, p. 31,)-the citron of sweet-fruit
--''citron dous, which is not at all acid,
Ib) the lemon-cedrat. (''The lemons,
named by some, composite; among them
are found fruit as large as awater-mel-
on" Abd-All., p. 31.) Ebn-Djemi, quo
ted by Ebn-Beitar, says fThe compos-
tie lemon is lemon graft upon citron
tree. We add, Continues Ebn-Beitar,l
that the skin of this fruit has more of
sharpness and bitterness than that of
the citron, but less than that of the lem
on. it also has sweet taste, not in eth
er of those fruits. Because of this, it
possesses a nutritive quality, not found
in citron or lemon, and holds middle
place between those two acid fruits"
This explanation is precise enough for
us to recognize in this variety the lemon
cedrat or pOneire. We also see in his
yo.,,o,, Sc 1,,,f nm inch louO