The national leader., 1889-02-16
FACTS ABOUT LEMONS
The Sources OF Supply-FIorida Frufs
Said TO be the Best.

| A we'll known fruit dealer in Vesey
street, New York, was applied to by q
reporter the other day for some 1nfor-
nation in regard TO the lemon trade IA
that city. In reply he said: "Most Of
the lemons we get In this market come
from Naples, Sorrento. Rodi and Mes
sins. From each Of these ports they
are shipped by way OF Liverpool. Some
are sent in sailing vessels. but not
many. as such are not apt to arrive in
good condition. Steamers, on account
OF their superior speed, carry most OF
the foreign fruits. Great quantities Of
lemons are sold here by auction, the
sales OF single day often amounting
to 40, 900 or $4,000 boxes. The price
they bring depends entirely upon their
quality and the quantity i'm the market.
Sometimes they are "a drug" and
scarcely bring enough to pay the freight
on them. and again fourteen to sixteen
dollars box is not an unusual price.
Dealers here do not keep regular agents
at the points OF shipment, but the fruit
Is shipped on speculation. An ordinar.
lily good price is six dollars a box. The
season for the gathering Of italian lem
ons Is at It's height between February
and March. Some lemons will not keep
over month at the outside, while
others that ara firm and hard will re-
main in good condition for four months.
The Messina are the best italian lem
ons and will keep the longest. The
Palermos rank next. while the poorest,
as general thing, come from Naples.
There Is, however, no rule by which
one can be sure that lemons from one
place will uniformly be better than
those from another. Naples lemons
have been known to bring more than
those shipped from Messina. Dealers
know no special varieties Of lemons,
but simply lump them under the names
OF the places from which they come.
Some people have an idea that lemons
are colored and ripened by sulphur
fumes and artificial heat. Such notions
are entirely wrong, Lemons, when
they are sent from home. are as green
and hard as an infant apple, but ripen
during the voyage, so that when they
arrive they are as soft and juicy as If
they had matured upon the tree.
1.-THE best lemons we get In New
York come from Florida. They are
naturally OF prime quality, and then
the distance they have to be sent Is not
great. The possibilities before the
Florida growers are extensive, and, If
care is taken by them in sorting and
picking, they may in time run the Ital-
ian Croduct out of the market. The
Florida lemons are packed in boxes
holding about $50 to 300 apiece. They
begin to come in November. We get
very few South American lemons, be-
cause they are too tender to stand the
voyage. Small quantities are sent from
Jamaica, but the lines shipped from
there are growing in popularity con-
stantly. and are much more import
ant product Of that island than the
lemons. Lines must be packed tightly
In barrels to prevent bruising. I sup.
pose there are twenty-five barrels of
lines shipped now where there were
chree ten years ago. In general way
1t may, perhaps. be said that better
lemons grow on high ground than low,
but. as said before, each season. place
and individual tree seems to be law
unto itself. We can never tell in ad-
vance where we are to get the best
fruit.'