The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1890-07-23
The poMELo.
a Southern Fruit Now Beginning to Ap
pear in Northern Markets.

Florida is notably the land offorests,
but it is quite as truly a land of fruits.
says the Garden and Forest. Her cit
rus fruits are known the world over,
and her large grapefruit and shaddock,
people, are beginning to appear
regularly on our market-stands along
with her oranges, lines, lemons,
bananas, pineapples, and dates. Many
persons use the words shaddock and
grapefruit Interchangeable, and the
shaddock is, in fact, a near relative OF
the grapefruit, but is much larger,
often weighing from three to five
pounds. 1t is also coarser than the
grapefruit and has not yet proved very
useful, but the tree and fruit as they
adorn the lawns of many southern
homes are strikingly beautiful. The
fruits grow singly on the trees and
look like veritable pumpkins suspended
from twigs. The tree comes from
China and Japan and was first brought
to the West Indies by one Capt Shad
dock, from whom the name was taken.
There are said to be upward of forty
distinct varieties of the fruit in Florida
some of which are very large and OF
use for canning or preserving in the
same way that citron is put up. The
shaddock is also known as pompel-
mouse or pummellow. 1t is not OF
sufficient value to warrant shipping ii
north, for even the natives in Florida
seldom take the trouble to gather it.
1t will doubtless be found of use in
time, however and until then it will
ripen and die upon the trees in south
ern groves.
The cultivation of the pomelo, OF
grapefruit. is extending rapidly in the
south, and it is becoming a frst-class
marketable fruit, very valuable in the
spring and early summer after oranges
are about gone, and by many people
esteemed equal to the orange. Wher
it becomes better known it will be q
popular fruit during the spring months
It is prepared for the table by removing
the bitter white membranes anG
sprinkling the pulp with sugar. II
warm weather, after it has been iced
the melting pulp and juice from be
tween the membranes are deliciouSly
refreshing. The pomelo can be grown
more easily than the orange, ant
| it Yields more to the tree than any
| other member of the citrus family
| The fruit grows in clusters, two, three
or four hanging togetherfrom one stem
from which popularity the name o
grapefruit was given to it. The tree'
are beautiful objects, covered ovel
with rank, glossy, dark green foliage
and loaded with thousands of bright
pendent yellow globes. have seen /
twig no larger than my little fingel
with five or six big pomelos hanging
from it. A comparatively small tre'
Will often bear as many as 1000 at ;
time.
California also produces these fruits
but most of them come from Florida
They are sold on fruit stands accord
ing to size at from cents apiece to L;
cents apiece for the large ones. The,
vary in quality as much as oranges do
and, while the good ones are very good
the bad ones, if green, are very bad
Those with smooth, white skins are tn
best, and little rust on them will no
hurt their flavor or juiciness. The frui
is ALWAYS cut from the tree as th
orange is, wrapped in tissue paper, an
packed carefully in barrels rather tina
boxes. They are not sized as orange
are, but are sent north with the nun
Der of fruits in each barrel marked o
the outside.
1t has been said by more than on
southern fruit-grower that fortun
was waiting the man who had th
courage to plant a grove of grape-fru
tree and depend on them for a living
Heretofore there has been no system
attic cultivation of the trees. Two c
three trees are planted around th
yards or orchards for ornament {
much as for anything else and above
to take care of themselves. If properl
treated, however, their yield would |
much larger than it is to-day, and
good profit could be made from them