Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1890-11-29

and therefore will not turn yellow.
But lemon.growers in Florida in
haste to catch the market before Eu>
ropean crops begin to arrive, cannot
afford to wait for the following of the
sun. They pick their lemons as green
as grass, and then pile them in a sui
phur chamber to be properly and ex
peditiously colored.
A rich golden yellow is the result
of the sulphur bath but that is not
so bad if the juice is really inside, for
we buy lemons for the flavoring es-
sence, not for their yellow skins. I'M
fortunately, however, as the fruit is
pulled when quite green, the pulp is
almost dry.
In much the same way are the Or
ange.growers moved to assist, or to
usurp, the operations of nature.
"Blood oranges" are supposed to be
superior in flavor to the ordinary Or
range, and at any rate they command
an extra price in certain markets
principally, perhaps, because the sup
ply is limited. How to get the bene-
fit of the extra price without increas-
ing the actual supply is the problem
which some Florida orange growers
addressed themselves to solve. And
this is how they solve it: They take
a syringe with very delicate point,
which they gently force through the
rind, and by this means inject small
quantity of aniline dye. The dye
quickly permeates the whole pulp of
the orange and colOrs it up to the
standard of first class "Blood or
ange." The cost is trifiing, and the
extra return handsome. The effect
upon the consumer? All! that is a
detail which troubles neither the
grower nor the dealer, however much
it may the patient himself, Aniline
dye may not be hurtful, but it GER
tainly canLot be wholesome as an ar
ticle of diet.
1t is but right to say that the pro-
cess for manufacturing "Blood>Oran-
ges' is not an American invention.
1t was the discovery of an Italian,
who practiced it long and successful.
ly in his own country until he was
found out. He suffered for his invent
i've genius in a State prison for long
term, and when he was released, car
ried his invention and enterprise to
the Land of the Setting Sun, where
"smartness" and the almighty dollar
are still objects of worship. 1t is said
that "BlOOd~oranges" manipulated
by this Italian genius will fetch even
a higher price from inexperienced
purchasers than the genuine article.
Perhaps it was this Italian who
served up tOothsOme banquet in
which some of the most notable dish
es were spider fricassee, PURGE of
mealworms, salmi of beetles, and
deviled spiders.
But although the Old World may
have been the mother of Uncle Sam
in the case of the oranges, he is gen.
orally well able to set his European
relatives an example in "smartness"
and fraudulent ingenuity.
Take, for instance, the latest sys~
tenn of horse stealing in Texas. Two
men work in concert; and as soon as
they read that ranchman has picked
up strange animal for which he
wants the owner, they begin work,
One of the pair calls at the ranch, exe
amines the horse, and declares that it
isn't his. But he takes notes of all its
points, and on rejOining his compan>
ion, posts" the latter thoroughly.
Then No. 3 goes to the ranch and de-
scribes his lost animal so thoroughly
and infinitely that there can be no
deception. The description tallies
exactly with the strayed horse on the
ranch, which is therefore handed over
to the stranger without further proof
But the stranger is long way from
home, and talks about the distance
and trouble of leading spare horse,
and SO on, until he winds up with an
offer to sell the wanderer to the
ranchman at something considerably
under its value. The ranchman
jumps at the bargain; the stranger
goes away with the money in his
pocket; and few days later, the
real owner of the horse turns up to
claim and remove his property.
These are but few examples of the
manner in which genius is prostituted