The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-27
The TrifoIiata-Its value As stool,

The Farmer and Fruit Grower publishes
the following paper read recently before
the Orange Growers Union:
The triofilata (citrus trifolia;a, llmon-
ium trifoliatum, aegle separia and citrus
tripthera of botanists) is attracting
great deal OF attention among the orange
growers of the Gulf states, more espe-
cially since the freeze OF February. the
effect of which has been to create a gem
eral desire for a tree that will withstand
more cold than the trees that are now gen,
orally grown.
AS the trifoliata is the hardest known
variety of the citrus. it has been assumed
that owing to its decduous character.
other varieties of the citrus family might
be placed on il, and thus rendered more
hardy. Before entering into a discussion
of this branch of the subject, | will tran
scribe a description in the letters Of Dr.
G. Devron, of New Orleans letters re-
ceived from DR.. Devron in 1888. and who
1 trust, will pardon me for making this
public use of their contents.
DR.. Devron writes: Il will give you
first what I believe to be the true name
of the plant citrus tripthera Desfontaines)
not limonium trifoliatum, as it has been
called. The citrus tripthera, a native OF
-NOTlu emma, Is 2 QeClQuOuS narQN variety
of the citrus family. having already stood
the winter temperature of Paris and New
York without protection. Its large bios
SONS appear like on the apple and the
plum before the leaves. AS a rule in New
Orleans, they are open on the nth of
March, st. Patricks day
THE blossoms have no odor. second
crop of blossoms appear about the first OF
May and third in the beginning of June
Ernit fS nrOHl1ca6 zach fip1a. hka lot 70
ed are somewhat smaller but ripen at the
same time with first and begin to drop off
the tree from the first to the last of No
vember. The fruit is round, of pale yellow
when ripe and of diameter of from one
to one and one half inches. The skin con-
tains a fragrant substance that might be
used in perfumery. The pulp is not edible.
The present value of the fruit is in the 30
or 40 well developed seeds which each fruit
contains. The Seeds if kept moist, grow
well when planted; the plants retain their
leaves the first winter and some even the
second but on the third winter they. like
the older trees, become deciduous. The old
er trees begin to shed their leaves from the
first to the fifteenth of November and be-
fore Christmas not a leaf remains. The
citrus tripthera is more hardy than the
sour orange, as I had that tree killed, or
rather fatally injured, with the c. triphtrea
grated on 1t, green and growing without
support from the stock.
1T can be worked on any variety of the
orange and all varieties OF the citrus fam
lily can be grown on it, dwarfing them in
stature and rendering them more hardy.
This tree will, l believe i'm future be adopt
ed for a hedge plant its hardness, small
size and pointed thorns, making 1t more
impenetrable than the barbed WIRE and
certainly more easily kept in proper
shape than the Usage orange formerly used
for that purpose"
Six years later DR.. Devron has this to say
of the trifoliata: II know of no variety of
the citrus family that can be more neg
lected, more exposed to extremes of tenn
perature or to excess of moisture and dry
ness with so much impunity. In the seven
teen years that have had this citrus un-
der observation, l have never found an in
furious insect on the tree or its leaves,
flowers or fruit"