The Red Cloud chief., 1896-04-24
THE FivE-FiNoEREp ORANGE.
One Of the Rarest Plant, In tho woris
mud II Mcnrs Gloyca.

one OF the rarcst plants in the worio
IA the 1~ve-fingered orange. Tho Jap,
anese. who, az we'll M the people OF
China. make u speciality of Cultivating
ornamental curiositics III the vegetable
world. consider this one OF the mosi
remarkable and value It accordingly
But a single plant. which has been pur.
chased and brought TO San Francisco
IL, II IL believed, the first that ever left
Japan. The plant that bears the *
traordinary fruit Is itself rather an &C.
centric member Of the vegetable king
dom. II Is a dwariish tree. which, when
fully grown. does not average more
than five or at most ak feet in height
and Is crooked enough to have been
planted in the garden Of the crooked
man spoken OF by Mother Goose. Fo'
"A crookedor plant does not exist. The
| gnarred trunk IL tangled up with twist
ed branches that seem never to have
fully made mp their minds which way
10 go, 40 tina, 1t would indeed by a diff
nCult task to find two consecutive
inches in the whole tree whose lines
WI uA'N'ioh "lN u INV w
sequence OF this IL that the plant,
which. II It could be Strengthened ont
would be at least twice "a tall. ~ AZ
broad IA 1t Is high. As fitting It's
cross-grained character. II has on hand
hidden undcr It's leaves and located 10
the most unexpected places, m I'M
stinted supply Of long. tough. needle
pointed thorns that understand theft
business thoroughly. But Nil such IN.
tie unpleasant peculiarities on the part
NJ the fve.fingcrod Japan orange tree
may we'll be forgotten when II IL seen
IN July. covered with Its beautiful
blossoms, like those OF an ordinary
orange tree, but tinted with "A beautiful
pink blush OF color and eXhaling a
most delicate and delicious perfume,
or later in the season. when its fruit
has ripcned and II looks AZ II IT. was
hung about with great yellow gloves.
These gloves are 40 redolent OF the
same perfume that scents the blossoms
that the odor can be recognized n full
mile from where the oranges are grow
ing. On close examination. however,
the fruit proves TO resemble IA human
hand more thar II does any glOve-a
, lean, slender fingered. yellow. Chinese
, hand, with thumb and four fingers
complete. each finger tipped with the
long nail thought so stylish In China
hard, pointed and claw-likc. extending
, II goodly length beyond the ends OF the
digits. The hand Is partly opened. the
> fingers curved a little upward toward
q the palm. and the fruit itself very
large, especially In proportion to tn:
T size of the tree that bears IT. Otter
reaching when full grown ten inches
measuring from the wrist TO the en-
Of the middle finger, including the nall
= Supports are always necessary. or tn
weight OF the orange would break tn,
branch upon which 1t grows. The con
tour Of the hand exactly represents tina
OF a human being, the proportions
, length OF the several fingers and tn
thumb are correct and even the cord
on the back OF the hand OF a rattle
- emaciated person are represented b
o the divisions of the fingers that can b
4. traced from the point where they sep
n arate to the wrist. The fruit. thong
Ie exhaling 30 delightful a perfume.
e not edible. az It Is not properly a
d orange at all, but belongs to the osag
OF the Maclura. no member G
which bears fruit that can be eaten.
la