The herald., 1896-07-25

The following is taken from the ed
ttorial columns Of the Daily Herald of
July 21st, under the heading of Help
for the Farmer and Fruit Grower:
About six weeks ago a movement was
inaugurated to organize a body of South
ern California scientific men. The head
quarters were to be at the Los Angeles
chamber of commerce. which in a public
spirited way offered accommodation for
1t. The object was to furnish our farm
ers and fruit growers with an organ
ize force which could be referred to for
reliable information on agricultural
topics. The fiek covered irrigation.
soils, water analysis, analysis of fertili-
Zers, study of plant life and plant dis
eases, analysis of fruit, etc The idea
was to have an expert ready for each
speciality to go into the field and study
any crisis or agricultural condition on
the call of the farmer. and by test plots
and test treatment to ask nature for the
answer to the problems which exist and
may arise. a body of men Of this kind
could do real, true work of inestmable
value TO Southern California.
To such an organization we could
reasonably ask the state to turn over
the management of the property do
rated to it in Southern California for
agricultural and forestry stations.
Hc ooutHeIIl (dlIOTnld Sclentft1C as
sociation and the Southern California
Botanic society could have no better
object than to get this into working
order We would suggest as some OF
the men very suitable to act for our
farmers Prof. Keyes. Prof. Cook, Prof.
McClatchic, DIR. Woodbridge, DR.. Hasse.
President Knight, Mr. Harvey-in fact
we have an embarrassment of riches In
competent. public spirited men to take
hold of this work. A well constituted
body of men of this kind in an efficient
organization could and would increa SO
the yield of our acres and increase the
quality of the product. 1t would he
worth millions of dollars to Southern
California. and do more than ANYTHING
else to Increase the agricultural and hor-
ticuItural standing and wealth Of this
community.
The Pomeio
Interest in that new fruit-to MANY
people-the pomelo. increa.es The
paintings in South California during the
past two seasone have been very large
and in two years more comparatively a
large quantity of the fruit will be on the
market.
Deemng the interest in the matter of
sufhcient Importance to our readers, we
nave procured from Garden and Forest
permission to reproduce from their col
umns an article written by Professor d.
MOTIFS, or Kew, England. on the subject.
LETTER OF PROF. MORRIS
During my recent visit to New York
] was much interested to notice the con-
siderable demand that existed there for
grape fruit from the West Indies: 1t
appears to be very strongly recommend
ed by the medical faculty for its refresh
Ing and tonic properties, and in conse-
quence the use of it has become an i'm
portant feature in the diet in American
cities. The fruit I saw in New York
called grape fruit consisted of various
sorts and qualities. and there is little
doubt that much confusion exists as to
what is really grape fruit as distinct
from the allied citrus fruits passing un-
der such names as Pomelow, Shaddock,
Forbidden fruit, Paradise fruit and 9TH
ers. The chief characteristics of all
these fruits distinguishing them from the
different varieties of the orange are as
sociated with the size and color. They
are all, or nearly all larger. than the
largest orange, anad they are uniformly
Of pale yellow color. In texture the
rind may be smooth or even polished 1t
is seldom rough. nearly always firm and
very thick. The pulp is pale yellow or
greenish white, sometimes pink or Grim
son; the vesicles of the pulp Guice bags)
are more distinct than in the orange:
very juicy, somewhat sweetish. with a
distinct but agreeable bitter flavor The
pith surrounding the segments possesses
more of the bitter than the pulp. but is
less agreeable, and on that account is
never eaten. In shape these fruits vary
a good deal. Some are quite globular
others somewhat 1attened at the TOP and
tapering below, forming a pear shaped
body. Even In the globuiar fruits the
top Is more or less flattened There are
none, believe, pointed at both ends.
Having indicated the general charac-
ters of this class of citrus fruits l may
.nrnf hptA fxI-- 49,.
and history. 1t is agreed by all author
tiles that these fruits are quite distinct
from the other groups of the orange
family. such as the true oranges and the
citrons. They have therefore been kept
apart and ranged under the giant citrus,
citrus decumana In this species the
tree is twelve to eighteen feet high, with
fiat crown and spreading branches
usually with no spines. The leaves are
elliptic-rounded at both ends, emargin-
ate that is, with a notch at the apex
and crenulate (having the edge marked
with small depressions); the under side
of the leaf is softly t.iry, with the wings
broad, crenulated as In the leaves and
bordered with fine hairs. The flowers
are In clusters of from three to nine,
large. white andfragrant The fruit is
either globos or pear-shaped. forming
many seeding varieties without dis
tinct names. This is supposed to be a
native of the islands of the Pacific.
whence 1t had been brought to Southern
China. Japan and India 1t was intro
duced TO the West Indies, according to
Macfayden, from China by Captain
Shaddock, whose name has since been
given to it. The term Shaddock may be
correctly applied to any of the larger
members of the giant citrus. and is
equivalent to the French pompelmouse.
which is another form of the Dutch pom
plemoes. The word pomelow, so widely
used in India and Ceylon, is supposed to
be contraction of 'pomum melo."
the melon apple. The largest pomelows
In India are said to reach two feet in
circumference and weigh ten to twenty
pounds" The best sort, according to
Bonavia, is the thin-skinned red DO
mellow of the Bombay market" This is
of a globose shape.juicy and "of the COL
or of raw beef internally" There are.
however, numerous grades in size, some
being almost as small as oranges. In
India the varieties do not appear to have
recognized names. Elsewhere the small
er fruits have been variously called Pa
radise apples, Forbidden fruit and Grape
fruit.