Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-07-13
CULTURE OF LEMONS
How the Fruit Can BE Grown with
Profit.


fruits, and thus far have only been
grown with profit in this country in a
narrow belt of southern California.
While they often yield large profits,
they require the most care and involve
the largest risk to the grower. There
are no very large lemon orchards in
this country thus far, compared with
those in Sicily. The largest is the
Limonera ranch in Ventura county
which has 20S acres of trees in one or
chard, and last year shipped $1,000 box
es of fruit to the eastern market. 1t
costs on an average $1.42 a box to place
lemons on the market Of New York or
Chicago. There is very little difference
in the transportation rates to the two
cities. while Messina lemons can be
landed by steamer in New York for not
more than $1.50 a box. This narrow
margin in favor of California Is not
enough to offer great inducements for
lemon culture so long as so much more
money can be made in oranges, prunes,
olives and other fruits. Twelve cents
box is the average expense of culti-
walton; it costs 35 cents more to pick,
wash. sort and pack the fruit, while
the freight will aveage IS cents.
Local conditions and climatic acct
dents have a decided influence upon
the returns. but a full-bearing tree
ought to yield from ten to twelve boxes
a year, which will sell as rule for So
a box. This is very small profit
compared with those enjoyed from 9TH
er California fruits and agricultural
undertakings. Therefore, compare
lively few people go into the business.
There is no doubt, however, that
lemon growing can be conducted with
profit. California today supplies near
ly one-third of all the lemons con-
sumed in the United States, an aver
age of 1000 carloads, while the other
two-thirds come by sea from Italy.
Therefore. it is no longer an expert
mental culture. The Franciscan faith
ers raised lemons about their missions
two centuries ago, and some Of the old
orchards which they planted are still
bearing. The state horticultural COM
mission reports $1,000 acres of lemon
orchards in California, and estimates
that there are at least $1,000 acres suit
able for that purpose.
In planting an orchard sour orange
or pomela stock is used and budded
with the variety of lemon which eX-
perience has proven to be the best for
that particular locality. There are
three or four dozen varieties at the dis
posal of the planter. The sour oranges
are budded when they are two or
three years old. and at five years the
trees are expected to be in bearing. or
course, irrigation is necessary in every
part of California, and the manner in
which the water in handled is vital to
the qualities of fruit. Too frequent ir-
rigation produces large fruit with a
thick skin and a watery pulp that
lacks the acid that a lemon is raised
for Too little water will make a
small, bitter and unmarketable lemon.
The planter must be his own judge of
how much water to use and when to
use it, and he can only determine this
by the experience of years.
1t takes from six to nine months for
the fruit to develop from blossom to
maturity, but the trees are picked
regularly every two or three weeks as
soon as the lemons reach the proper
size. The ranchman does not wait for
them to ripen. The fruit is harvested
entirely by size and not by color. and
each lemon must be cut from the stem
by a pair of small clippers and han
died in the most delicate manner. 1t
must be picked when it is about two
and a half inches in diameter. FIX
perienced pickers can tell by looking at
a tree whether it is necessary for them
to set I'D their ladders or not. Ihey
usually make the rounds of an orchard
every few days. for if any of the FRUIT
grows over size it Is unmarketable
The picking has to be done with a
great deal of care. because the oil cells |
of the skin are very delicate ana lhe
slightest bruise spoils the fruit. Inc
picker must not only know his busl-
ness. but he must even trim his hnSer
nails for fear of breaking one OF these
Oil cells. Padded baskets are used to<
carry the fruit, and work cannot begin
until midday, because lemons become
musty If they are picked while the
dew is on them.
The lemon Is much more sensitive
than the orange. or fig, or olive, or any
other fruit, both to handling and to
the weather. 1t requires less heat ana
less sunshine to mature but is exceed
jngly sensitive to cold and drought.
On cold nights ranchmen build
charcoal fires in small wire baskets
and hang them among the trees in
order to warm the atmosphere
Sometimes five and ten thousand of
these baskets are hung around in a
single orchard.
Every lemon has to be carefully
washed before 1t is packed, because It
Is susceptible to all sorts Of germs,
worms bugs and other parasites. The
process of washing is a very delicate
one and it cannot be done with the
hands for fear of bruising the fruit.
A machine has been invented which
will do the business, but that has to be
handled gently as an incubator. and
after being care lily adjusted is tested
with an egg before the lemons are
turned in. If the egg goes through
without breaking it is assumed that 1T
may be trusted to handle the lemons.
After being washed the lemons are
sorted by being passed through rings.
If they go through easily they are
wrapped in tissue paper and placed in
a box, different sizes of rings being
used to grade the fruit.
During the sorting the bruised