USES. The use of the orange as a dessert fruit is well known. The juice of the orange, from its pleasant, subacid flavor, is serviceable in inflammatory or febrile diseases, by diminishing heat and allaying thirst. It is a powerful antiscorbutic. Orange wine of superior quality is thus made: A gallon of water and three pounds of sugar are boiled and skimmed for twenty minutes, and when nearly cool, the juice expressed from eight Seville (sour) oranges is added, together with the shavings of the outer rinds; the whole to be placed in barrel, and after frequent stirrings for two days, to be bunged down for six months or more, till fit for bottling. The outer rind also forms the basis of an excellent conserve, and when preserved in sugar, is deservedly prized at the dessert, being one of the best stomachics, and a grateful aromatic bitter. The flowers of the orange tree have a highly odoriferous perfume; they have a slightly pungent, bitter taste, and communicate their flavor by infusion to rectified spirits, or by distillation to spirit and water. An essential oil is

also prepared from the flowers, of a perfume more delicate and agreeable in its fragrance than even the Otto of Roses. It is prepared in Italy and Portugal, and there called Es

sentia Neroli.

CITRON. (C. medica.) Loudon.

A beautiful evergreen, prickly, and upright tree, rising to the height of eight or ten feet, with horizontal or reclining branches; the leaves are smooth, oblong, ovate, alternate, serrate, pale green; the fruit is six inches long, ovate, rough, with a protuberance at the summit. There are two rinds; the outer rind is thin, the inner thick, white, and pulpy. The outer rind has innumerable glands filled with a fragrant oil. This fruit ripens successively at all seasons. The citron and lemon are not deemed so hardy as the orange, and will not endure so great a degree of cold.

USES. The citron forms an excellent preserve or sweet meat. The juice, with sugar and water, forms the refreshing beverage called lemonade. It is used in cookery and in medicine, and is powerfully antiscorbutic. There are many varieties.

LEMON. (C. medica; var. limonum.) Loudon.

The lemon and citron differ but very little.

The wood

of the lemon tree is more knotty, the bark rougher; the fruit is rather longer, more irregular, less knobby at the extremities, and the skin thinner than that of the citron. The uses are the same. Of the lemon there are many varieties.

LIME. (Citrus acida, or C. Limetta.) Loudon.

A crooked tree, with many diffuse, prickly branches, which rises to the height of eight feet; the leaves ovate, lanceolate, nearly entire; the fruit nearly globular, an inch and a half in diameter, with a protuberance at its summit; the skin shining, yellowish green, and very odorous; the juice very acid. A native of Asia.

USES. The lime is said to be rather preferred to the lemon in the West Indies, as the acid is by many thought more agreeable than that of the lemon. Hedges are formed of the tree in the West Indies. The varieties of limes are very few.

SHADDOCK. (C. decumana.)

ORANGE PAMPLEMOUSE of the French.

The tree rises above the medium size, the branches spreading and prickly; leaves ovate, neither acute nor obtuse; the petioles cordate, with very broad wings; fruit spheroidal, its surface regular, of a greenish yellow color; the rind is white, thick, fungous, bitter; the pulp is red or white, with a subacid, sweet juice. This fruit is deemed the least useful class. Yet its extraordinary size gives it a striking appearance. It is stated to grow sometimes to the diameter of from seven to eight inches, and to the weight of fourteen pounds. But it requires two years to arrive at maturity in the climate of Europe. The leaf is the most beautiful of all the orange tribe.. The juice is excellent to allay thirst, and from the thickness of the skin, it will keep longer in sea voyages than any other species.

CULTIVATION. The trees are propagated either by seed, cuttings, or layers. If raised from seeds, they must be inoculated, inarched, or grafted when of suitable size; for the seedlings vary as much in quality, as the seedlings of the apple or pear. The best stocks are raised from the

seed of the common citron or lemon, and next to these, from the Seville orange. The cuttings are prepared by stripping the lower leaves, and cutting at the bottom close to an eye; these are to be placed in a pot, touching the bottom, or a piece of potsherd, and put in a warm situation, carefully shaded and covered with a hand glass till rooted.

All the varieties require a strong soil, and a warm and protected situation in unfavorable climates.

PINE-APPLE. (Bromelia ananas.) Hort. Trans. Loudon, Phillips, Lindley, and other sources.

The pine-apple is a native of Brazil and of Mexico, from whence it has been introduced to Asia, Africa, and Europe. According to Swinburn, it flourishes, unprotected, at Reggio, near Naples. In America, it grows as far north as the Bermudas. According to Loudon, it is by no means so delicate as many imagine; as it will bear a higher degree of heat, and a degree of cold which would have destroyed the foliage of the vine and peach in a state of vegetation. The most northerly points where they are known to be cultivated in Europe, unprotected, in the open ground, are, at Reggio, near Naples, lat. 40° 50'; in America, at the Bermudas, in the latitude of 32°. This fruit will flourish in all the sea islands and maritime districts of Florida, from the latitudes of 24° 20' to 28° north.

"The leaves of the pine-plant are long, narrow, channeled, and in general furnished with spines or prickles on their edges. The flowers are on a loose spike, on a scape, which is leafy at top; as the spike ripens, it takes the form of a fleshy, scaly strobile, or fruit composed of many berries, which have scarcely any cells or seeds."

The fruit, in form, bears some resemblance to the cones of some species of pine; its flesh is pretty firm, of a delicious fragrance; and for richness of flavor it is thought unrivalled. Some have described its flavor like that of strawberries with wine and sugar. Extraordinary specimens have weighed from nine to ten pounds.

USES. The pine-apple is considered the best of the dessert fruits; it is also preserved in sugar, and is used in the preparations of marinalades and other confectionaries; and the juice of the pine-apple, fermented, affords a delicious and wholesome vinous liquor.

VARIETIES.

1. ANTIGUA QUEEN. Lindley.

Fruit large, oval; pips large and prominent; flesh deep.. yellow, rich, and highly-flavored.

2. BLACK ANTIGUA. Brown Antigua. Neill. Lindley. Leaves of a brownish tinge, with strong prickles; fruit shaped like the frustum of a pyramid, but somewhat oval, of a large size; flesh pale yellow, and high-flavored. 3. BLACK JAMAICA. Neill. Lindley.

The fruit is large, pyramidal, brownish yellow; flesh deep yellow, and high-flavored.

4. ENVILLE. Cockscomb. Lindlev

The fruit is pyramidal, or oval-oblong, of medium size, deep orange; flesh pale yellow, and well-flavored.

5.

MONTSERRAT. Indian Black Pine. Neill. Lind The leaves are broad, long, recurved; fruit roundishovate; color pale; pips angular; flesh pale yellow, very sweet, and high-flavored.

6.

NEW BLACK JAMAICA. Lindley.

The leaves are long; the fruit is large, pyramidal, dark brown; flesh pale yellow, rich, and very high-flavored.

WHITE PROVIDENCE. New Providence. Loud. Lind. The leaves are very large and long; the fruit is the largest of all pines, oval-oblong; flesh very pale, sweet, and juicy. Weight from six to fourteen pounds.

8. QUEEN. Old Queen, Narrow-leaved Queen. Lind. Neill.

Esteemed the handsomest kind; fruit of medium size; oval form, of a gold color; flesh yellow, juicy, and sweet, with a very pleasant acid.

Fruit large, oval, dark orange; the flesh yellow, rich, and high-flavored. A very excellent fruit.

CULTIVATION AND SOIL. The pine-apple is propagated by seeds only for obtaining new varieties; but generally from suckers, or else from the crowns or excrescences growing on the fruit. The most suitable soil appears to be a mixture of good loam, or with a suitable proportion

of sand and vegetable mould or manure. The pine-apple requires much heat and moisture.

PLANTAIN. (Musa Paradisiaca.) Phillips. Loudon. Some assign this plant to Guinea, some to the East Indies, whence it was carried to the Canary Islands and the West Indies and Egypt. It is an herbaceous perennial plant, as it dies or is cut down annually. It rises with a soft, herbaceous, conical stalk, fifteen or twenty feet high, with leaves issuing from the top, six feet long and two feet broad. The fruit is produced on the summit in spikes, which sometimes weigh forty pounds. It is nine or ten inches long, and formed like a cucumber, but pointed at the ends; of a pale yellow color, and soft, sweet, luscious flavor. The fruit makes excellent tarts, and excellent sweetmeats, and is the most wholesome of all confectionary. It forms a principal part of the food of the negroes, who either broil or roast it; they boil it with salt beef, pork, and salt fish, and prefer it to bread, as do the Europeans. Dr. Wright says, the Island of Jamaica would scarcely be habitable without this fruit, as no species of provisions could supply its place. Dampier calls it the king of fruits. A plantation affords a succession of fruit for a whole year. It thrives only in rich, flat ground, and is propagated by suckers from the roots.

BANANA TREE. (Musa sapientum.)

It differs little from the plantain, having the stalks marked with dark purple stripes and spots, and the fruit is shorter and rounder. The fruit is more mellow, and is either eaten raw, or roasted, in fritters, preserves, marmalade; and the fermented juice affords an excellent wine. This fruit, according to Swinburn, grows in the open air at Reggio. From the fibres of the tree of the Banana, cloth and cordage are made, of uncommon strength.

M. Humboldt has calculated that the same ground which will produce four thousand pounds of bananas, will only produce thirty-three pounds of wheat, and ninety-nine pounds of potatoes.

AKEE TREE. (Blighia sapida.) Loudon.

The fruit is esteemed in the West Indies as very whole