This is one of the most delicious and beautiful of all the
dessert-fruits. Native in China, and much cultivated in Southern Europe.
It will do quite well as far north as the Ohio river. Trained as an
espalier, with protection of straw or mats, it will do tolerably well
throughout the Middle states. The fruit is about as large as an ordinary
apple, and has a tough, orange-colored skin, with a beautiful red cheek.
The tree is of low growth. Blossoms are highly ornamental, as is also
the fruit, during all the season. It is cultivated as the orange.
There are several varieties: the _sweet-fruited_, the _sub-acid_, and
the _wild_ or _acid-fruited_. The first is the best, and the second the
one most cultivated in this country; the latter yields a very pleasant
acid, making an excellent sirup. Pomegranates should be extensively
cultivated at the South, and form an important article of commerce for
Northern cities.