In 1636 an English report on the affairs of the navy gravely remarked
that “the use of lemon is a precious medicine and well tried. Take two
or three spoonfuls each morning and fast after it two hours.” The value
of the fruit for certain disorders of the system seems to have received
an early recognition. This was especially true with regard to scurvy,
which in earlier days caused widespread mortality among seafaring men.
Hawkins, in 1593, made the statement that more than ten thousand men had
succumbed to the malady within the limits of his naval experience. The
Crusaders under Louis IX. were severely attacked by scurvy, owing to
their abstinence from fresh meat during Lent, and the history of the
disease shows that it is occasioned by a lack of fresh meat and fruits.
The efficacy of lemon juice was recognized by Drake, Davy, Cavendish,
Dampier and many others years ago, and time has but added to the value
of the fruit, while it has made it accessible to everyone. While Pomona
is generally credited with having devoted her entire attention to the
cultivation of the apple, it is stated on authority of an old Greek
myth, that she gave considerable thought to the development of the Lemon
and the orange. It appears that Pomona inclined not her ear to the
supplications of her many admirers until Vertumnus, discerning her
vulnerable point, presented the fair gardener with a grafting, which,
under her skillful cultivation, developed into a lemon tree, and, as a
reward, the favor of the wood-nymph was bestowed upon the youth.
Whether or not such was the origin of the Lemon, the fact remains that
the fruit is most useful and the tree exceedingly attractive. Originally
a native of Asia, it has become widely distributed in Europe, Africa and
America, and although far more susceptible to injury from frosts than
the orange, the trees are successfully cultivated under many conditions.
Doubtless the best results in this country have been obtained in
California. Thousands of acres around San Diego are planted with lemon
trees while large districts in the Ojai Valley, Ventura, Santa Barbara,
Pomona and Los Angeles counties are devoted to its cultivation. The tree
is remarkable for beauty, and while it seldom attains large proportions,
its pale green leaves, loosely-hanging branches, showy and fragrant
flowers, together with the fruit that is found in all stages of
development, produce a pleasing and highly ornamental effect. While the
best crop of Lemons is generally gathered between December and April,
the fruit should be picked every month for ten months of the year, in
order to retain the best results. As a rule, the trees yield from one
hundred and twenty-five to one hundred and forty boxes of the fruit to
the acre, about the sixth year, but this number is increased to four
hundred boxes when the groves reach an age of ten years.
The varieties of Lemons are distinguished chiefly by their size and
form, and may be roughly classified as egg-shaped with blunt nipples and
oblong lemons with large nipples. The sweet lemon and thin-rind Poncine
and Naples belong to the first class, while the second includes such
forms as the imperial, the Gaëta and the wax. The principal varieties
grown in California are the Lisbon, Eureka and the Villa-Franca. Of
these, the Eureka originated in California, while the Villa-Franca was
imported from Europe. Besides the grateful quality of the juice, the
expressed oil of the rind is used in the arts and has an intense odor of
lemon, and the Pundits of Benares, quote a Sanskrit work, written about
1354, in which the oil is described as a valuable medicine. The acid
pulp of the Lemon, after rasping off the rind, is pressed for citric
acid, while the ottos of the Lemon, orange and bergamot, the preparation
of which forms the chief industry of Sicily, are leading ingredients in
the preparation of “Lisbon Water” and “Eau de Portugal.”
—Charles S. Raddin.
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