The Eustis Limequat, A New Hardy Lime

T. Ralph Robinson, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.

The coming of prohibition has af to obtain in the region where citrus fected many lines of industry in vari culture is a leading industry than in the ous and often unexpected ways. It is North, where no citrus fruits are pro now claimed that the demand for limes duced. and lemons has been seriously affected Regardless, therefore, of the gin- by the abolition of gin-ricky and sim ricky and the shipping value of the ilar concoctions, so that it may seem limes, a lime that could be safely grown a waste of time to introduce to you a for local use would fill a long felt want new fruit of the lime character. in the citrus growing regions of the There will doubtless, however, Gulf states. come a reaction and the lime may soon In January, 1913, Mr. Walter T. become even more in demand for its Swingle, of the U. S. Department of own excellent qualities and not merely Agriculture, read a paper before the as an added flavor. American Breeders' Association at. Co Moreover, for Florida and the Gulf lumbia, S. C, in which he made refer Coast the supply of acid fruits of the ence to the limequat, as follows: lime or lemon character is decidedly "Another new type of fruit is the deficient for several reasons. In the limequat, which I originated in 1909 first place, they are too easily injured by crossing.the common West Indian by coldto be grown with success ex lim$ with the kumquat orange. I do cept in a few well protected spots. The not need to explain to those familiar importation into Florida of the Cali with citrus fruits that the lime is the fornia lemons is cut off owing to the most tender of all the commonly grown danger of introducing the "brown rot." plants of this group,. It is frequently Mediterranean lemons, when imported, frozen to the ground even in southern are expensive; can only be obtained Florida, and is often injured by frosts in the larger towns, and there is no which have scarcely any effect on other knowing when some new disease may citrus trees. The kumquat, on the make it undesirable to admit Medi other hand, is one of the hardiest of terranean citrus fruits into our citrus- the evergreen citrus fruit trees. This growing sections. And so it often hap is, without doubt, due not so much to pens that a lemonade or limeade, or its direct powers of cold resistance as the fruit itself for flavoring, is harder to its remarkable dormancy. The kum- 98 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY quat is able to pass unaffected through ponied) was used in pollenizing the Jong spells of hot weather, which force common or West Indian lime. other citrus trees into a tender arid suc The fruit immediately attracted my culent growth that is liable to be in attention. It was striking in appear jured by even a slight frost. Some ance, resembling the oval kumquat, measure of its dormancy is indicated though smoother in texture, and less by the fact that it flowers from two to elongated in shape. The color, when three months later than other citrus mature, is a light yellow, resembling trees. Fortunately the pulp of the that of grapefruit. When cut the fruit kumquat, although small in amount, shows its lime character; it' is thin* is mildly acid and, as might be ex skinned, has few seeds, is very juicy, pected, the hybrids between the lime and the flavor can hardly be distin and the kumquat prove to be of a guished even by an expert from the very desirable character. The lime- true lime. The rind, moreover, is dis quats vary in size from, that of a large tinctly edible, like that of the kum kumquat to that of a small lime. The quat, so that for use in preserving it skin is thin and of agreeable aroma would have some advantages over the and flavor, and the pulp juicy and of true lime. varying degrees of acidity, some of the Specimens submitted to the citrus hybrids being almost as acid as the experts and growers have in every sourest lime, others being scarcely case brought forth most enthusiastic more acid than the kumquat itself." opinions, it being held that the lime- This series of lime-kumquat crosses, quat's place in citrus culture is not de made June 2, 1909, at Eustis, Florida, pendent entirely on unusual hardiness. resulted as here stated in a lot of sis Even if it should prove no more hardy ter hybrids varying in character, all than the sweet orange, it would be of more or less desirable. great value throughout the orange- The last cold spell that proved dam growing regions, as the lime is so ex aging to citrus in Florida^ that of Feb tremely tender that its culture is now ruary, 1917, brought tome a realiza almost entirely confined to the pro tion that there existed in Florida a real tected keys along the Florida coast. need for a hardy lime or similar acid Sister hybrids of this limequat have fruit. been fruited out at Glen St. Mary, When I returned to Washington in Florida, in the northern tier of Florida 1918 to re-enter the service of the De counties, but were killed out in the suc partment of Agriculture, I found fruit cessive freezes of 1917 and 1918. With ing in one of the Department of Ag a little protection while young and dur riculture greenhouses one of these hy ing unusually severe weather, it is brids, known simply as Hybrid No. probable that this hardy form of lime 48793. In this particular cross, pollen could be grown at least in home gar of the round kumquat (Fortunella Ja- dens all around the Gulf Coast. tin FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

The plant in the Department green quat on stocks best suited to orange house was a pot-grown plant budded growing soils. Its fruiting season is on grapefruit stock that was trans also of importance, but the indications planted in February, 1917, to the bed are that it will produce some fruit dur in the large orange house. It was then ing a good part of the year. This can only two feet in height. It bloomed doubtless be influenced to some extent and set fruit the next spring, maturing by methods of fertilization and culti a good crop of fruit that fall and win vation. ter. It promises to be more or less Budding on different stocks has al everbearing, having bloom and fruit ready been done in several typical cit at the same time, like the lime parent. rus localities in Florida, and it has also The spines on the bearing wood and been introduced for trial in the other young growth are usually quite incon Gulf states and in California. Thus far spicuous, a decided point in favor of it has done well on all stocks tried. It this hybrid. Some of the sister hy promises to afford a valuable addition brids exhibit rather large spines, even to our citrus fruits, especially for home on the young wood. gardens and local markets. tJp to the The foliage characters indicate that present time, it has been known sim this limequat will possess much of the ply as the limequat No. 48798. As immunity to disease and insect pests other limequats may later be propa enjoyed by the kumquat, As is well gated, it would be desirable to have a known, the kumquat is remarkably distinctive name for this fruit. As the free from Scab and Anthracnose, which cross was made at Eustis, a well known often seriously disfigure the common citrus center, it is here proposed, with lime. The kumquat is also the most the approval of the.originator, Walter resistant of all citrus varieties to Cit T. Swingle, to name this fruit, the rus Canker, amounting to practical im "Eustis limequat." A technical de munity. Inoculation experiments have scription will shortly be issued as a De already demonstrated that the lime partment of Agriculture circular to quat is very resistant to this disease. place this fruit on the list of established It is desirable to learn, as.soon as horticultural varieties. possible, the productiveness of the lime