The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-06-09
The Florida Lemon, Etc.
ESasr Of 30 Florida Asrco~1turtss:

Ihe EIOrIUa Lemon, ECc.
E1nsr Of 30 Florida AsvNcx1s~tT:
In late issue of your paper 1 no.
tice a letter on lemons; the writer
objects to the Florida grown Sicily
seeding and says that lemon that
will develop bitterness when cut up
and soaked in water for several hours
is an inferior fruit, etc. 1t seems TO
me that all this is ''stuft," and the
taucies and whimS of our fastidious
people, a set or class who 90 IN more
for appearance than for solidity and
comfort, and who devote more time
and labor to "show" than is really
good for the world 1 do not
mean to condemn progress, for if we
can really and proitably produce a
lemon which will rank among the for
eign prod ucts as our orange does,
why that would be ''jolly;;" but if we
have to do this by scientific manipu-
lations-budding, grating, etc.,-I
tear our progress will be slow and un-
profitable. We grow a fine orange
almost naturally, this is success
surely we can afford to offer low an
inferior lemon. The only question is,
can we make the growing OF an inte-
rior fruit Of this profitable, say yes,
more so than our fine orange, then
why stand back and croak that ours
is not the finest lemon in the world
In fact, very often, one will find Med
iterranean lemons bitter in this same
respect. The Department of Agri-
culture seems to think that the bitter
quality is owing to the effects of Gil
mate and soil, and says that it is Pc
culiar to all the citrus fruits. One
might as we'll say the orange will not
do because the rind will not be good
for pies, ETC., or object to the peach
because near the seed there is a
si.sks.sI ,bitte4f ~ More harm is
e Y isssS.;5 s ! finding class ! ian
his intehigtnce directs. Then, too,
it becomes the consumer to look to
himself; but l will not have space,
nor am expected to deliver a
grapger's address; l am simply to
try to impress upon our people the
necessity for doing whatever will pay
at all well. "First be sure you are
right and then go ahead" eft a
thing he worth doing at all, 1t is
worth doing we'll" Please 10 put this
down in your Uranium and make it a
rule to analyze them once every day,
and especially when at work, and the
sagacity OF David Crockett and Ben
iamin Franklin for your assurance
that it will be we'll with you in the
end. AS an illustration of what |
am "driv'ng at," l would say that l
know a great many parties who have
orange trees, and orange and other
groves, which it has taken them
years of time if not much labor to SO
lar perfect; but l will begin with
the case OF one of my nearest neigh
bors, whose case, by the way, is
simply parallel to that of more than
l can count on my fingers, hence the
Importance of stirring thought upon
this matter Near the house there
grew up, might say, kind O wildly,
several orange and grape fruit trees
which fruited early; the food tor
fruit having accumulated tor years in
the soil they put on very heavily
and matured abundance tor family
use even unto the third year but
now, this year, the crop will be
Whitfield down to a 'sharp point" and
will be nothing hardly at all. Now
l venture some opinions which
1 feel confident the experience of
more aged and practical residents
and fruit growers, it expressed, for
the benefit of the country, would
clinch the assumptions to the satis-
faction of every intelligent mind.
1st. The accumulations from the
kitchen which accidentally found
their way near the trees, and the
droppings OF the chickens, pigs and
dogs more sufficient to make tue
trees, and also to furnish besides,
food for two to three crops OF fruit,
after the exhaustion of which, the tree
could only bear fruit in proportion to
the food which CHANGED to fall in
reach, and which, under the unfavora.
BILE conditions OF non. cultivation, be.
came soluble and in condition tor
use. I'd. These trees are perfect
mass of dead limbs, twigs and thorns