The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-06-16
The Sage PaIm-AnOther Rare
Vegetable Phenomenon.
From the FloTidian.

From the Floridian.
We have been shown by Colonel
A. A. Fisher another of those
curious formations of the Sage palm
--CicoS circinaIS like to the one
mentioned last week. The trunk OF
this plant, which stands, with many
other rare specimens in the flower
garden surrounding his residence, is
something more than four feet in
height and about one in diameter.
The so-called flower head-which, in
fact, is cone, analogous to that pro-
duced by our pine trees-covers the
entire top of the trunk and is slightly
convex upward. In shape it bears
slight resemblance to a large sun
flower surrounded by it's false carolla,
but it is constructed on an entirely
different plan. The cone, as it is
properly called, is composed OF in
Vulnerable pieces, each seperate
piece corresponding to the scale of a
pine cone, but differing widely from
Ii in appearance. They resemble
somewhat the tentacles OF cutie
fish folded closely from each direc-
ton so as to form compact disk
They are almost round, thickly
covered with wool like down, and
taper from the base to the point.
The outer and older ones are tipped
with sharp spine. The plant has
no observable flower proper, but
WoodSFWsFao5TisTR.. if'F He f'afGtu ltN5FSe
China lemon trees close to the ground
in 1868, and they have truited heav-
ilv from the third year to the present
time; five out OF the twelve are now
diving. The twelve trees are at the
end OF twelve rows in orchard and
form the outside row. Just outside
the row and across the end Oh the
orchard was an irrigating ditch, while
twelve other bitches led along each
row of trees ending at the China
lemon trees. We believe the cause
of the disease Of the five trees
was over bearing and too much wa
ter. We saw Two or three other dis
eased Seeding oranges in the same
orchard. Mr.. Woodwork says If
he were to plant again he would gum
cunx orange Oh China lemon stock
in an orchard on orange to get early
returns. His soil is sand loan.
The next oldest trees on China
lemon stock are on the place OF j. X.
Dobbin, of San Gabriel, who has
twenty trees, ten year-old buds Oil
thirteen-year old China lemon roots.
They are now standing in the Old
nursery grounds Of H. II. Messenger,
by whom they were budded to Konah
and Wilson's Best. The soil is a
rich gravelly loan, like that on which
stands the famous San Marine or
chard. They have had the same care
and amount OF water that the orange
stock have. Three out OF twenty
have died, and fourth is dying ont
at the top. He says they had sap
disease. We saw two tall slender
trees near by-remnants of the old
stock remaining in nursery form,
which had the same disease. Mr..
Dobbin's trees have borne early
large crops OF handsome fruit, that
always commands the top price.
The rest OF the trees seem healthy.
Mr.. Dobbin, IN view of the loss OF
tour trees out of twenty, is not dis
posed to plant any more orange on
lemon stock. We should say the two
trees of old nursery stock were sug-
gestive, and that the antecedent cir
cumstances OF early growth and man
agement of nursery stock and or
chard in nursery, would prove inter
esting in connection with the cause
OF disease. We saw seeding orange
dying out at the top at Mr.. Landt1r,s
place, in the Duarte, and at Mr.. Will
sons place at San Gabriel, from no