The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-07-20
The Longevity Of the Orange.

read before an Australian hoTticul
tural society, claiming great loDgeV
ity for the orange tree, and citing ID
stances of aged trees. At subse
duent meeting there was a genera
discussion which is Of interest. The
noints made were as follows; Mi
NOLAN deplored the fact that writers
followed each other when discussing
this subject. He was inclined 10
think that the orange would not live
long in our limestone soil. MI "A.
Mcdonald said: II am very glad
this subject has been brought for'
ward. as | think it is very desirable
that the facts as far as possible
should be known. That there are a
few old trees scattered about the
orange-growing countries in Europe
NAV. I think, be admitted as true !;
but they are the exception, not the
rule, or instead of individual trees we
should know of forests of trees. 1t
would be very strange thing if out
of the many millions of trees that
must have been planted during the
600 years that the orange has been
under cultivation in Europe there
would not be some that reached a
long age.E Plants vary more than
animals as regards the length OF time
they live; the animal can move about,
but the plant grows up, lives and
dies in The one spot; and where
trees reach a long age it will be
found, l think, that they have got in
to places particularly favored by ma.
ture and circumstances as well but
what becomes of the great majority,
taking into consideration that the
orange has everythingito recommend
it, thei. beauty of the tree, the fra
GRANGE Of its flowers, the value of its
fruit, and the excellence of its wood?
DR.. Lindley, in speaking OF the order,
says: 4 know not of an order more
interesting to man can be pointed
d ont 1t stands to reason, then, that
the tree from the first would be
largely planted, and that if in reality
long lived tree we should know OF
forests of trees instead of solitary
specimens, one said to be growing in
a box tor over $50 years. 1t seems
to me that the orange trees always
had TO be cultivated and looked
after, and for one that has lived to a
very long age, many thousands must
have died. z have not been able my
self to find any work that gives any
definite information on the subject.
The enc quoted by Mr.. Pascoe that
l put most value on, is Don Jose de
Cant's letter to G. Moore, where he
says that before the outbreak OF the
sagrina their orange trees in the
Azores lived TO 200 or 800 years;
but the chief argument of his letter is
that since the disease broke out in
1884 they have not been able TO get
their trees to live to any great age.
The letter concludes with the words
we can Low 10 longer count upon
handing our orange trees over to our
children e. Now, it must be borne in
mind that sthe islands OF the Azores
are particularly suited tor the growth
Of the orange trees, yet they cannot
with all their generations OF expert
ence keep them alive to be called
old trees.
"The orange trees died off so in
New South Wales that the govern
ment there sent Charles Moore over
to Europe expressly to find ont the
cause of their dying, and he reports
that he saw there whole orangerie,
going of, dying just the same as i,
New South Wales. And what is The
experience of South Australia? MOI
that the orange tree is a very long
lived but very much the other way
The principal reason, however, thai
have for holding the opinion that
the orange tree is not now naturall