The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-09-28
Thoughts on Oranges ana Or"is'
Culture.

O.onae Grover, in N. 0. Times ,o+
The orange crop Oh Louisiana i"''
wear may be stated as having 5o 0eeH
in the neighborhood Of loO'ooV 0''
ro,s This am satisfied, is lloefal
estimate, though some are inclined
to Mace it at double that NUMBER
The fact is, the amount OF Orange
land in this State is not great anu .,
100 n,oro than halt the land adapted
to that cuiture is as yet Pl@u'e"'
From all | can learn there is ho'
acreage enough in bearing trees 10
rroduce more than 100000 1t Is au7
mitted by those claiming the crop 10
have been greatly in excess OF 'na'
foure that nine>tenths OF the oranges
crown in the State arrive here IN
bulk in luggers. Now, 1t VIII gfeAC,
" tax the carrying capacity OF all
our fruit )uggers to transport during
October, November and December
more than IS, 900 barrels IL is upon
these and similar facts that L venture
10 make the above estimate.
This wear l will be glad to hear
that all the trees in the State have
aggregated 1000 barrels.
The intense cold OF last Winter
has very materially lowered the ems
tbusiasm of orange growers in Louis
lana When one is made to realize
the possibility OF the thermometer
dropping down to twenty and even
eighteen degrees, as illustrated mere
in December and January last, he
feels the insecurity Of that form OF
wealth heretofore SO pleasing to the
imagination, an orange grove There
is no denying that the damage was
very great. 1 do not think 1t an ex>
aggeration to say that at least ten
ner cent. OF all the fully matured
orange trees in Louisiana were killed
to the ground, and of the balance
forty per cent, and may be htty'
have lest their tops down to the first
branches. In some groves the per
ceptage has been very much above
that, while in Others it has fallen
considerably below. No one has
been able yet to formulate any theory
that will satisfactorily explain why
there should have been such marked
differences in the effects of the freeze
upon groves in the same neigbor-
hood, or upon different sections OF
the same grove. l have seen grove
this Summer, numbering nearly
1000 trees, wherein not two per
cent. were killed TO the ground, and
not FIVE per cent. otherwise injured,
except by the loss OF their leaves
and the killing of the fruit buds.
From all appearances that grove will
he in full bearing next year. IN the
nelohborhood another grove and SO
far as can see, surrounded by the
same intlueuces-t tine soils alike, and
trees Of the same age, both cultivated
in q similar way and belonging to
the same mainland yet one locking
as though it had passed through fire,
and the other, at short distance, APP
parenily without live tree. Here
more than sixty-fve per cent. OF the
trees are killed to the first branches,
the whole top gone. 1t will be fully
three wears before such trees will
have recovered sufficiently to pro-
apce fruit. If we knew the secret
for this favorItism it would be ralu-
oble. I have been told that small!
number OF orange trees Il don't res
,nomber where locatedj had the bark
Of their trunks split from top to bots
TOM by Il knife. 1t is claimed that
hose trees dia not lose their leaves
and a,e Ia.l Of FRAT To-day. The
oueration VAS performed believe,
the frs morning when the thawing
,.ooso,, .i.d on the southeast side ot
the ,re,. am rather skeptical on
the subject, and ii Ihis should meet
the eye 0. the owner of those trees