Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1881-06-11
Land Of Flowers.

tention to some of the fruits that grow
in this Aowery land. OF these the
most prominent is the citrus tribe. The
orange, lemon, lime and citron are all
species of the genus citrus, of which
fruits let us look to one at a time. We
will first take up the orange aud treat
of it more fully than We do Of therest,
since it seems to be the great beacon
that attracts so much attention. The
orange tree has an upright, smooth,
round brownish.gray trunk, A tree at
the age of 20 years is usually 20 feet
high and Is inches in diameter. Its
branches form a-ense cluster 20 feet
in length and and about the same in
diameter. The leaf is spear shaped,
of a dark lucid green on upper side,
under side lighter, slightly oval, per.
fectly smooth, 5 inches long by2 wide,
having petiole, or small leaf between
the main leaf and stem. There are
many exceptions TO the rules | here
give, but they cover most cases, The
tree is evergreen, and at a distance re-
semblcs the holly tree. lis blossom is
white, iayOring that Of the May apple,
though not larger than the blossom Of
the apple tree. It's branches have
thorns sometimes three inches long and
from one to three inches apart. These
thorns are a great disadvantage to the
oranges, often pricking them during
hard winds. The tree blooms from
February till April, the fruit ripens
and is gathered during the months Of
| November, December and January
1t yields its fruit annually. In deli
liciousness the Florida orange has per
haps no equal. The Seeding tree be
gins to bear at the age Of ten years
it has received proper attention, but i
does not pay much under twelve years
, The budded tree begins to bear at fv
years of age-it pays its expenses a
seven. 1t is not SO much trouble afte
it begins to bear. Every alternat
= year it bears a full crop. Say this
? the year for the tree to bear full Gro
r and it bears 1000 oranges (Which
! healthy budded tree does at 10 years
= next year it will bear 500. But til
e year following, or the time when it
e to bear a full crop, it will bear 2OO(
e OF tree ten years old each crop wi
9 increase on an average 500 Orange
S over the past crop until it reaches j
=. full growth, which is unknown.
y will certainly flourish many centurie
u increasing its fruit all the time. The
i is tree at st. Augustine which hi
e borne 10000 oranges at a single tin
? and yet is not failing.
Il Let me repeat that | am allowir
; the orange tree to have all the ate
/ ton necessary, and that my rules a
E. butapproximations, Everybody wan
al to know something about the pay
n an orange grove. 1t is generally /
g lieved that it pays enormously. v
II shall see. l don't wish to leave t
j. reader inquiring after anything.
Is Let's make some calculations accoI
er ing to the rules / have given aboy
1t Say there are 60 trees on an acre a
r. each tree bears 1000. We have s.
~ 600 oranges. Each orange brings T.
~ cents on the tree, which equals 81 ,2C
ed One man can attend to-a grove of f
,s- acres Five times the above amor
is $4,000. Think Of $4,000 bel
ng made on five acres of land
ms Oranges do not always bring
81 cents each sometimes they bring OIL
It's cent and a half. Sometimes
at trees are placed on an acre. Ev,
lily man seems to have a theory Of
for own on this. Let's have one more
ter culation, a calculation of someth
as that will probably never occur TIL
lly miles from Sanird is the Bellair g~
so, of 100 acres, owned by Gen. Saufc
Suppose there are 100 trees on an a
in then there are 10000 trees in
ian grove. Suppose each tree bears
gal that one at St. Augustine CO.,
ust oranges) then there are 100000,
D a oranges produced by the grove. II