The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1882-04-12
Saz.
Ha86
Lemon Culture in Italy.

The following letter from General
Sanford, dated San Reno, March l,
1882, appeared in the South Florida
Journal OF the 30th ult.:
"Constrained by business reasons
to be absent from Florida this winter,
have taken months holiday in this
region, hoping to gain some new
facts touching cultures valuable to
Florida, and Orange county in partic.
ular, and in view of the large lemon
interest established at Belair, ] will
give you in this letter few points
about the methods along the Riviera.
San Reno and Mentone and the
country between, are especially de-
voted to lemon culture, which with
the olive, covers most Of the arabic
ground these steep hill-sides furnish.
Sheltered from the north winds with
southern exposure, both the lemon
and olive flourish admirably here,
and the former has increased rapidly
OF late years, and proved very prof.
table, The hill~sides are terraced
from top to bottom, every inch ct
space as well as every drop of water
obtainable, is utilized, the necessities
indispensable to the lemon here, are
sheltered from wind and water; thus
proceeding from San Reno to Genoa,
as / did few days ago, as the space
between the sea and the mountains
increased, high walls were made for
shelters against which the lemon
trees are trained.
The lemons here are budded upon
wild lemon stock, las the oranges are
upon the sour or bitter sweet stock)
at about three years from the seed,
and bear in two years alter, and a
peculiar feature OF this region is, that
lemons are gathered every month of
the year; those of what is called
first bloom lsay in September) be-
ing coarse and unmarketable for ex>
port. The same feature we remarked
at Belair obtains here, that the fruit
is rough and coarse the first year or
two, but improves as the tree MAJ
lures. The trees are planted twelve
to fifteen feet apart, usually twelye)
and mixed culture prevails so long as
is practicable; when the trees are
matured the shade prevents other
cultures.
The trees are budded low, say
three feet, aud trimmed low for the
benefit OF the sun and tor gathering.
Water is applied by irrigation during
the dry season (summer) of five
months, and fertilized once year Tin
the spring. in shallow trenches
around the trees; the fertilizer gen.
orally used is stable manure, the
next III favor is horn and bone par
ings and chips from the factories.
No so-called commercial fertilizers
are known here save guano, which
was tried with pernicious effects, and
to its use has been ascribed one of
The maladies Of the lemon tree.
Wooden rags and waste are in great
demand here land imported largely
as fertilizer for the olive trees, and
are applied also in circular trenches,
once in three years. There are no
large lemon groves here. Every
peasant has a few score trees, and
committee CT the commune directs
the gathering and sale (by auction)
OF the fruit and its division. 1t is
gathered for export green, when of a
particular size, a series OF iron rings
indicating the numbers by which they
are sized Tor packing. The price is
now very low, $3.50 to $500 per l.
900, 1t has reached as high as $l4
per 1000 in a particularly good sea.
son. One thousand per annum is a
good average yield for a tree in full
bearing.
had heard so much of the fine
quality Of the lemon Of this region,
that have been disappointed on
testing it here !; | have not as yet seen
lemon equal to some OF our fruit at
Belair, which imported from Nervi,
and l am inclined TO think that as
with the orange, our climate and soil
produce finer fruit. l brought some
Of our Belair oranges that you sent
over, with me here, and / have
amazed these people by their great
superiority over their fruit, in fact
there is no comparison between them,
ours being infinitely superior.
Eucalyptus trees are planted the
whole length OF this coast, reach to
great size and are a notable and
agreeable feature in the landscape.
l wish their culture was more large,
lY extended in Florida. where they
would be Of very great value for
GM1,Ii 90,