The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-06-27
About or.ns, Trees.

orange and lemon trees. There is not
much use for any one to apply for an
orange or lemon tree who does not live
in the orange-growing belt. This ex-
perimental nursery is maintained for
the benefit of the practical growers of
citrus fruits, most of whom live in CAL
iiornia and Florida. If every person
who wants an orange tree for hot
house ornament was to be gratified, the
depa, tment would have to greatly en-
large its facilities for growing plants.
The object is tn introduce the best va.
rieties of oranges that grow in any part
OF the world into the Florida and Cali
fornia orchards. '.aua.H
Running down the middle of the hot
house there is bed of earth, probably
four feet wide, in which the big orange
trees are growing. There may be
twenty or more of these trees, and most
of them are fifteen or twenty years old.
Constant pruning and cutting has pre-
vented them from growing to the usual
size, and the trunk of the largest is not
more than two inches and half in d.
ameter. These trees represent the best
varieties of oranges, and once a year
they bear fruit, which attests the excel
lence of the family of which each one
belongs. The Scrptural maxim. "Ev-
cry tree is known by its fruit. is the law
of this experimental garden, and
such as do not bear good fruit are
speedily torn up by the roots. In the
summer the roof is taken from the hot
house, and nature is allowed to have
to ire, ict =
ened the glass roof is put back in its
place. and if any branches have pushed
t cir way above the ridgepole they are
cut of, so that no tree ever gets to be
more than fourteen feet high. Orange
trees in Florida grow to n height of
forty feet in twenty-five years. One
tree has been known to produce crop
OF 10000 oranges in single season.
The price of oranges at the orchards
is about one cent apiece, SO that this
tree brought its owner SlOlayear. Not
many trees are so prolific, but an or
ange grove within easy reach of rail
road transportation is very lucrative
piece of property. Jos.
Although the orange is more apt to
reproduce from the seed the distinctive
qualities of the variety to which it be-
longs than any other fruit. sometimes
it does not hence the department does
not risk the growing of good oranges
from the seed. All the little trees
are gratis from the big trees in the hot
house. seeds are put in pots, and
when the plant that springs therefrom
gets large enough shoot from the big
tree is grated into IL. When it arrives
at bearing age it produces the fruit of the
big tree. These grated plants grow
very slowly in pots. and at three years
OF age they are nothing but switches.
When planted out in suitable soil they
grow much more rapidly, but at best
the orange tree is of very slow growth.
1t is this circumstance that wrecks
the prospects of so many people who
go to Florida expecting to make money
from an orange orchard. After they
plant their orchard they must wait
about twelve years before it comes into
good bearing. 1t i not surprising that
those who are past middle l-fe get tired
wait ny for a return for their invest
ment. Aged people should only plant
orange groves for their children. The
4 Il
is said that there are orange trees still
producing fruit that are over 500 years
old. This may be an eXaggeration. A
yauth. however, whose parents have
planted an orange orchard for him is
likely to continue 10 eat of the fruit
through his whole life. even if it be pro-
longed through the four score years
allotted to man.
There is an impression in the North
that Florida produces Variety of
oranges which differs from the oranges
of other countries. When people ask
for Florida oranges, and are given
oranges that were grown in that State.
they are satisfied. and if the fruit turns
out to be soar or woody in its structure
they presume that it has been pulled
before it was ipe, and make no COM
plant about it. Now, as 4 ma ter of
lact. there are almost rs many varieties
of oranges rs of apples, and prett,
nearly all the varieties are grown in
lorida. Some are delicious and some
'are very bad. The Spaniards brought
the orange 10 Florida more than $40
years ago, and probably for 800 years
nothing was done to improve the stock
There is a great tendency in all fruits
when grown from the seed to run back
into wildness, and the Florida orange
suffered greatly from this deterioration.
The birds carried the seeds about, and
the wild, sour oranges that grow in the
swamps are the legitimate descendants
of the good oranges OF 2 couple of cen
turtles ago. A good many sour and
bitter oranges of The cd stoc are still
sent to the North. and find purchaser
because they come from Florida.
When Mr.. William Saunders. Superin-
tendent of Gardens and rounds of the
Agricultural department., was on tle
west coast of Florida. last winter Il
year, he was told at Tampa that the
very best oranges grew at Manitee.
W hen the boat arrived at Manitee
man came on board with a basket of
oranges, and MIR. saunders bought a
dozen. After tasting four or five, and
finding them bitter and sour. he threw
them all into the water. The huckster
had evidently got hold of very bad
variety of the native orange. The best
oranges that grow in Florida have been
there since the war.
The agricultural apartment gets
orange trees from all the orange-grow-
ing countries in the world, and propa-
gates those that seem TO bear COOL
fruit. The best orange tree in the t.
house came from Bahia, Brazil. The
iruit is medium-sized. tbin-skinned, of
golden color, and delicious flavor.
Many hundred shoo from this tree
have been grated inlo plants and sent
to alifornia and Florida, and from |
these whole orchards have been pro-
lnced hY hndhinn and rrrn ftinnr In !