Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-06
FertiIizers for Oranges.

There is probably no fruit tree that APP
preciates liberal treatment more than the
orange. The fact that it win grow stea-
Oily in good soil, and in the course Of
that it would not give far better returns IL
supplied with a reasonable amount Of
suitable fertilizers.
During recent trip through the south
ern part of the State we saw Illustrations
OF the value Of manure to the orange.
A gentleman having a suburban resi-
dence on sandy land on the southern edge
of the town of Los Angeles explained the
great superiority of the trees in portion
Of his grounds by stating that they had
been MANFRED. He claimed that with
proper attention to this point he could
double the growth of his orange trees.
Near San Gabriel, the largest crop which
we found in this of year for oranges was
in an orchard whose owner has been very
liberal in the use of sheep manure, al
though he has TO haul il eight miles. A
certain portion of the orchard was par
ticularly worthy of notice, as the soil was
there so poor that the trees were for some
years sickly and yellow. A dressing of
manure at the rate of fOur-horse load to
eight trees made them vigorous and
thrifty, ard they are this season loaded
with fine fruit.
Du Breuil, the French authority on ar
bOrculture, says: 1.-The application of fer
tiliZers is indispensable to hasten the de-
yel0pment of the orange tree and maintain
its fertility. Without that it grows slowly,
it soon becomes loaded with fruits which
remain small, which exhaust the tree by
their abundance, and it succumbs long
before having given its maximum product.
The orange tree demands fertilizing during
two different periods of its existence
during its first development, when the
4 srao~ ho 1.F.v,r 1sr.aA IN, 10
hasten as much as possible the formation
of the framework Of the tree and the OBJ
tanning Of the maximum product; then
afterwards during the remainder of its
existence. 1t is no more then than dress
ing for maintenance, of which the fire.
quence and abundance are indicated by
the state of growth of the trees.
''FOr the first period of growth of orange
trees it is proper to use fertilizers of rapid
decomposition, in order to furnish imme-
diately and abundantly nutritive elements
to the roots. Such are we'll prepared ma
nures, pigeon dung, oil cake, guanO, dried
blood, refuse from silk-Worm nurseries,
fecal matters. For the dressing for main
tenance fertilizers of slower decompOsf-
ton are to be preferred, such as horn
pairings, crushed bones, wooden rags,
hair, tendOns, leather waste. The effect
of these last fertilizers is prolonged DUR
ing five to eight years. Both classes are
applied ever all the extent of the soil
which is supposed to be occupied by the
roots, and particularly upon the points to
which the root extremities have reached,
that is to say, under the perimeter of the
head of the trees. These fertilizers are
buried at the end of autumn"
A gentleman at Riverside has sown a
crop of ''cow peas" to be turned in green,
as is done in the orange orchards of Louis
lana and Florida.
We have somewhere read of a similar
practice in the Azores, where lupin is
sown and turned under when foot or
more high as the best manure for the
orange. Some of the native lupins of
California would probably be well suited
to this use.
Barnyard manure, to be used safely,
should be thoroughly deeomposed and
pulverized, so as to neither heat nor dry
out the soil.-CultirdtOr' Guide CdL.)