The Florida agriculturist., 1885-01-14

when an opinion has taken root in the
mind of men, it is not sufficient for its
destruction that Nature reveals herself
by her operations. Prejudice will long
contend against belief of facts and those
who dare first to attack these prejudices
must expect censure, and be content to
relinquish the honor of their discoveries
during life.
More than century has passed since
Ferraris remarked that there were eli
mates where the sweet orange repro
duced itself from the seed, and still the
prejudice in favor of the graft exists in
the minds of the greater number Of agri-
cultural writer's.
1t is by means of the graft, or by cut
tings, that this tree is still multiplied at
Salo, in Sicily, and in Naples, and always
upon citron trees. 1t is by graft upon
the bigarade that the sweet orange is
multiplied at Seville, at Valencia, in
Crete, at Nice, and in Provence.
M. Vacea, a land owner at Finale, and
owner of many orange trees, when at
Palermo in 1870, was at the country
seat of the Marquis Airoldi, then Presi-
dent of Sicily. Seeing only small trees
in these gardens, as well as in all parts
of the isle, he expressed astonishment,
and gave so glowing description of the
Finale orange trees, that he was scarcely
believed. But the details were so posi-
tive that M. Airoidi, great amateur of
oranges, and a well informed man, decid-
ed to make voyage to Finale, expressly
to see our plantations. He came there
in 1793-94, and was SO surprised at the
beauty of our trees, that, on returning to
Sicily, he took with him family of cul-
tivators, in order to conduct his planta-
ton according to the method in Finale.
know not whether he was made to
see that the beauty of these plants was
only due to the nature OF the tree, which
coming from the seed, is more vigorous ;
nor whether he afterwards introduced at
Palermo the culture of free trees. only
know that even at that period the orange
at Sicily was but a grated tree, and that
the most beautiful gave only twelve or
fifteen hundred oranges each.
This custom of grating had in its favor
several circumstances. The grated or
ange gave fruit almost Immediately,
while free tree produced fruit only after
twelve or fifteen years: this, of itself
would appear important enough to give
the preference to the common method.
Many other reasons unite to sustain it.
From the first it was supposed that the
bigarade resisted cold better than the
sweet orange (nec hiemene reformidant
ltpote hd5itW calidiora. FER, p. 451),
and this advantage seemed very impor-
tant. Afterwards it was said that it had
the real advantage of submitting more
readily to cultivation in boxes, because
it grew more slowly, and remained
smaller, than the free orange tree. Fin
ally, the custom of grating suited the
views of the specializing gardeners, as
we'll as amateurs. Both had no other
object than to be assured of the vatieties
they possessed, and which they desired
to preserve. The success of the seed was
distant and uncertain.
Thus it could interest no one but the
philosopher desirous to study Nature in
her operations; and he would need in ad-
dition to an absorbing love for science,
means and leisure in order to devote to
this study land and time.
Thus we see why there has been such
delay in learning the nature of this spe-
cies, which, during a number of years,
has existed but precariously upon diff
ferent species.