Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-06-05
THE ORANGE GROVES.
/ BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THEIR
ftANAGEnENT IN FLORIDA.

MANAGEMENT IN FLORIDA.
'Gia - the Wild Orange TEees-Grow-
ts.s fse., lac Standardization of the
a.ssoas Between the Trees-Gathering
aud i'ealsins t.a Fruit.
Feutteen yearsIago there were hardly a
.azsn ztsearintc orange trees in Florida; now
he cultivation OF athe most delicious fruit
Yfiian nature Yields is the leading indus
sss p. Gtat state. 1t is Il great mistake to
suppose that oranges are grown in every
part of Florida. Only the south-central
pasti Is ;.yaillole for the purpose indicated,
Du5 TIC Industry will yet bear expansion
o dimensions now undreamed of. The do
nestle and foreign demand increases con-
~stantiy.
Wild forest land has been made wonder
fully productive of good oranges. In what
Wsyy All the trees but the wild orange
trees We're cleared away, and these We're
cut down and bndded. To describe in de-
gall the manner in which these productive
groves were started: In the forest grew
many kinds OF hard wood trees, mixed
with the natural wild orange. The forest
ttrees excepting these were cut down and
taken away, and their roots and all small
plants cleared, so that abundant sunlight
and air could get to the wild orange trees.
These were thencut down to about three
Feet from the ground, and their top COW
erred with IA to prevent the remaining
timber from splittittg. In the space Of
three or four weeks buds started to grow
out of the mutilated trunks. Two healthy
ones on each side We're saved and their
gfowth carefullyiobseryed until the shoots
were about half an inch in diameter. At
his time one wtts selectedin preference to
the other, which was killed, and there was
ihserted within the chosen shoot a sweet
pud. The trunk was then carefully
trimmed down TO where the saved and
grated shoot was growing from.
BUDDING FROM WELL NOW FRUIT.
There are people who fancy that select
Ing the best seeds of choice FRANCES plant
ing them in a nursery bed, and renewing
the young trees to the grove when they are
about 2 or 8 years old, is better than bud.
ding. The preferable Way always is to bud
from well known fruit. Every grove, how
ever originated, has its nursery, and there
are besides nurseries throughout the
orange-growing section OF Florida, in which
Experiments are made with the seed of
Ichoice fruit imported from China and
Europe.
Best seeds are planted in the seed-bed.
After growing FIVE or six months there the
Young tIces are removed to the nursery
bed, where they are about a foot apart in.
n rows three feet apart. AS their growth
necessitates, in the. course Of time they are
SET oti5 feet from each other, preserv-
Ing, however, the same rows. When a
year old the bud is inserted, ~insuring the
nature and quality of the fruit to be in
time gathered from the trees.
1t. was originally supposed that all
orange trees when set out should be placed
IN a particular kind of soil. This idea has
been exploded by practical tests which
demonstrate the Feasibility of growing
them In every variety of soil, other condj-
tions being equal.
The spaces between the trees are dealt
with variously. There are growers who
take a horse and ordinary c~uItivator. and
keep the sell stirred up by constant Guilt
yation, thus destroying the wee6s and keep.
ing the land clear Others plant COW peas
between the trees, which in three or four
weeks cover the ground, and serve by their
groWthsto protect the roots of the trees
from excessive heat of the sun and to let
in air. In the fall the COW peas are plowed
in n serve to enrich the soil.
GATHERING AND PACKING THE FRUIT.
Orange trees notsbudded do not bear I'M
TIL they arc at ieastQ years old. but those
budded in two or three years from the
Zine of budding. They improve in pro-
Effectiveness with age, and their fruit i'm
proves in quality with the lapse of time,
having thinner riad and fewer. seeds.
When trees get in good bearing they
Will run from 1903 to $500 oranges each.
Unlike European producers, Florida
growers do not gather the fruit until it is
ripe or nearly SO. In Spain or Italy It'll
cut while green. The height of the Flor
ida seasoi1 is the middle Of February.
Oranges are ripe and fit for market in
November, but are in their prime in Jan
iuary and February. The greatest care is
taken in cutting the fruit. His ladder
having been placed against the tree the
pluckrs uscends it, provided with clipping
scissors attached TO q sort OF cup. He re-
moves the fruit, leaving a small stem to
each orange. The clipped fruit is removed
from the cup nto which it, has fallen
while being cut, into a basket hooked to
the ladder. Basketfuls are emptied into
the boxes, and these removed to the sort
ing4house.
There the oranges are sweater from
twenty-four to forty-eight hours, by which
forcihla, II not elegant expression. is un-
derstood that during the time specified
they are left to exnde water through the
skin, thereby toughening it. The fruit is
then placed in racks allowing the f~eest
access of air and drying it thoroughly.
Oranges are next sorted. An aproned
sorter Stands in front of an inclined
trough perforated with different sizes of
round holes. He sends the fruit gently
down an inclined plane, with the result
that eac.r ofthe oranges drops through it's
appropriate hole and the largest remain in
the trough. Wrapping in tissue paper
comes next in order, then boxing and
shipment to market.-Cor. Philadelphia
Cali.
Ii Future of Mormonism.