The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-10-19

= BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THEIR
MANAGEMENT IN FLORIDA.

fng from the Standardization Of the
Spaces Between the Trees-Cathering
and Packing the Fruit.
Fourteen years ago there we're hardly
lOzen- bearing orange trees in Florida. now
The cultivation Of "the most delicious fruit
which nature yields is the leading indus
sry in that state 1t IS q great mistake 70
suppose that oranges are grown in every
part Of Florida Only the souta-cantra
1ert is available for the purpose indicated,
5ut the industry viii yet bear expansion
% dimensions now undreamed Of The do
nestle and foreign demand increas"7 con
SANITY
Wild forest land has been made wonder
July productive Of good oranges. In what
Hay2 All the trees but the wild orange
.rees we're cleared away, and these were
.ut down and budded. To describe IN de
sal the manner in which these productive
groves were started IN the lOreSt grew.
many kinds Of hard wood trees mixed
with the natural wild orange. The forest
Trees excepting these were cut down ana
AIKEN away, and their roots and all small
plants cleared, 80 that abundant sunlight
and air could get to the wild o.. nge trees,
These were then cut down to about three
'set from the ground, and their top Gov
3red with wax TO prevent the remaining
three or four weeks buds started to grow
out Of the mutilated trunks. Two healthy
ones on each side were saved and their
growth carefully observed until the shoots
were about half an inch in diameter. At
This time one was selected IN preference to
the other which was killed, and there was
inserted within the chosen shoot a sweet
bud. The trunk was then carefully
trimmed down to where the saved and
Vraffpd shoot WAS growing from
BUDDING FROM WELL. K NCWN FRUIT.
There are people whofaHcy that select
ing the best seeds of choice oranges, plant
ing them in nursery bed, and removing
the young trees 20 the grove when they are
about 2 or 3 years rs is better than bud
ding The preferable Way always is 60 bud
from well known fruit. Every grove. how
ever originated, has It's nursery, and there
are besides nurseries throughout the
Orange-grOwing section of Florida, in which
experiments ere made with the seed Of
choice fruit imported from China and
Europe.
Best seeds are planted n the seed bed
After growing nre or six months there the
young trees are removed to the nursery
bed, where they are about a foot apart in (
In rows three feet apart. As their growth I
necessitates, in the course Of time they are
set out two feet from each other, preserv- (
ing, however, the same rows. When 4
year old the bad IS inserted, insurinG the .
nature and quality Of the fruit 10 De in (
time gathered from the trees
1t was originally supposed that ali !
orange trees when set out should be placed {
In particular kind Of soil This IDEA has .
been exploded by practical tests which /
demonstrate the feasibility of growing .
then. IN every variety of soil, other condi- .
tons being equal.
The spaces between the trees ars-d eait /
with variOusly There ere grower svll1 .
take horse and ordinary cultivstoT. AID I
keep The soil stirred mp by constalt cr,ti-
vstion, thus destroying the weecs and keep
ing cae land clear. Others plant COW peas
between the trees, which in three or four
weeks cover the ground, and serve by their
growth to protect the roots OF tie trees /
from excessive heat Of the sun end TO let
in ar. N the tall she COW peas are plowed
In and serve TO enrich the SOL.
GATHERING AND PACKING THE F..IFE.
Orange trees not budded do not bear un-
til they are at least 10 years old Int those
budded in two or three -ears from the
time of budding. They improve in pro-
ductiveness with age, and their fruit i'm
proves In quality with the lapse Of time,
having thinner rind and fewer seeds.
When trees get in gOod bearing they
wiz run from 1000 to 8 500 oranges each.
Unlike European producers, Florida
growers 90 not gather the Trult until 1t Is
ripe or nearly 50. In Spain or Italy il is
cut while green. The height of the Flor
ida season is the middle Of February
Oranges are ripe and lit for market in
but are in their prime In Jan
uary and February. The greatest care is
taken in cutting the fruit His ladder
having been placed against the tree the
plucker ascend5 it, provided with clipping
scissors attached to a sort of cup. He re
moves the fruit, leaving a small stem to
each orange The clipped fruit is removed
from the cup into which it has fallen
while being cut, into basket hooked to
the ladder Basketfuls are emptied into
the boxes, and these removed to the sort
ing-house.
There the oranges are "sweated' from
twenty-fOur to forty-eight hours, by which
forcible if not elegant expression, is IN
derstOOd that during the time specified
they are left TO exude water through the
skin, thereby tOughening it. The fruit is
then placed in racks allowing the freest
access of air and drying it thoroughly.
Oranges are next -s2KteSSOxeltr- anrona6
sort. -5oands 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 each of the oranges drops through its
appropriate hole and the largest remainin
the trough. Wrapping in tissue paper
comes next in order, then boxing and
to market.-COr. Philadelphia
Call