The Florida agriculturist., 1889-05-15

on this class of land that the wild sweet
trees were found, from which most OF the
buds used in the famous Dummitt grove
were obtained. In 1843 Mr.. John d..
Sheldon found this grove OF about 200
sweet trees growing irregularly on Turn
bull Hammock, few miles south OF
Hawks Park. He took them up and re-
set them on what is now known as the
PackWood Place, where there are thirty
eight of them still growing. From the de-
scendants of these and other scattered
trees still growing where they were first
found in the hammock three-fOurths OF
all the bearing trees on this coast were
budded and it was fruit gathered from
this strain that the Indian River orange
has won it's reputation.
Many of the wild sour and bitter-sWeet
trees have been cut off and budded where
they stand and the land cleared and cul-
tivated. In this way bearing groves are
obtained in remarkably short time and
the fruit, in eating qualities and appear
ance, is unsurpassed. 1t was the general
opinion that when on these lands the or
ange trees and their roots were deprived
of the shade of the Overhanging forest
trees they would fail, but such has not
proven the case. On the contrary, such
lands are coming more and more into fa-
vOr each year as sites for orange groves
The second class that we will consider is
the higher, lighter lands, much of which
is underlaid with cOquina rock from two
to six feet down. If the rock is not too
hard and near the surface this is also
good orange land, as evidenced by some
of the finest groves upon the coast being
upon it.
OF the soils best suited to the orange,
however, in my opinion there is no equal
TO the third class mentioned, or high gray
hammock. On this land the trees grow
rapidly remain healthy and bear fruit
abundantly for several years, if properly
cultivated, without other food supply
than is in the soil and natural upon the
land. The fruit has the fine quality of
juiciness and flavor of the low hammock
land oranges, with thicker rind and
firmer texture that causes them to stand
shipping like the pine land product. Lib
eral fertilizing is required after awhile
upon these as upon all other lands, but
not before the crops already produced
have given a satisfactory income with
which to purchase it, and the encourage
ment so thoroughly appreciated at this
stage of the orange growers experience.
These lands are underlaid with yellow
sand and cOquina sometimes being ound
at quite a depth from the surface near
Rock Ledge. They need no draining and
in this part of the State can be easily and
cheaply irrigated if thought desirable by
artesian wells. Along the banks of our
rivers such lands are sometimes covered
with thick beds of oyster shells, which
make the ground hard to work and as a
rule the trees are not as healthy or long
lived as where these are absent The
shells, however, when burned to lime make
an excellent application to apply to
groves when there isa good supply of hu-
mus in the ground.
FERTILIZERS.
ANY of the above classes of lands will
grow thrifty trees and produce several
| heavy crops of fine fruit before showing
| the need of fertilizers, but this fact has
caused many grove owners of this coast
to delay so long before giving the needed
help as to stint the growth of the tree and
in some cases even starve to the extent Oi
becoming worthless.
On the high, naturally poor pine lands
of the interior, where the trees are liber.
ally fertilized from the beginning, may be
found some of the finest looking groves
of the State and, Judging by the reports
that we get from their owners, they may
bemade quite profitable, notwithstanding
the fruit is apt to be coarse skinned and
rusty.
Groves on any quality of pine or ham.
| nock lands 1,ooriro foYtiIi1inoc cconor n,