The Florida agriculturist., 1889-12-25
Cultivation of the Orange Tree.
IDEAS OF A PRACTICAL MAN, GIVEN FOR
THE BENEFIT OF HIS CO-LABORERS.

not indorse all of Mr. HulPs ideas, but
many of them are excellent and worthy
of consideration:
| wish to advance few ideas gainedby
actual observation upon orange culture;
what write is from actual practical ex-
perience see of late years that great
many orange groves are suffering from
disease termed die-back, that is, young
shoots, after putting out die again, and
sometimes old ones. This is a disease
caused from two misfortunes. Now the
first one | shall speak of is in the soil. Ii
we observe, we will find that the very
darkest soil is more sub ject tOit than any
other color. Ii you will examine that
SOIL you will at once see that it is much
finer than the gray or yellow soil, and
great deal more dust in it, This land is
more fertile than the gray, but not so
we'll adapted for orange growing and un-
less properly managed it will french corn,
and give die-back to orange trees. 1T
seems that it is lacking in something. Or
ange trees will grow in ito but this die
back will be there also. l find what is
lacking is vegetable matter and drainage,
unless on high land. In the growing sea-
son, when we have rain, these trees will
shoot out an abundant young growth;
to examine it, you will lind it fiat and un-
proportioned when it is dry, this growth
dies back again This proves that the
land is fertile and easily excited, but it
wants something to hold this young
growth back. | think vegetable matter
is the best food for, not only orange trees,
but other farming in Florida. / find on
the die-back land thatif you raise a large
growth of grass or COW pea vines and
plough them under, that when the trees
put out their growth they have some
thing to feed on, and will put on healthy
growth and retain it. Well, says one, why
not use commercial fertilizers? I'll ex-
plain later on. will turn to the other
die-back 1t so happens that the doctor,
lawyer and preacher all come to Florida
to grow oranges, and they must have
Cl0ctu CulUuI0 lOI UOCIuly o1hO3 WOIA UlIOJ
go to work and plough deep, cut and
slash their trees and must not let sprig
ofgrass grow in their groves under any cir
cumstances, but give them plenty OF com
mercial fertilizer; putting it just around
the body of the tree The tree is young
and grows fine for a few years; after a
while the body, like beer-drinker, gets
too large for it's legs. The tree begins to
get scaly, shed it's leaves and insects be-
gin to feast upon it, die-back begins in
spots. Well, says the man, what is the
matter? Along comes his neighbor from
Vermont and says, why tits the California
spider. 1t gets dricr, leaves fall faster,
more die-back, well what is the matter?
Florida is all humbug any way; or
anges won't grow here; these land agents
are the biggest liars in the whole round
world. Well let us see. What have you
done for your trees? "Great goodness
have spent all my money buying fertil-
izers and kept my grove as clean as a
desert, what more can ] dO?" Gone to
work, ploughed his land to death, kept
his roots all in huddle by fertilizing
around the body of the tree three times
wear: when it rained his trees grew; but
soon took up all the food and water
where the roots were and are now starv-