Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-25
FARM AND FIELD.
A New Orange for Texas-The Lone
Star State Nay Become Great
Orange Producer.
That Watermelon sugar-Japan uover-An
Insect Friend Not Well Understood.
Scientific Farming Explained.
A New Orange for Texas.

Many citizens Of Southern Texas are
now jubilant over q new japan Orange
that they consider hardy enough to sue
cessfully withstand all the changes II
temperature peculiar to this section o.
the state. As yet they have not clearly
located the limit of its northward range
but not a few are claiming that it may
be safely depended upon at any point
south of line drawn east and west
through Austin, and some seem to fee
| that it will do well considerably above
| this line, particularly near the coast. OF
course the probability exists that too
much is being claimed in this direction
though there can be no doubt of the
fact that the new orange is unusually
| hardy for citrus fruit. Then, there
is something associated with it that does
| not often appear in such cases; it Is a
very good orange. Most fruits hardy
enough to succeed beyond the natural
range of the botanical family to which
they belong, generally considered, are
very apt to be OF inferior quality, but
the new orange referred to appears to
break over this common rule in marked
| degree. While It may never be regarded
as one Of the very best oranges grown !,
| (and we are not sure of this, after
weighing the evidence now before US } it
| it certainly promises to always rank
| much above medium in point of quality;
IN word, to be an orange good enough
| for anybody.
The scientific name of the new orange
is given as Citrus trIpoIiata. In Texas it
is most generally known as the unshiu
fnA h,,k ~
where 1t is already good deal cultivated
they have affixed to it the popular name
of Satsuma. Mr.. II. n. Berger of Cali
fornia, appears to be getting pretty gen.
eral credit for being its original importer,
though the Floridians claim that this is a
mistake. They say it was grown in
Florida as Satsuma q goodly number of
years before anybody had SO much as
heard of it on the Pacific slope. All of
which makes no particular difference
With US of course. If we have the orange
and 1t is as good thing for us as our
people claim, how, when and by whom
we get it need no. worry US TO any extent
worth splitting ink over.
Not long ago some one wrote to Mr..
Berger for particulars relative to how
much cold the Unshiu orange would
stand. In his reply, which has been
published in the Southern Horticultural
Journal, benson, he says no claim is
put up for it as being entirely "frost-
proof, - though it is certainly unusually
hardy, as shown by where 1t is grown in
its native country, for, says Mr.. Berger,
1.-THE Unshtu orange is propagated ex-
clusively in the Southern provinces of
Japan, where the lowest average tenn
perature is recorded at twenty-six
through winter, although the thermom-
eter may at very rare intervals for
short space of time drop to twenty, or
even hfteen.' In a later issue of the
same paper the editor says:
We have been reading about oonshiu
oranges good deal, but can now report
the pleasure of eating one of them. 1t
is sure enough, an elegant orange
The orange is seedless, the rind
peels off easily, the sections come apart
the same way, 80 that there is no danger
Of getting the juice all over the hands
and clothing. 1t is sweeter than ordin-
airy oranges; Is indeed a pleasure to eat
it. If, as claimed, this orange can be
grown several degrees further north than
other oranges, ii is q wonderful acquisi-
ton in horticulture.
Mr.. H. NJ. Stringfellow of Hitchcock,
Tex. writing to Texas Farm and Ranch,
states that in his locality, which is on
the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe rail-
road, few miles out from Galveston,
unshiu orange trees were not injured In
the least by the late freeze, last OF Feb
ruary and first of March. He adds:
l have trained my trees to a single
stem, about two and one-half feet high,
but 1 am satisfied that this was a mis-
take, and intend to allow them to branch |
out all along the body from the ground |
up. This is the plan adopted by the |
japanese, who have found by ages of |
experience that this mode is the best. !
This tree is not q strong |
grower and needs clean cultivation and |
plenty of manure, but with patience |
and care il will make a fair sized tree
in few years and reward the grower
well for his pains. Ny trees were |
greatly set back by continual rubbing
of of the side shoots which they persist
in throwing out, and yet would have
borne this spring but for the freeze,
small as they were. Several other
varieties of oriental oranges have been
alluded to, but this is by far the most
desirable. 1t is known under the name
Of Satsuma in Florida, though the jap
ansse consul at San Francisco states that
its true name is oonshiu, and we have no
right 10 change it.
Mr.. F. Trueblood of Archer, Fla,
writing to the Florida Farmer, and Fruit
Grower concerning how his orange trees
we're affected by the late freeze, says of
the Satsuma, as he calls it: 81 still
pronounce it the hardest orange tree we
have. 1t stood this severe test better
han any other. japan persimmon trees
-, killed. -
the unshiu can really stand lower
4hperature than the Japan persimmons,
t must be a very hardy orange, sure
enough. Under ordinary circumstances
he japan persimmon trees will go I'M
;cathed through temperature of only
ZEN degrees above zero.
The late freeze put trees to very Sc
-ere test on account of the condition in
which it found them. The weather, up
o the time of the freeze, had been so
warm that the trees were well advanced
nst{Asir spring growth-they were sappy
- fender. 1t was like a freeze coming
N in April of an ordinary season. In all
localities where the unshiu got safely
through that freeze we ID not hesitate for
J moment to risk regular grove of that,
-ariety.
We have strong faith in the Unshiu for
Texas, though we'd somewhat narrow