Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-03-02
ORANGE CULTURE.
Seventeen Varieties of the Lusci ous
Fruit Tested.
An Interesting and last, uctive Oeea-
sten-A Gathering Over which
Rev. Il. r. sw, ct Pre- sided
This Morning.

Rev r. F. Sweet entertained little
gathering at Trinity recto,y in a most
novel and instructive manner this morn.
ing. Pursuant to the invitation a num-
Der OF grocers and other fruit dealers,
members of the press and personal friends
assembled at the rectory at 10 O'Clock.
In the dining room Mr.. Sweet had pre-.
pared accommodations fos testing great
variety OF oranges grown on Denmere
fruit farm near Sanford. Fla. aod owned
by Mr. Sweets friend, Rev. Lyman
Phelps, who has become one of the fere>
most orange growers in the world, having
now on his place 40 varieties.
Seventeen varieties were exhibited nv
Mr. Sweet for inspection this morning.
iney were the Malta, Malta
ovais' Imperial Blood, King of
Slam, Jaffs, Msjarics, Sweet Seville
Early oblong, Malts>Blood, Sang uinea,
Mandarin, ST. Michaels, Citrus Deca-
mani, Pink Shaddocks, Pomela, Navel
and Grape Fruit. The first orange cut
was st. Michael, very large variety. 1t
wasfound to have tough, thick skin, and
the pulp was almost tasteless. The acc.
ond was Jaffs, which had a lighter
skin' and the flavor was delightful. The
Early Oblong and Malta Blood next test
ed In turn were found to be luscious in
TASTE and Juicy, and while the rich blood.
like appearance of the Malta Blood was
not detected in the Early Oblong, both
were found to be very sweet The Sweet
Savii'e also found many admirers. The
craze Fruit sample was the last
tested. 1t is large orange, beng much
the color of lemon. 1t is an importa.
ton from China; the inner skin is ex-
ceedingly bitter. having much the taste of
quinine, while the pulp has sour flavor.
but eaten with sugar it is most delights
fol.
AN attempt was made to gain an ex-
preston of favor as among some of tn G
most popular varieties, but some difficult
ty was experienced in discriminating as
to the Malta Blood. Jafa,
Sweet Seville and Early OBJ
long. All of which won stsunch
friends and some were unable to state
preference as between two or more of
these kinds each seeming to possess in it.
self striking advantage not characters.
tic OF the Others, though distinctly differ.
ent.
No attempt will be made here to dis.
Suss the merits of the different varieties
OF this popular fruit. Mr.. Phelps, on
whose farm these oranges were grown,
wrote the Florida Dispatch an interest,"
ing letter on the subject of orange culture
four years ago in which be said:
have not changed nv opinion as in
favor of Jaffs and Msjorica first, Jaffa for
tenderness of pulp, absence of seed, vinus
flavor, as well as prolific tree. l do
not say it is the best orange in the world
The MsJorica hiss q more handsome and
thinner rind, more attractive in shape,
not seedy, but more so than the Jaffs,
but its flavor and acid in hot spring day
are unsurpassed to quench thirst. The
Maltese Blood is q very handsome orange.
Habit of the tree. to the casual observer,
very like the Jaffa and Msjorics.
We shall never grow enough
Blood oranges to glut the market. They
are fancy in looks. and never disappoint
when sampled. The Early Oblong is a
good bearer and graded well for young
trees. The Maltese Oval is q very solid
orange, keeps well and is prolific. The
Mandarine is my preference in taste.
The St. Michael is the most pro.
life orange grow.
The writer then goes into an exhaus.
tive review of the field of
orange culture, the plans employed by
him etc.
To those who, through Mr.. Sweets
courtesy, were privileged this morning
to sample the different varieties of this
wonderful fruit, the occasion proved one
OF great interest, instruction and
actual revelation to those who before
had had no conception whatever of the
varied manner in which this popular fruit
is cultivated and successfully grown.