The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1893-01-18

III was putting itself In shape to, DE DeGUer nXeQ
for the next drouth. 1t was hardening up it's
wood and filing it's watery, tissues with more
solid substance. The soil by it's capillarity was
steadily raising water from below bearing in So
luton such soluble elements of fertility as our
usual heavy rains have carried down too deep
for availability. Day after day and week after
week this steady pumping up of fertility went on
and as the water evaporated the solids we're
left near the surface The trees themselves I'M
able to find enough fluid food near the surface
searched deeper for it and brought it from lower
depths.
At last the clouds gather, it sprinkles, it spat-
ters it showers. The heavens opened and it
pours just it can pOurn FlOridaaf after a drouth.
The orange tree arises like giant refreshed by
sweet sleep and shakes off the sick, insectinfested,
moribund and dead leaves fast as the rain drops
fall. The healthy leaves swell up and spread out
and get thick, portly and glossy green. The
shower renders the newly pumped up fertility
available and in few days the orange grower
has a new bright green growth all over the dark
green of the old leaves The tenderfoot is amazed.
The veteran expected it, for it is always
This beneficial effect on the soil OF protracted
drouth is no flight of fancy or imagination
Pract ical men have long noted the wonderful
crops that follow a season of drouth
In a soil of such great porosity and capillarity
as ours the beneficial effect of drouth is most
clearly noted.
Professor Robinson has shown us the great
scarcity of potash in soils and gives testi-
mony showing the downward tendency of this
valuable element as have SO little clay to de-
tain it. 1t never goes down except when carried
down by water. 1t never comes up except by
water and trees in time of drouth If we note the
amount of potash we use on our orange groves
and then note the amount actually used by the
trees we shall find that in most cases we use
many times as much as is recovered by the tree
Where has it gone?
Gone down with the surplus water.
On an experimental farm in England analys
was made of water from the drains in an under
drained piece of land, and it found considerable
excess OF nitrogen the rain that fell upon the
surface. In our porous and sandy soilit must go
down and waste faster than in the clay soil OF the
station where this experiment was tried. These
two ingredients-potash and nitrogen-so nee
essary to our horticultural success cost us
great deal of worry and their economical use and
careful conservation should commend close at
tention.
When a grower applies water by artificial
means to his grove after a long drouth he is Of
course delighted with the result.
1t acts like magic but he is very apt to over
look the fact that this application OF water at
that time is rendering available the treasures Of
fertility just pumped up Oy the drouth.
If he had kept his grove wet all the time no such
drafts would have been made on the subsoil and
no such results would have followed his watering
An occasional good long drouth then is very
far from being an unmixed evil and especially is
receives from the clouds average more
water than is needed by the trees.
This curling and shrivelling of the orange
leaves which is SO dscouraging to the new conner
gives us veterans very little uneasiness We
know from long observation that period of rest
is no more injurious to an orange tree than to
cactus or Gala lily.
They seem rather to be the better for rest
and grow most luxurianty when the rains de-
scend.
IL may not be out of the way for us to inquire
how much water an orange tree should have?
Is constant saturaton of the soil desirable
and is it possible or profitable to keep tree in
constant growth all the long summer. through
wrought by constant saturation of the soil?
Asking such questions at this time may lead
some to think not promenading Broadway
on 1.-THE proper side DUDLEY w. ADAMS.
Tangerine Orange Co., Fla.
For The FLORIDA AGRICULTURIsT