The herald., 1897-08-19
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The RANCH and
ITS PRODUCTS
(Edite6 by Prof. A. ]. Cook)
The Dropping of Navel Oranges
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The Cotton News is more than newsy !;
it is wideawake in practical matters.
Mr.. w. c. Fuller conducts much alive
pomological department. Mr.. Fuller
notes with some concern the decrease in
prolificness of the navel orange, as it
increases in age, and has commenced to
investigate the cause of the Cropping
of the young fruit, if happily it may be
found, and, remedial measures discov-
cred.
Mr.. Fuller notes that the fruit that
falls is slightly different in form from
that which remains on the tree, which,
if correct, would show that the general
tissue, as well as the vigor OF the stem
is affected. THE form of the drop is
fiat at the outer end, and shows deep
ribs at the stem end. Those showing a
quality to mature are rounded at the
outer end, and the stem end is free from
ribs" In a letter of inquiry to the de-
partmeut of agriculture Mr.. Fuller says:
The blossom of the navel orange is
without pollen. 1t is female berry. is
1t possible that the blossom has lost even
the sexual strength and vigor of the fe-
male?" Mr.. Fuller states that the form
ture Australian navel, which is pecu-
liarly a shy bearer. In letter which Mi
Fuller received from Prof. H. l. Webber
Of the department of agriculture, the lat
ter refers to the fact that the several
varieties of navel oranges ARE able to
develop large quantities of fruit without
pollina tion." He adds: 81 presume that
some navel varieties do not have this
habit as yet fully developed In such
cases we should expect dropping to oc-
cur unless the fruits were pollirnted."
He suggests this as an explanation of
the fact that the Australian navel is a
shy bearer. Mr.. Weber also refers to
the fact that the navel pistil is abnormai,
50 that pollination is often difficult or
impossible. Prof W. Concludes: Il am
inclined TO think, as indicated in this
discussion, that the cause of dropping in
your trees is to be attributed primarily
10 the lack of pollina tion."
Mr.. E. W. Holmes of Riverside, in re-
sponse to an inquiry, expresses the opin-
ion that lack of pollination has little to
do with the dropping of the navels.
While he regards the matter of pollina-
ton as important, he doubts if orchards
exclusively of navels drop worse than
those of mixed planting. Mr.. Holmes
states that he has some of the oldes;
Washington navel trees in California
budded direct from the original stock
When young they invariably fruited
we'll, and, though situated where frost
has never injured tree or fruit, they no
longer yield satisfactorily. 1 am con-
vinced that the cause Is, not this season,
due to long delayed irrigation-a fire.
quet cause of fruit dropping-but that
l have not as yet been able to supply to
the soil some needed element drawn from,
it by fifteen years heavy cropping
While Mr.. Holmes has expended much
for fertilizers, with no satisfactory sue
cess, he thinks he shall reduce the tell
dency to excessive dropping when he
can discover just the right fertilizer and
the time to apply 1t. Mr. Holmes thinks
that faulty irrigation, sudden changes
of temperature and lack of proper fer
tlizers are the probable causes of ex-
cessive dropping of the young Wash
ington navel fruit.
1t is certainly true that the navel or
ange bloom is barren of pollen. We have
examined long and thoroughly, and have
never found a grain. More, it is probable
that the very conformation of the fruit
the presence of the miniature fruit
that forms the navel-makes pollinatior
impossible in most cases. But if, as W.
have reason to believe, pollination is
requisite to seed production, then tn.