The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1907-05-22
The Setting of Citrus Fruits.

If the leaves are light in color, rather
thin in texture, and, in lemons, the
tree inclined to run much to sucker
growth, it would call to me for feed
It is remarkable how a hungry lemon
tree will make wood
And now assuming that we hav,
Our crop set the problem is to hole
it and to make marketable fruit
Of dropping there are two periods
one while the fruit is small; the
second when the fruit is ripe O.
the first I have spoken. Whatever
throws the tree out of normal con
dltion, sudden changes of tempera
ture, sudden stimulation Or checking
in development, anything that will
prevent the steady performance of al
the functions Of the tree is apt to b.
felt in the young fruit first.
If we pass this period safely there
is plain sailing until the fruit i:
grown. Then again comes a time O.
danger. The fruit may puff-it may
split, or it may simply let loose from
the tree and drop. I think this ex
cessive dropping is largely caused by
overstimulation of the tree at thi!
time. Trees that are somewhat lack
ing in food and water conditions are
apt to retain their fruit better thar
those stimulated by an abundance O.
water and very available plant food
To strike the golden mean, to furnish
these elements in sufficient and MOI
excessive amounts at this time is the
mark of the skillful orchardist.
md tho+ hrirooc ,,- +o Tho c11h;oc4
of splits. And here is where we shine
by the abundance of knowledge which
we lack.
1t would seem that splits were
caused by the pulp cells growing
more rapidly than the rind cells anc
thus rupturing the rind from interna
pressure. But what shall we say
when we find splits and puffs on the
same tree? Or even on the same
orange? This seems surely to destroy
Our fondest theories. Whatever
causes the rind cells to become hare
and relatively dormant so they will
not respond freely to the demand fol
more room for the pulp, is, I think
favorable for splitting.
For instance, dry Mojave wind
followed by good irrigation and
growing conditions inducing strong
flow of sap into the orange ought tc
cause splits. A gentleman gave his
experience with lemons which seems
to throw some light on this question
He had fertilized heavily in the
spring and had fine setting of fruit
Then to hasten the fruit he watered
heavily and often during the summer
By thus forcing the crop he got into
the early market, but at the expense
of a large number of splits This is
trouble which does not often affect
the lemon grower.
Again we find the coarse, thick
rind orange is more liable to split
than the thin, smooth rind. Are
splits, then caused by an excessive
N content in the food ration-of a
strong vegetation rather than a fruit
ing condition?
One gentleman told me he could
and does control splits by the use Of
K2O. Along his avenue where he
has used nothing but commercial
fertilizers he has practically no splits
On the other parts of his orchard
where the soil is essentially the same
(but | think with more humus from
the hills) where he has used fertiliz-
ers more strongly heterogeneous he
has been troubled badly with splits
I think there may be much in this
The P2O6 and K2O have tendency
to harden the wood, to retard the
flow Of sap, and thus prevent the sud
den rush of large amount of sap
into the fruit when the conditions
are favorable for growth, and so al.