The Florida agriculturist., 1907-06-26
AS it Happened.


And it didn't happen to rain here
for II days, and this in June! And
it's hot and windy, too! Can you tell
me, are we not to have rainy sea-
son" for two years? That's the way
it happens as we read about. In
Nebraska, some twelve years ago
there was a two years drouth. In
Russia there has been a two years
drought So in India I believe their
periodic droughts last generally two
years. An old fellow near here told
me that about forty years ago he
travelled for several days down in the
bed Of river in Florida dry footed =
[ forget the river-don't believe the
story anyway, but you can If you
want to.
The rains we had on the first and
second of June did great deal of
good in perfecting the wood growth
on the orange trees that the rains
two weeks previous had started, but
most people thinking that the rainy
season had set in, stopped the harroWs
and the grass is sapplng the land to
the injury of the trees now. The
frogs are croaking and the weather
bureau is predicting showers, SO |
shall hope for rain in Jew days, as l
have been for the past seven months
Yes, it's just as [ predicted. Well
have quite crop Of oranges after all.
There has been big June bloom over
this county,.
[ have always discouraged irrigating
orange trees. Some fifteen years ago
there was a great boom for irrigation
of groves and hundreds of people put
in plants After a few years there
were no irrigation works going-play-
ed out.
Now here comes another drought
and irrigation is all the rage. I know
Of one perfect and costly plant in this
county and the owner says he is not
satisfied that it has ever paid one per
cent. AS for my story and experience,
| have to say now, that [ have about
as much fruit on trees that had no
water as on those that had water
enough to keep them from willing and
to keep them in good color. Trees
that dropped the leaves after the cold
and came out with little pale, thin
leaves and heavy bloom in February,
and that looked toward the end of the
drought as though they'd die-we were
afraid they must die-for such abnor-
NAL diseased conditions perpetuated
must result in death. Well, they didn't t
die, and most of them are carrying
quite half crop and some a whole
crop of that February bloom! It's a
''stunner' to me, and this fact knocks
the irrigation works out with me. If
there is a difference where I watered
and where [ did not, it is not worth
half the 5000 it cost me. I am more
than ever of the opinion that a tree
in Our ordinary droughts of something
like two months never drop too many
oranges. When I look on the ground
and see hundreds of little oranges I
know there is good crop on the tree,
So I like to see the ground covered
with little ones-it's good sign!-eh? ?
Plow deep once a year-perhaps in
June-cultivate cross ways and then
work in the fertilizer you have put on
top Of the plowed ground. Let it go
till the last of October, then NOW it
and run cutaway or disc harrow twice
both ways after you have given light
application Of phosphate and potash
with one per cent ammonia, and let it
go at that. Say the Goth of July,
put on 20 to 40 pounds of fruit and
vine fertilizer and keep the harrow
going till it rains in June. That's all
I know.
VIM. P. Neeld.
P. S.
I was going to tell you whole lot
about farm crops, but what's the use
trying to farm this kind of weather.