The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1907-09-11
A Little Story, By One of the Gang.
EDITOR Florida Aoricultrrist:=

of orange trees? Yes. Last year, {
little later than this applied two tons
of high grade acid phosphate; with this
put on 400 pounds of nitrate potash
AZ per cent potash, IA per cent nitrogen
Since then, and from time to time, max
ing 4 or applications, have put OF
about 1000 pounds, half ton, of this
nitrate potash, costing less than IS dol
lars. The trees are black green, grow
ing as we'll as any know of, and have
near one-third of a crop of mighty nice
looking fruit. 1t will run to 1876
l5O-l76 sizes. I am trying to verify
my contention that nitrogen with a lit
tie potash is all we need here in this
phosphate belt. On my home place
have run on this line for three years
and nothing could be clearer than tina
| am right. [ don't think that [ will
give my grove anything more till next
spring when 1 may apply $4,000 worth
of fruit and vine, followed by 5000
worth of nitrate for balance of season
1 expect 1000 boxes, and will do il
with $4,000. 1t won't pay me to make
a mistake, 1 know that, but 1 must
learn something. This grove was due
to have a full or heavy crop this year
but the drought is accused as the rea
son why it did not.
AS for our ordinary droughts, dom
think it does harm enough to justify
irrigation. I, for one, am not so in
ordinately greedy as to have my trees
over-bear and break themselves tt
pieces. I do not believe in over-feed
ing, over stimulating, gorging, poison
ing the ground and communicating the
sap till the tree has die-back, foot-rot
or gum disease. In this condition trees
are more than ever subject to the dis
astrous attack of scale, white fly Of
other parasites. A diseased condition Of
a tree may be traceable to some acids
or other elements of the soil, or super
abundant plant food. Too much organic
matter may give too much nitrogen
where fertilizers containing more nj
trogen are applied, or where the sol
is manipulated so as to make it's or
ganic matter available for this element
Shell land contains too much lime
phosphate mari hammOcks contain toe
much phosphoric acid. 1t is likely that
Cuba soil contains too much potash. A
soil may be too rich for a given crop
ETC., ETC. I can not go on to cite In
stances at this time; you can take this
for what it is worth to you, and lei
it go at that.
1 have now got to go to the grove
and put in half day at hard worl
cleaning out brush, trash, and water
sprouts out of the centers of my trees
that the white fly may be discommode(
as much as possible. have to do thi
myself because the boys are busy max
ing hay, working the potatoes, goin
fshin', bathing in Buck Horn Spring
goin' to picnics, horse races, or lyina
by recuperating from pound party jam
boree of the night before. Did the read
so, you understand. I set two of ZEN
to helping me In my grove work
told one explicitly to plow and tea
up the rootlets but not the roots. Tha
was Just before the rains set in. I wa
away for six weeks. He did not under
stand or remember and so did not lie
the plow disturb rootlet! set hin
after that to go over and tear out thos
rootlets, which he did just on few
rOws-iust to see what we should see
you know.
Another boy was set to taking tn
water sprouts from away down abou
the roots, below the limbs. This DO.
went for sprouts as high as he coul'
reach with the saw, and 1 fear he ha
done me $25.OO damage by taking ou
water sprouts that could have been mad
available for filling out and developing
the tree! See? No, for not one NAL
in a hundred ever did or thought O