The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1908-09-07
Orange Culture
In South Texas
fContinued from Page u

I
less 1 could not leave my subject
without speaking of the cultivation of
the orange, but our methods of cult
walton would not apply here for you
people irrigate, while l only irritate.
do not not irrigate my oranges, we
do not find it necessary, whereas you
do. My method of cultivation is the
Campbell system of soil culture, and
by talking with men who have fol-
lowed irrigation, they all seem to
practice that it connection with irri-
CATION.
l believe that the up-to-date irriga-
tor wants to use as little water as pos
sible, and the idea is to give one irri-
CATION in about three or four cultiva-
lions. That is my plan. Just as soon
as a rain falls I get in there with a
harrow as soon as possible. I want
dust mulch on there as soon as pos
sible after the rain falls, and in one
weeks time I want to go over my
ground again thoroughly Then in
another week want to do the same
thing, and when / get it narrowed
three times after a rainfall do not
care if it does not rain again for
three months. Early in the spring,
when the trees are sending out their
feed roots, use a stirring pillow and
turn the dirt away from the trees,
and harrow Immediately after and
since that there has been nothing in
my orchard but a harrow this year
Cultivation should be done to hold
moisture and not only to kill weeds,
If you cultivate to hold moisture
there will be no weeds to
kill. AS a usual thing If you get into
your orchard Immediately after each
rain, as have said you will be ahead
of the weeds. They will be just start
ing and you can kill them with har-
row. Now I do not know as there is
anything more but if you have any
questions to ask will try to answer
them.
Was asked as to what the advant-
ages were between the Dugat and the
Satsuma
Replied that possibly the Satsuma
was a little harder than the Dugat,
and that during a lifetime it might
be cold enough to kill the Dugat,
when it would not kill the Satsuma.
This might not happen once in life
time and it might happen every seven
years. On the other hand the Dugat
has its thrifty growing qualities to
recommend it. 1t is claimed for the
Satsuma that if it is killed back you
can cut it back and it will recover in
one years growth, but do MT believe
that is true. You cannot count on
that under one and a half or two
years, whereas the Dugat is such a
thrifty growing tree that it will re-
over quickly. Another feature about
the Satsuma is that. If it bears a full
crop one year, it is a little shy the
next, and it is only in alternate
years that it bears full
crop. whereas the Dugat so far as
known, has proven that the earlier it
begins, the more fruit it bears,
so long as it is not injured by the
cold Another thing in favor of the
Dugat is the grade of its fruit You
usually find about five grades on Sat
suma but On the Dugat you find prac-
tically only one. The Satsuma con-
tains no seed and the sections are
easily separated. The Dugat contains
good many seeds and the rind does
not peel off easily. The Satsuma rip
ems a little earlier than the Dugat
but it deteriorates in flavor, while
the Dugat improves IN flavor all the
time.
Question was asked as to the best
time to plant oranges.
Mr.. Walton replied that that is a
mooted question. For himself he pre-
fers the latter part of January or the
first of February. Stated that the
nurserymen wanted to get rid of their
stock as early as possible. but he
thinks best to set out during the lat
ter part of January or the early part
of February. OF course it would do
no harm to get them and heel them in
until you were ready to plant them.
Was asked how about early in the
fall.
Replied it might be all right if they
got them early enough to make good
growth before frost and their dor
mant season it might be all right.
The constitution guarantees every