The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1913-10-24
- yl;o IS ESTIMATED life
. NV OF SATSUN|A ORANGE TREE

on the lives OF trees IN comparison
may not be fair, for Citrus trifoliat;
stock was not known to our ances
tors centuries ago, all Satsuma be
ing grated on nothing but Yuz,
stock, which is more expensive
Therefore, Satsuma on G. T. stocl
may not hav e had time to prove it.
long age, while that on Yuzu stocI
has.
Satsuma or c. T. stock begins tt
bear the fruits in younger age thar
that grated on Yuzu. While or
this point it might be well to say
that perhaps the Satsuma grated or
Yuzu lives longer, as generally, the
earlier the maturity the shorter the
life. The difference of time of ma.
turty, however, is only a few years,
yet the difference Of length Of lives
may be score of years, still a CEN
tury's difference is hardly probable.
As long as there are many Satsumas
over hundred years old proved to
be on Citrus trifoliata stock, it is
safe to say that the life of the Sat-
suma is about one hundred years,
or at least we could say some Sat-
suma will live a century, for | dare
not say every tree will live one hun
dred years.
There is another theory to take
into consideration-the age at the
prime Of life. About the middle of
the life of any living creature is its
period of prime, as the age of 80 is
for the human being. Satsuma or
ange trees younger than ten years
generally produce fruits in irregular
sizes, therefore, we may call this
period its childhood days. After ten
years the size of the fruits, as well
as taste, gradually become uniform
and improve year after year until
they reach the age of twenty-five
or thirty.
This period we may call boyhood
days. Satsuma of thirty to fifty
years of age produce the best fruits;
hence this should be its manhood
days, and the prime of life should
be between forty and fifty, there
fore if fifty years is about half way
the life of a Satsuma its age should
be 100 years.
The above, however, is the case
in Japan. How will it be in the
Gulf Coast countries of American
Will it be the same, longer or shorter?
The first SatSuma, or OonShiu tree
into this country by DR..
George r. Hall was in 1877, only
thirty-six years ago, and we have
not had time enough to prove any
thing. The question is rather too
much for me and will have to leave
this entirely with scientists.
If it is the nature of any living
creature which natures early to ex-
pire sooner, | fear the Satsuma will
not live as long in this country as in
Japan, as trees grow faster and
larger and mature earlier in this
country on account of longer summer
months and soil condition.
For instance there are two Sat-
suma orange trees nine years old on
the property of Mr.. j. E. Courtney
at Barnwell, Baldwin county, Ala. |
Smaller of the two (the bigger tree
being too bushy and not suitable
for fubject the smaller one was Sc
lected) has its circumference %
inches at one inch above, Is inches
at sixteen inches above tile ground
and produced. as heard, 500 fruits |
at the season of 1912, entire pro-
duct being sold to Messrs Brobeck
& Zundell Of Point Clear. Ala. As
to the number Of the fruits yield
last year | am not quite certain, as
have no reply for confirmation
from Mr.. Courtney, owing to the |
fact there was not time enough an
swer to reach me before | finished |
this article. Measurement of the |
tree, however, was taken by Mr.. |
w. L. Thompson of Daphne, local
agent of Alvin Japanese Nursery
Co., and confirmed. Such growth
as this never could be expected in
Jar,sn for such young tree-nine
wears -wben we compare the