Lower coast gazette., 1914-04-11

ined and the reasons for the same be better
brought out by scientific experiment station in
yestigation than by any other known means.
We have heard some parties say that tomatoes
cannot be successfully raised on the Lower
Coast and yet others will tell us that the most
beautiful tomatoes they ever saw have been
raised GU the Lower Coast. Doubtless these ex-
%pressions of opinion are both accurate as far as
the experience of the parties referred to is con-
cerned. The proximity of the Lower Coast to
the sea and the fact that it projects out into the
Gulf of Mexico as does the peninsula of Florida,
looking on the maps, like a miniature Florida,
gives US a greater rainfall than is had elsewhere
and this leads to the perishability of some of
our crops, while at the same time it gives US the
advantage Of q more tropical climate than can
be had up in the drier sections of the state.
In these suggestions we have not considered
the orange crop, which is constantly growing
into more conspicuity on the Lower Coast. We
think that every lower coast land owner should
cultivate some oranges at least and cultivate 4
good many oranges if the opportunity offers it.
self. Oranges, however, have suffered severely
from the attacks of these Argentine ants that
were brought into this country in order to COM
bat the boil weevil. They seem to have concen-
trated their attention on the orange trees and
they and the white fly have done great deal.
of damage during recent years to this valuable
crop. 1t is now reported that the whitecay can
be controlled by the red fungus, a parasitic an.
tidote that has already arrested the injury deine
by the. flies in. many thriving orchards. The
killing up Of our orange trees above the point
where the buds or gratis were inserted. has
made a wonderful advance in the orange in
dustry within the last twenty years and where
formerly we expected the, trees to be killed to.
the ground every ten or twenty years by some
extremely severe weather, that damage now IL
reduced to a minimum and, in fact, results gen.
orally in the loss Of only one crop when these
rare freezes do occur. 3:
The advent of the 10 called kid glove oranges
or those from which the peeling can be removed
so readily and known al mandarins and tanger-,
ines, lend some variety to the orange business.
The grape fruit, now largely introduced among
orange growers, while to US serious misnsn1er,
SO far as the name of the fruit is concerned;
seems to suit the taste of thousands of con-
sumers and our beautiful, grape fruit. seems. to.
be in demand all over the United States and in
constantly increasing demand. !
We believe that insofar as these fruits are
concerned we have hardly done our peach trees
justice. Some parties have produced very fine
peaches on the Lower Coast year after; year..
and yet we are told that as a rule they cannot.
be successfully produced there, Mr.. Simeon
Mathe on his Mary ptsanfation produced. fine:
peaches for many years. It lie said that in the
state Of Delaware they only expect to get three
or four crops from their peach trees and they
are then cut down to make way fol, the smaller
growing trees alongside that are beginning to
bear to take the place Of the older trees thus
disposed of. Pear trees do not. seen: t. flourish
here. They almost always suffer by 0
blight, and yet the coarseS varieties are found
to do fairly we'll and for canning and preserving
they are. valuable: fruits. 80 :
The fig tree, which seems exxcellently1 we'll
adapted to the Lower Coast asa reliable crop,
has the misfortune Of Being Of very fugitive
quality, the Fl e ssometiifmes" turning sour on. the
trees: during rainy seasons. We believe that if
more attention was given to our fig trees q mar
ket. could be made for the figs, either a. canned
fruits or even as dried figs, which would be-
come a possible industry on the Lower Coast if
enough figs were produced to, justify any ef-
forts :for; possible drying slJp: in the western
states dried apples and dried peaches have been
staple articles for a ,hundred years. It would,
not require much heat to evaporare of the ex-
cess, moisture of our figs, which would then be
as lucious as those imported from smyrna.
We shall be glad if our fruit growers and
truck gardeners and others would utilize the
columns of the Lower Coast Gazette for an ex-
change Of views concerning all of these matters.
Such discussions are Of immense value to Our
people. The letter that We recently published
from our distinguished friend Mr.. John Meyer
of the first ward, who for two or three decades
has been the dean of the truck gardening in
dustry on the Lower Coast, and its most sue
cessful representative, was full of valuable sug-
.kestions to our readers, and, we shall hone fhat