Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-01-19

The citrus industry j. n rich mans IN
du~try, but unlike most other big paying in
es n poor man can creep into il.
ONE poor men are irving 70 rush into IL.
his canot be done.
Many orchards have been planted, and
perhapS) many more will be planted dur
= the mex; planting season. In the event
{ n severe freeze this coming winter many
III desist from planting. OF course. in
nat event everything will be- fonnd fault
it'll but the planter. The climate will be-
onSidered wrong. The soil. the tree. cv-
rytling but the superior man.
To meet a severe freeze and to pass
trough IL successfully the orchardi~l
mst have begun his preparations 10 meet
Just after the date of the last winter
rost, presumed To be- about the end Of
'ebruary in this Valley. Most often the
sork which carried the orchard through
he severe freeze, while n neighboring or
hards in the learly part of the summer.
md the saving of the trees did not de-
pend upon the amount or the efficiency of
ne wind breaks nj the time the ''norther'
nj it, freeze did their worst.
Fighting a freeze. with the safety of y
itrus orchard ~ the reward for success
nj perhaps financial ruin If the fight j.
failure, j. a serious and very complex
Undertaking. and consists of 4 long chain
I operations, and. a. in ihl other things,
he weakest link IN the chain ~ hat which,
al cause loss AZ the time Of the freeze.
When the Weaiherman sends out ms
%ulletin: 40 +. and below tonight" IT j.
o. late to make up for the things neglect
d in the methods of cultivation last sum
icr. and To 20 back even further. last
pring.
\ tree which has had 10 suffer from scale
il the spring and summer will not stand
! temperature Of 30 +. a. well a. u clean
rec will stand n temperature of n f.. and
! tree suffering from any severe i%uneou~
'i@ea~e will suffer ~ 4 very slight drop
Glow freezing point.
A tree which has been neglected m it~
ultivation during the spring and ~umlncr
sill be in such condition nj time 81 expect
d freeze that even with an extensive and
adequate system Of artificial heating it
i'll be hard 10 carry \, through the dan
er period unless the mercury does not
irop very low.
Trees which have been cultivated in the
lte fall. or which have had other crops
ROW. between them will not stand H.
luch cold a. those which have been per
lifted 10 establish themselves into y slow
orinancy. Trees which have been irri-
ated IN the fall will be- equally tender.
Trees which have been intellieentlv
ruined year after wear. and which have
cen induced to produce good fruit. hard
nd wood for their parent, will stand con-
derably more cold without injury than
'ees not properly pruncd producing soft
ne wood. and from parents with similar
characteristics.
With this aspect Of conditions before IT,.
{ must he concluded that the orchard
vner. who may have foresight enough to
ee hat All theSe requirements have been
let. and who may have provided IN AIDE
uatc battery 81 orchard heaters. stands
very good chance OF passing through the
everest freeze without very much Loss.
But. look at the other side 81 the pie
ure. WHAT chance has the inexperienced
rover. who has ignored. and who will
lersi~t IN ignoring the extra demands of q
ranch of horticulture which IN MANY
asses j. producing crops valued * from
800 to II 900 per acre. and even more,
N lands which 4 few years ago was salts
wing farmers with a corn crop of (per-
iapS) $40 per acre.
The price OF success in the citrus indus
~ more than IN any other industry l.
eternal Vigilance.