The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1921-06-10


and ftrtilize, nothing more.
We NOV as often as Is necessary to
cut grass and weeds before they 20
20 making seed; for when they start
70 making seed they begin to draw
rom the soilu to that they draw
from the air.
but cutting in time, we make them
give back to the soil what they have
been gathering from the air, thus en-
ricning our land by that much and sup
plying plenty Of humus. The shading
o. the ground is also benefit. Hav-
ing followed this plan for number of
years, we find that our fruit is of bet
Ter quality, with the good carrying
trait OF pine land fruit.
10 the fall we make fire lines around
our groves, as we did when we plowed.
out DO not think there is any more, if
as much, danger of fire under this plan
than there has been in other years, as
the grass and weeds, cut green, rot
quickly and leave nothing but the stub
bic, which does not burn easily.
My experience has been that soil
IS looser before it is piowed than it
ever is after it has been broken up;
excapt Immediately after plowing
Then, too blowing brings in foreign
weeds and grasses which take up
more work than the wire grass if left
undiaturhed
IN 1877 set out some trees in ham
n'oea land, and benfg very anxious
that they DO we'll the next spring /
grubbed q circle around the trees out
beyond the ends of the roots. The
secnd year went back to grub a larg-
er hole. and fond was cutting large
roots that had grown beyond where
had grubbed the year before.
saw those roots did not need any
loosening Of the ground, so + did no
more grubbing. To our young trees
we gave about one pound Of fertilizer
to each tree, three times during the
first three years; the fourth year in
creased to three pounds, three times
chat year.
We think now it would have been
better Il we had given two pounds
each time the third year instead of
/ c,,Ixr x,.,a r,o,,,,d tbar,l, tba troac
grew well and looked healthy In the
spring Of the fourth year we noticed
sorne scale getting on the trees; fer,
this reason we increased the fertilizer.
We have fond that little additional
fertilizer generally frees the trees
from seal. but an overdose map cause
dieback. We have none of that in our
groves at present.
Taking few acres Of Florida land
worth, say. 500 to even $500 an acre,
n'anting it to pecan trees, or citrus
fruit trees. and making it worth, in a.
few years. from $1,000 to $500 per
acre is going some.n But it's being
done in snite of assertions, made by
some falsifers, that Florida land
isn't worth shucks. Times Union.
To- r;A-.,-s rp..,-e
The future of citrus development in
Florida depends upon just two things
-or.aiity and reliability.
To assume. cffhand, that Florida
grows the best oranges in the world,
ard that the rest of the country will
soon take notice Of that fact, regard
less of whether the boxes contain al
few culls, or under-ripe fruits, is to-
underrate the competition of other
growing localities.
Florida fruit. at its best, is supreme.
But Florida grows good deal of fruit
that is fit only for pulp or juice pro-
duction, and some that is no. fit even
for that. And northern buyers viii
certainly estimate the general quality
of orr fruit By the worst samples they
get. rather than by the best. Why
shouldn't they? It is unreasonable to-
expect them to pay cheerfully for q
green orange grown in Florida Just
because the state can produce good
ones
A trade mark is good, Just In pro-
portion as it is lived up to. The trade
o1aar 10
valuable because everybody when ne
buvs an orange in .Sunkist wrap
per knows he is getting one that has
been honestly graded to meet stan
dard requirements.
He is buying quality He IS brylng
certainty The .sSealdsweet'' trade
mark may. and in q majority OF cases
does. mean better fruit, but nobody