STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 137 



looking oranges in Londonderry, Ireland, and Edinburgh, Scotland, 

 that the delicate and luscious samples had come nine thousand miles 

 and been seven weeks in transit, but the authority of the fact was 

 indisputable." In both these cases the oranges were fully ripe when 

 picked. With these facts well authenticated it may be reasonably 

 assumed that when we produce tlie oranges, we may depend on not 

 only the Atlantic States, but the Canadas and Europe also for a 

 market. 



Most of the oranges of the Pacific and West India Islands are seed- 

 lings, as also are most of those produced by the old orchards in this 

 State; but more modern cultivators are rejecting the seedling tree 

 system, and are planting in the orchards budded trees almost exclu- 

 sively. The advantages of budding the orange were well set forth in 

 a discussion on this subject in 1877 before the Southern California 

 Plorticultural Society, when the most experienced cultivators of that 

 section gave their views. We cannot present these advantages in a 

 moje forcible light than by quoting some of the points made by the 

 speakers. Thomas A. Gray said: "It would pay to bud the orange 

 the same as it would pay to raise fine stock or fine fruits of other vari- 

 eties. All fine fruits are at first the result of accident, and tlie fine 

 varieties are perpetuated by budding. A thousand peach pits would 

 produce numberless varieties of the peach, while probably only one 

 would be worth perpetuating. The same rule applies to the orange, 

 only not to so great an extent. The orange is more true to itself 

 when grown from the seed than any other known fruit. Good seed, 

 or seed from fruit, will generally produce trees that will produce good 

 fruit, but not always. Nurserymen get seed from the purest oranges, 

 generally because these oranges contain more seed, but tliose seed will 

 produce trees that will bear inferior fruit, unless budded. One advan- 

 tage of budding is early bearing, budded trees producing fruit three 

 or four years earlier than seedlings." Mr. Shorb says: "My own 

 experience teaches me the necessity of budding. My budded trees 

 are larger than seedlings of the same age, and the fruit is certainly as 

 good. Nor have I been able to observe that the production in num- 

 bers is less. In conclusion, I will say that budding enables us to 

 grow a uniformly good fruit, and of different chosen varieties not 

 obtainable otherwise. It shortens the time of fruiting and relieves 

 the orchardist of several years of expense and care, and oftentimes 

 grinding poverty. I therefore give my unqualified opinion that it 

 will not only pay to bud the orange, but, as intelligent men, we cannot 

 afford to do otherwise." The Committee on Semi-tropical Fruits, 

 appointed by the societj^ above named, reported upon this subject as 

 follows: "The committee find budding the orange and lemon so 

 universal that no argulnent is needed in this report on this branch of 

 tlie subject. Many foreign varieties of orange are in successful culti- 

 vation, and many of the Los Angeles seedlings have been perpetuated 

 by budding. Several orchards of the latter are now in fine bearing." 

 Those who propose to plant orange orchards will do well to secure 

 budded trees of the best named and recognized kinds. 



With tlie orange, as with all other kinds of fruit, it is better to cul- 

 tivate but few of the best varieties than to cultivate a large number 

 of kinds, many of which must be inferior. In this State one of the 

 best kinds so far produced is Garey's Mediterranean Sweet. Of this 

 orange the Los Angeles Herald says: "It commences to fruit the 

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