180 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



JuxE If), 1906. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



CITRUS FRUIT GROWING. 



In Farmers Bidldln No. 238 (U. S. Deparhment 

 of Agriculture) full information is furnished in regard 

 to the methods employed in growing oranges and other 

 citrus fruits, which will be of service, it is believed, to 

 many prospective citrus growers, and to very many 

 planters now engaged in the industry. 



The following extracts have been selected from 

 this bulletin with a special view to their application to 

 conditions in the West Indies and their usefulness to 

 growers here : — - 



The growing of the finest citrus fruits is a horticultural 

 accomplishment not surpassed ia any line of the art. There 

 are very few agricultural occupations that require an equal 

 amount of judgement, and very few that give as remunerative 

 a return for the mental outlay. 



The production of the finest oranges requires years of 

 most careful study and as diligent attention as the most 

 intricate business operation. Unless the citrus grower is in 

 full sympathy with his surroundings and in love with his 

 work, he will as surely fail to produce the best results as 

 would be the case in any other occupation. 



The ideal climate for citrus growing is one in which the 

 rainfall occurs after the fruit has been shi]ipod and before 

 the new crop begins to ripen. The rainfall should not be 

 excessive, certainly not more than 50 to 70 inches annually, 

 and the winter temperature should not go below 26° to 27° F. 

 of continued cold, though a lower temperature may be with- 

 stood for an hour or more without killing the trees. 



Varieties of citrus grow upon the sticky, adobe soils of 

 Mesopotamia, upon the alluvial soils of the lower Mississippi, 

 upon the fertile soils of the West India Islands, upon the dry 

 soils of Arizona and California, and upon the poor, sandy 

 soils of Florida. There is probably no other genus of fruit 

 trees in which the species are so plastic as to adapt themselves 

 to almost every possible gradation of soil. It should not be 

 inferred, however, that every variety of the genus can be 

 grown upon all of these different kinds of soil, for it is 

 absolutely necessary to choose the particular variety which is 

 adapted to any peculiar soil. 



In all sections a soil must be chosen that is not under- 

 lain with a heavy substratum known as ' hard-pan.' The land 

 should be elevated sufficiently to permit free drainage, and, 

 in the sections where irrigation must be practised, should be 

 .so located that water can be easily supplied. 



After determining that the desirable features specified 



are to be found in the location under consideration, it is very 

 important to see that the land is well protected from the- 

 occasional frosts which visit the citrus-growing sections. In 

 the West Indies and the southernmost parts of Florida this 

 factor does not enter into consideration. In fact, it .seems 

 that those places in the West Indies which are subjected to 

 the lowest winter temperature produce citrus fruits of the 

 highest excellence. The temperature in the vicinity of 

 Mandeville, Jamaica, is said to go as low as into the fifties 

 during winter nights, and yet this is probably the best citrus 

 fruit section in the island. 



A location chosen so as to combine all the qualifications 

 already mentioned may still be undesirable if it is exposed to 

 the force of high winds, which may occur in any portion of 

 the country. It is quite impossible to protect a grove against 

 tropical hurricanes, but the more common high winds of 

 annual occurrence must be considered. They carry off the 

 moisture, and bring with them a dry, parching air which i.s 

 injurious to citrus trees; and they are also very likely to cause 

 ' thorning ' or to mutilate the fruit in other ways. Sometimes 

 it becomes necessary to erect artificial wind-breaks for 

 protecting a grove not well located. The.se artificial wind- 

 breaks may later be supplanted by some natural growth that 

 can withstand the force of the wind. 



The amount of rainfall needed to produce a crop of 

 citrus fruit depends on various factors ; jirominent among 

 them are character of soil and humidity of atmosiihere. 

 Where there is a deficiency of moisture it may be su]jplied 

 by irrigation, but a superabundance of moisture can be 

 controlled only in a measure by drainage. In the humid 

 portions of the United States, and in the rainy sections 

 of the West Indies, heavy rainfalls frequently occur at the 

 time when the fruit should be marketed or when the trees 

 should be dormant preparatory to blooming. As these con- 

 ditions cannot be corrected, citrus orchards should never be 

 planted in regions where fall or winter rains are prevalent. 

 This is especially true of the rainy side of most islands in 

 the West Indian group. 



Citrus growing throughout the West Indies is in 

 a rather formative state. The eftbrts at systematic work 

 in this line have not been carried forward with the same 

 degree of vigour as in California and Florida. Nearly all 

 the varieties recommended for south Florida may be planted 

 with more or less confidence in this region. 



This bulletin also contains detailed directions with 

 regard to cultivation, budding, etc., and deals fully with 

 such matters as picking, grading, and shipping. 



