LIMITATION OF SATSUMA ORANGE. 7 



of the oranges,'* grows very well on sweet-orange stock — better, in 

 fact, than on the Trifoliate orange on most soils — but the fruit is of 

 decidedly inferior quality on the former stock, being coarse, dry, and 

 insipid, besides ripening later than on the Trifoliate stock. 



On the sour orange the Satsuma is a complete failure, the grow^th 

 being so slow and stunted that it never becomes more than a dwarfed 

 bush. The fruit that is borne by this stunted top is of vcr}^ inferior 

 quality. There is every evidence of a considerable degree of incom- 

 patibility betw^een the Satsuma and the sour orange. It is no exag- 

 geration to say that he who plants a Satsuma orange tree grafted on 

 sour stock might better bury a five-dollar bill and burn the tree, 

 which, if planted, wall linger along for years, only to be finally dug up 

 as worthless. Inquiry among growlers of Satsuma oranges in Florida, 

 Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and northern ^lexico has 

 failed to elicit a single instance of successful growth and satisfactory 

 fruiting of this variety budded on sour-orange stock. The writer 

 was stationed for five years in Florida investigating citrus fruits in 

 all parts of the State, and during that time he never saw a vigorous 

 Satsuma tree or any good crops of early-ripening fine-flavored Sat- 

 suma oranges borne on trees budded on sour-orange stock. 



THE SATSUMA ORANGE BEST ADAPTED TO TRIFOLIATE-ORANGE 



STOCK. 



On the other hand, the Satsuma budded on the Trifoliate orange 

 produces fruits which ripen early and are of excellent quality, smooth 

 skimied, firm, and juicy. The trees budded on this stock are smaller 

 than those budded on sweet-orange stock, but they bear earlier and 

 fruit more profusely. They also ripen their fruits earlier in the 

 season and are decidedly hardier. 



The Satsuma orange is the only one of the commonly gro-wn citrus 

 fruits (besides the kumquat) which shows such marked differences 

 in growth and character of fruit when budded on different stocks. 

 Since the Satsuma orange can succeed on but one stock, the Tri- 

 foliate orange, it can be grown with hope of commercial success only 

 on soils to which the Trifoliate stock is adapted, namely, on fairly 

 rich, somewhat moist soils, preferably sandy soils with a clay subsoil. 

 It is almost impossible to successfully grow orange trees budded 

 upon Trifoliate stock on light, sandy soils such as make up the bulk 

 of the soil of southern Florida and parts of southern Texas. 



o Growth ceases at an early period in autumn, and, when once the last growth has 

 hardened, the tree can endure a considerable spell of very warm weather without being 

 forced into growth. This high degree of winter dormancy is what renders the Satsuma 

 80 well adapted for culture in the variable climate of the Gulf States. As to the quality 

 of the fruit of the Satsuma, there are wide differences of opinion. This is due in large 

 part to its greatly varying quality, depending on the stock upon which it is budded 

 and on the soil and climate of the locality where it is grown. 

 [Cir. 46] 



