AN ENCYCLOPAZDIA 
OF HORTICULTURE. 507 
Orange—continued. 
for trees in pots. The drainage, in either case, should 
have thin, turfy soil laid over the top, to keep it clean. 
Trees permanently planted out should have considerable 
space allowed between them. This space may be filled 
with movable pot-trees until the others grow and require 
it themselves. The portability of trees in pots is one 
point specially in their favour, and, if feeding is prac- 
tised with them during the time the fruits are swelling, 
and watering is always properly attended to, excellent 
produce may be obtained from Oranges grown in such 
houses as those devoted to Fig-tree or Vine culture. 
Proper and good fruiting varieties only are suitable for 
the purpose; seedling plants are useless. 
Respecting temperatures for Oranges grown for the 
use of their fruit as dessert, a little bottom heat at 
command is of importance all the year through. The 
trees should be encouraged to begin flowering in 
February by this aid, and a house or air temperature, 
in winter, of from 45deg. to 50deg. As the days 
lengthen, the minimum temperature may be increased 
FIG. 760. FRUITING BRANCH OF MANDARIN ORANGE. 
10deg., and it may be still further raised during summer. 
In spring, a bottom heat of 80deg. will not be too high 
for plunging Orange-trees in, if they are out of health, 
to induce them to start afresh; 70deg. to 75deg. is re- 
commended for others in health. A very light shading 
in summer is advisable, should the plants be fully ex- 
posed to hot sunshine; otherwise, the leaves are liable to 
be burnt. Careful attention to airing, early in the day, 
during hot weather, aids materially in preventing scorching. 
Supposing the trees to flower in February and March, set 
properly, and receive proper treatment afterwards, the 
fruits (see Figs. 759 and 760) may be grown to maturity 
in from nine to eleven months—a long period in com- 
parison with most other frnit-trees. Oranges require 
plenty of water in their growing season, and it should 
not be applied at a lower temperature than the soil in 
which the roots are situated. The free use of tepid water 
with the syringe or garden engine throughout the same 
season, except for a short time at the flowering stage, 
is an essential to success. It should be applied so as 
not to injure young leaves, but yet with sufficient force 
to keep the old ones clean, and prevent insects esta- 
blishing themselves. 
Of insects, the.most troublesome on Orange-trees are 
White and Brown Scale, Mealy Bug, and Red Spider. 
Orange—continued. 
The first-named, in bad cases, can scarcely be eradicated 
without cutting the trees hard back, cleaning their 
stems, and starting afresh. Sponging, assiduously car- 
ried out, with an insecticide, so as to prevent any great 
quantity of insects from becoming established, should be 
practised for Brown Scale and Mealy Bug, or the trees 
may be occasionally syringed with petroleum and water 
(a very little of the former being used), and afterwards 
thoroughly syringed with clean water. Red Spider will 
have but little chance if syringing is practised through- 
out the summer with the garden engine, in the way above 
recommended. 
Varieties of Dessert Oranges. Information has already 
been given that it is useless attempting the cultivation 
of Oranges for dessert except with good and suitable 
varieties. In Dessert Orange Culture,” one of a series 
of published papers by the late Mr. Thomas Rivers, of 
Sawbridgeworth, reprinted from the Report of the Inter- 
national Horticultural Exhibition and Botanical Congress, 
held in London in 1866, that excellent authority, and, 
probably, most extensive English cultivator of the Orange 
as a dessert fruit, makes the following trustworthy remarks 
respecting the varieties which, from experience, he had 
proved to be the best. There have been scarcely any 
other additions of importance made up till the present 
time: 
“One of the most charming and prolific of dessert 
Oranges is the Tangierine; the tree has small leaves, 
and seldom attains a height of more than 7ft., even in 
North Africa. Its most valuable quality is its early 
ripening, so that, in October, just as the late peaches 
and other soft fruits are over, this luscious little fruit 
is ready for the dessert; and, when freshly gathered, 
no fruit can be more gratifying or delightful, as its 
aroma is so delicious, and its juice so abundant, in this 
respeet offering a pleasing contrast to those imported 
from Lisbon, in November and December, the flesh of 
which is generally shrunk from the rind, instead of 
being ready to burst, as is the case with those plucked 
from the tree. They should, in common with all home- 
grown Oranges, be placed on the table with some leaves 
adhering to their stalks, thus showing that they have 
not made a voyage. 
“Among full-sized Oranges, the Maltese Blood takes 
the first rank; when quite fresh from the tree, it 
differs much from those imported, although the voyage 
as now made by steamers is of short duration 
The great advantage in planting this sort is its tendency 
to bear fine fruit while the trees are young; they are, 
indeed, so prolific that trees of only 2ft. in height have 
here borne nice crops of fruit. 
Some varieties, quite equal to the foregoing in 
quality, but without the red flesh, so peculiar to these 
Blood Oranges,’ have been imported from the Azores, 
the paradise of Orange trees. One of the most desirable 
sorts is called simply the St. Michael’s Orange. This 
kind has a thin rind, is very juicy, and bears abun- 
dantly, even while the trees are young. In the Orange 
House these will ripen towards the end of December, 
and thronghont January and February, in common with 
the Maltese Blood Oranges. 
In addition to the three leading varieties I have 
mentioned, there are several kinds which will, doubtless, 
prove interesting and valuable. It is not to be expected 
that so much variation in flavour, as in the Pear, for 
instance, can be met with in Oranges. I believe, how- 
ever, that, when our Orange palates are educated, we 
shall find many delicate distinctions in the flavour of 
Oranges. As far as I have gone, I have found the 
Mandarin Orange larger and more flat in shape than 
the Tangierine, and not so good as that sort. The 
Embiguo,*the Egg, the Silver Orange, the Botelha, the 
White Orange, and some others, all varieties from the 
