694 REPORT OP THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



tender for transportation; the OhJoufjutn, an oblong lemon, considered very valuable 

 on account ol tlie (jiiantity of acid it contains. 



PUintini) and cah'ivatiuit.—Biiioi-e the malady Gomvia manifested itself it was 

 preferred to multiply the trees by burying the ends of shoots in the gi-ound at proper 

 distances; these shoots soon took root. But now the seed of the sour orange is 

 planted, into wliicli, when the plants have grown to a proper size, the kirids desired 

 are grafted. 



Orange and lemon orchards in Liguria are all on the seacoast. Flat and hilly 

 lands in orchard are alike protected by lofty mountains from northern winds. 

 Orange and lemon groves can be and are cultivated inland, but the temperatui'e in 

 such places must not reach higlaer than 104° F. in summer nor lower than 32^ V. in 

 winter. Inland orchartls usually do well aromid lakes on account of the constant 

 climate. Groves are also to be seen on table-lands, but always on the south side of 

 mountains. Bearing trees need a damp soil, and if the land does not contain suffi- 

 cient moisture it is impossible to obtain a good crop. On naturally dry soil, there- 

 fore, water near by is of gi-eat value. 



Orange and lemon gi'oves, on account of the irregular formation of the surround- 

 ing country, are necessarily email, and they are owned by many people. The soil 

 on which groves are planted is what the ItaUans term strong, and it is claimed for 

 it that it retains moisture for a long time. An idea prevails that springs are of no 

 great depth, and that the water com'ses through the earth at no great distance from 

 the roots, and surface waterings are not needed. At Nervi, a few miles along the 

 coast from Genoa, orchards thrive with but little in'igation, and this state of alfairs 

 is noticed even in the driest seasons. Unless groves have strong soil, as above 

 mientioned, and are moistened by an unseen water-course, they will prove unprofit- 

 able if the owners do not nourish the roots as often as once in eight days. 



Oranges and lemons are not raised in such quantities in this consular district as 

 to admit of large exportation. 



GEORGE RAYSON, CONSULAR AGENT, MARSALA, ITALY. 



Ormiges. — The varieties grown are Mandarins, Vaniglia, Blood, Seville, and com- 

 mon Sicilian, of wliich the Mandarins are considered the most valuable. The trees 

 are produced from seeds of the bitter orange, and budded with selected varieties 

 afterward. The trees are troubled with lice, to destroy which Hour of sulphur is 

 used. The gum disease also affects the trees, and this is cured by peeling olf the 

 bark which has become diseased. Trees do best at a distance from the sea, where, 

 sheltered from aU strong winds, yielding best in a valley. No orange orchard here 

 thrives near the sea, and no trees are planted within a mile or two of the seashore. 

 The groves are watered by artificial means, and up to the age of five or six years 

 proprietors generally grow vegetables between the rows of trees. 



Orange and lemon trees produce two hundred fruits at five years after budding; 

 after that, if healthy and well cultivated, each tree is expected to produce one 

 thousand. 



The cost of cultivation is difficult to determine; it is very much dependent upon 

 f aciUties and arrangements for watering. The average cost may be calculated at 

 $30 per acre per annum. 



ALBERT WOODCOCK, CONSUL, CATANIA, SICILY. 



Oranges.— Ot these there are four varieties: the Round and Oval, the Mandarin 

 and the Bitter. The oval is preferred for commerce, being more durable. The rotmd 

 is sweeter and larger. These two kinds are the fruit of export. The mandarin is 

 more perishable, and is used for home consumption. The round orange begins to 

 ripen in December, the oval in January. 



The bitter orange is very hardy, and is grown for the purpose of propagating the 

 other varieties by budding or grafting them upon its stock. Its fruit is used for the 

 manufacture of preserves. 



Orange and lemon trees begin to bear full crops when they are from ten to fifteen 

 years old. Some say that the orange and lemon budded upon the bitter-orange stock 

 will remain fi-uitful from one to two centuries; others say from fifty to a hundred 

 years. When not thus budded upon the bitter-orange stock, but raised from the 

 seed, the trees are short-lived. They become diseased; a gummy substance exudes 

 from them; a disease cankerous in it's nature attacks the wood, and they soon die. 

 The budding process is generally in practice; graftmg is but little resorted to. 



Planting and cultivation.— The process of starting an orange or lemon gi-ove is 

 commenced by first planting seeds of the bitter orange, and when the young plants 

 are one year old they axe ti-ansplanted in nursery rows. When they have grown 



