DIVISION OF GARDENS AND GROUNDS. 699 



The value of the yield per acre per annum in the best orange orchards is about 

 $80, and tlie principal portion of the orange and lemon product ia for home consump- 

 tion; the export is insignitiuant. 



JACOB SCHUMACHER, CONSULAR AGENT, HAIFA, SYRIA. 



Only one variety ia cultivated in my district, called the "Accawy." It has the 

 form of the roimd Spanish orange, witli reddish-yellowish flesh; it lias a fine flavor 

 and is very juicy; it is about 3i inches in diameter, the skin is smooth, thin, and con- 

 tains considerable oil. 



We have two kinds of lemons, sweet and sour. The orange is grafted upon stocks 

 of the sweet lemon, and this is supposed to be the most profltable, as it is said to in- 

 crease the size of the fniit. 



Orchard trees are planted 10 to 12 feet apart in each dkection. Both orange and 

 lemon trees are iilanted as shnibs in such manner that sevei-al stems come out of the 

 ground together, although there are some orchards where the trees have but one 

 stem; those, however, planted as bushes, protect the fruit better against the influ- 

 ence of the wind. 



The orchards are planted, as a custom, along the sea-coast, where thej^ yield most 

 abundantly on level land; inland orchards never do so well. As the orchards requir-e 

 a sandy soil, they are planted as near as one-fourth of a mile up to some miles dis- 

 tance from the sea-shore. Every orange or lemon orchard is cultivated by a sjstem 

 of artificial irrigation applied two or three times a week. The groimd in orchards 

 between trees is cultivated twice a year; in the fall, before the rain comes, and in 

 spring, when the rainy season is over. 



The value of the yield of an acre per annum of best orchards amounts to from $80 

 to $100. The returns would be much larger if the oranges were exported to Europe. 

 The above statements therefore relate only to home consumption. 



S. ABELA, CONSULAR AGENT, SIDON, SYRIA. 



(h'anges and lemons. — One variety of orange, called Bisry, is always grown from 

 seed. All others are grafted upon the wild or bitter orange, and in two or three 

 years after grafting begin to bear fruit. 



The order of the soils best adapted to orange culture is as follows: the best being 

 light earth, then dark loam, then sandy, and finally clayey. 



All the oranges and lemons of Syria are grown very near the sea-coast, whether 

 at TripoU, Sidon, or Jaffa; and I know of no extensive successful cultivation more 

 than 4 miles from the sea, and some of the orchards are within 20 rods of salt 

 water. When the trees are set out they are placed 18 feet apart every way when 

 the soil is good, 16 feet when the soil is only average. Trees placed behind a shelter, 

 as another line of trees, prosper better than those exposed to severe wind. 



As there is no rain from May 1 till October 1, irrigation is the only means of keep- 

 ing the trees aUve. Each tree is surrounded by a httle bank of earth to keep the 

 water about the ti-ee. The trees arejeft without irrigation till the last of June, till 

 the leaves curl a Uttle, then they are watered three times for periods of seven days, 

 and after this every fifteen days. The irrigation of the river coming from Mount 

 Lebanon is better than from the wells, as the last has a taste of brackishness. 



In good orchards the average yield is estinaated at from 1,500 to 2,000 oranges 

 per tree. 



EHB AVANIA, ACTING CONSULAR AGENT, TARSUS, SYRIA. 



Oranges and lemons. — These are merely distinguished as Sweet and Sour. The 

 most valuable are the sour lemon and the sweet orange fruits, the usual value of 

 which is from 1 to 3 cents each. The trees are grafted, and are planted at a distance 

 of from 18 to 16 feet between each plant. Sour lemons and sweet oranges are most 

 sensitive to a cold temperature, especially the former, which are sometimes com- 

 pletely ruined by cold. 



The orange and lemon groves are generally situated in the interior or on the 

 coast, but always in the vicinity of towns, in order to be sheltered from cold. The 

 plain lands are rather suitable for the plantation and conservation of these trees, 

 but the best results are obtained on the coast, where the soil is more or less sandy 

 and light. Even at a distance of a quarter of a mile from the sea these trees pros- 

 per quite well. The system of inrigation used in this country is the running water. 

 In those places where such water is lacking wells are dug, the Avater of which is 

 used for watering the gardens by means of wheels mounted with buckets. In the 

 places where the soil of the groves is cultivated, watering is necessary in summer 



