142 FLORIDA FRUITS ORANGES. 



CHAPTEE XV. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



In closing our remarks upon the culture of that golden 

 fruit, the orange, we should leave it incomplete did we not 

 gather in a few " odds and ends" of ideas and experiments 

 that are floating about, here and there, in connection with 

 this interesting subject. /One of these is the question of 

 "overproduction," which seems to be disturbing the minds 

 of many superficial observers. We say superficial observ- 

 ers advisedly, for those who take a second glance into the 

 matter know such a thing to be impossible. 



Orange culture can never be overdone in this country ; 

 the markets can never be so glutted as to make the prices 

 obtained unremunerative, if concerted action be used. 



And why? Because the extent of country where or- 

 anges (and lemons) can be successfully grown is very 

 small compared to the extent of country ready and willing 

 \_jto. purchase them. 



In the Mediterranean countries you see all the people 

 eating this Queen of Fruits ; they have been educated to 

 consider it as a necessity, as a part of their daily food, to 

 be bought in preference to other food if there is not money 

 enough to purchase every thing desired. A beggar will 

 buy oranges and go without meat. 



The people of the United States do not yet appreciate 

 the full value and health-giving properties of the orange 

 as an article of food ; it is eaten now rather as a luxury 

 than a necessity ; but they are just coming to a truer ap- 

 preciation of its real value, and before long the voice of 

 one of our most eminent physicians, who has said that ' ' if 

 each of his patients would eat an orange before breakfast, 



