THE ORANGE. 631 



sour. Such situations being more frosty, close planting cre- 

 ates denser shade, which not only mitigates the cold, but also 

 breaks the force of high winds, besides keeping the ground 

 cool and moist by checking evaporation. Fruit grown in the 

 shade is of a more delicate texture and a clearer complexion 

 than that exposed to the sun. Where plenty of space is advis- 

 able the trees become very large in time and the product cor- 

 respondingly great per tree. Growers on high lands assert 

 that they get more fruit per acre from trees fifty feet apart 

 than from those nearer together. In some countries close 

 planting seems to be the rule. For example, in the Sardinian 

 grove alluded to, the trees, according to Dr. Bennett, are only 

 eight or ten feet apart; and most of them very old, with trunks 

 two or even three feet in diameter. The branches run up to 

 a height of twenty feet, and form a dense canopy, which keeps 

 the ground cool and moist, and the experience of centuries 

 has satisfied the proprietors that this is the best plan. It was 

 also found that seedlings were apt to die from limb-blight 

 upon reaching maturity, while all the grafted trees were 

 sound and healthy. Herman Melville, referring to a grove 

 in Tahiti, says the trees formed a dense shade, spreading 

 overhead a dark, rustling vault, in which nothing but leaves 

 and fruit could be seen. 



CULTIVATION. 



The method of cultivation is a subject about which exists 

 a great variety of opinions, and amid the many differences 

 of soil, climate, and surroundings the treatment must, of 

 course, be varied to suit each particular case. Nowhere do 

 we find more beautiful fruit, nor brighter or more glossy 

 foliage, than in many of the wild groves of Florida. Shielded 

 from the fierce beams of the midsummer sun, from high 

 winds and the severity of frosts by the intermingled and 

 overarching forest trees, and fed by the decay of fallen leaves 

 and branches, the conditions for a continued well-being are 

 well-nigh perfect. Here nature provides a loose and friable 

 soil, abounding in the elements of fertility, with protection 

 from extremes of heat and cold, and as far as the artificial 

 state of cultivated trees allows we will do well to imitate 



