California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



tries labor under a disadvautage common 

 to all semi-tropical regions -except our 

 favored peninsula, viz : A summer devoid 

 of rain. For five months irrigation is 

 necessary in the vast majority of their 

 plantations, and whether by steam or 

 horse power or hydraulic works, is very 

 expensive. 



SOIL. 



The soil most preferred is calcarious 

 clay, and those abounding in alkali are 

 I specially pirized, but the richest soil does 

 not produce the esteemed fruits. Thus, 

 iu the vast and fertile valley of the Con- 

 cha, back of Palerme, covered with or- 

 anges of the most luxuriant growth, its 

 products sell for one-third less than those 

 of the same trees planted on Monto 

 Keile, and other hills in sight, of poor 

 calcarious soil, and whose fruits, prized 

 especially for export, by reason of their 

 quality of long-keeping, are known by 

 the mark M (mountain). 



The effect of the soil on the quality of 

 the orange is a well recognized fact, and 

 at Nice, which abounds in beautiful or- 

 ange groves, it is freely admitted that 

 oranges deteriorate in quality in its infe- 

 rior, soil. The peculiarly delicious 

 fruit of Florida I ascribe mainly to the 

 character of its soil, abounding iu that 

 prized substance, alkali, the i^roducts of 

 tires which have annually overrun its 

 surface, and iu vegetable delrUus and 

 lime, the product of decomposed shells. 



PEOPAGATION. 



The system universally adopted is to 

 bud the sweet orange upon "sour stock," 

 as we call it. This is obtained by plant- 

 ing the seed of the bitter sweet orange, 

 which is but one of thirty-one varieties 

 cultivated of the Sylvestric, or so-called 

 "wild orange." The reason for prefer- 

 ring the sour, or bitter-sweet orange 

 stock to the sweet one, is that it is har- 

 dier, less subject to malady than the ex- 

 otics, more lu-eeocious and grows faster. 

 According to very exact observations by 

 the Royal Agricultural College of Sicily, 

 in ten years it gained 50 per cent, in di- 

 ameter over the latter. 



The orange is picked when fully ripe, 

 in 51arch, of the largest size, rotted in 

 the sun, the seeds washed out, those 

 that float in the water being rejected, as 

 well as all imperfect ones or those want- 

 ing in iilumpness. They are sowed soon 

 after separation from the orange (the 

 wild orange seed loses quickly the pow- 

 er of germinating; the sweet seed can be 

 kept for years; both can best be preserved 

 iifsand; soaking in water is expedient for 

 dry seeds which otherwise would not ger- 

 minate;) in rich, deep beds, with a warm, 

 sunny exposure about one inch from the 

 surface and are abundantly watered and 

 manured— observing constantly the ax- 

 iom that warmth and humidity are the 

 essentials of germination— when they 

 are removed to the nursery, great care 

 being taken to Dreserve the tap as well 

 as the lateral' roots. Here again the 

 greatest carS is taken to have rich, deep 

 and thoroughly cultivated soil in a shel- 

 tered location ;" they are planted about ten 

 inches ajjart; watered by irrigation at 

 regular periods, manure and cultivation 

 being frequently applied. In three years 

 from the seed they should attain the ne- 

 cessary growth for budding. This is prac- 

 tical \vhen the tree has reached the size 

 of an inch in diameter about six inches 

 from the ground. All the old groves are 

 budded close to the ground, but experi- 

 ence has proved that protection from the 

 scourge of a wide-spreading disease 

 called the gamma, is better secured by 

 making the trunk of the tree hardier 

 stock, consequently the bud is inserted 

 six feet from the ground. 

 The bud is taken from a bearing tree, 



and iu its year of full bearing, not its off 

 year. In the spring months trees are 

 budded as well as in the autumn, from 

 August to November. In the first case 

 the trees are topped; in the latter (called 

 dormant bud) no branch is removed till 

 after it has started the following spring. 

 Trees are also propagated by slips made 

 from the suckers or green growth, called 

 plumet, which is generally carefully 

 pruned from the tree whenever it ap- 

 pears. Such trees, however, have no 

 tap roots, are short lived, and are not 

 esteemed, though they develop quickly. 

 Another form of propagation practiced 

 in pleasure gardens is by what is called 

 "Marcotte," which is surrounding a limb 

 previously scarified with a sort of wicker 

 basket fiUed with earth. After a year 

 the branch is cut off and planted and 

 gives speedy fruit. It also is short 

 lived. 



Sweet seedlings are almost invariably 

 denounced by those who cultivate fruit 

 for commerce, as of slower development, 

 (four years longer than budded trees) of 

 uncertain and inferior character of fruit, 

 and by reason of the thorns, which in- 

 jure it when shaken by the wind. Its 

 size, too, is considered a disadvantage 

 for gathering, and its superior quantity 

 is not regarded as compensating for its 

 inferior quality. AVhere lUO seedlings 

 fill an acre, 200 budded trees have ample 

 room. Budding, besides, jjromotes 

 sweetness in the fruit. I have thus seen 

 trees budded on successive buds two or 

 three times to secure a high quality. 



PLANTING. 



The trees, which generally are from 

 three to six years old, sometimes just 

 ready to bear are planted when vegeta- 

 tion commences — in Italy generally iu 

 April. The holes — three feet by three 

 feet iu rich soil, from four feet to four 

 and a half feet in depth by the same 

 width, in poorer soil — are generally dug 

 in summer iu order to expose the earth 

 to the action of the air. When planted 

 the tree top is cut back to correspond 

 with the dimensions of the roots; the 

 hole is one-third filled with rich, decom- 

 posed manure, mixed with the top soil, 

 heaped up in the center, upon which the 

 tree is planted so as to be no deeper in 

 the ground than before. The earth is 

 filled in and left in a saucer shape— de- 

 pressed around the tree — and plentifully 

 watered. There are vi.rious practices as 

 to the tap root. Some cut, some bend, 

 others leave it entire. In a large grove, 

 just planting, which I visited in Sicily, 

 its proprietor an intelligent Englishman, 

 bent the tap root and said that he thus 

 forced the surface roots down — a great 

 object with all cultivators as a security 

 against drought and leaving the top soil 

 free for cultivation. 



The base line for planting is generally 

 laid due north and south, in order 

 to give all the trees equally the 

 ( benefit of the sun. The present gener- 

 ally-received distance between the trees 

 is fifteen feet on the level, twelve feet on 

 the hill sides (although most of the 

 nroves I have seen are under twelve, and 

 in some the trees are six feet apart). The 

 modern system of planting, too, is in 

 diamond quincunx, instead of squares, 

 by which plan, with the same space to 

 each tree, eleven per cent, of trees is 

 gained to the acre. 



The latter system, too, is to bud the 

 tree only after having been transferred 

 to its place in the grove. The cultivator 

 is generally employed to stir the earth 

 around the trees to the depth of six 

 inches three times a year, and as before 

 said, great importance is attached to 

 keeping down the surface roots, j 



MANCKE. 



Until the tree bears, the growth of its 

 wood is promoted by abundant supplies 

 of manure of strong, active character two 

 or three times a year, according to age 

 and soil. When in bearing, manures of 

 slower decomposition are applied from 

 once a year to once in five years accord- 

 ing to soil. It is applied to the surface 

 over the roots and especially at their ex- 

 tremities, supposed to be bounded by the 

 extent of the branches. This is turned 

 in the autumn tenor twelve inches deep; 

 liquid manures are applied in the sum- 

 mer when vegetation is most active. 

 Water applied to the roots or over the 

 trees at regular periods of six or eight 

 days, is a great fertilizer by reason of 

 the various salts held in solution, as well 

 as a remedy against drought. Plaster 

 of Paris is sometimes sprinkled over the 

 tops of the trees and is absorbed by the 

 leaves to their benefit. 



REMEDIES AGAINST DROCGUT. 



With five summer months devoid of 

 rain, the means of obviating the effects 

 of drought are all important to the culti- 

 vator. Irrigation is generally practiced 

 and is called wet culture, in contradis- 

 tinction to dry culture in vogue at Na- 

 ples, Sorrento, etc. This most expensive 

 method consists in deep trenching. I 

 have seen groves trenched eight and a 

 half feep deep. Constant culture of the 

 soil and sometimes mulching are em- 

 ployed to retain the moisture below the 

 surface. In irrigation, which is univer- 

 sal in Sicily and the Ligurian coust,steam 

 and horse power, and sometimes exten- 

 sive dydraulic works in sinking and con- 

 ducting springs from the mountains' 

 depths are emploj ed. Care is taken that 

 the water be of the temperature of the 

 air; it is applied weekly during the dry 

 season, from May in Sicily and June in 

 Northern Italy and France, till Septem- 

 ber, and at night; in autumn, however, 

 in the morning, the cultivator following 

 a few days after. Conducts of brick or 

 stone are led across the groves (and 

 crossing at right angles) from the reser- 

 voirs, and supply the numerous trenches 

 which cover the soil around the trees, in 

 scientific order. 



PROTECTION. 



The wind is a greater enemy of the 

 orange trees that the frost, in Italy and 

 Sicily, either by their violence or by rea- 

 son of prejudicial character iu itself; and 

 in the location of groves great attention 

 is paid to protecting them, whether by 

 mountains, woods or artificial screening, 

 (walls, plantations, or woodan struc- 

 tures) on those sides whence the most 

 pernicious winds come; (in Italy north 

 and northwest, in Sicily southwest and 

 south-southwest, which is sometimes 

 most destructive with its hot blasts from 

 the African coast. ) Trees, for this rea- 

 son, are frequently kept low by early 

 pruning. 



The sea-winds, brina, are in themselves 

 noxious to the plant, as are the African 

 winds or siroccos, by reason of their 

 heat. The strong brimate of 1873 de- 

 cimated the oranges around Palermo, 

 while the mandarin, which is a hardier 

 fruit, did not sutler. The eucalyptus is 

 now frequently planted on exposed sides 

 of groves as a protection. I am inclined 

 to think, however, that the influence 

 upon the orange tree will prove preju- 

 dicial, as, hke the ailanthus, it is nox- 

 ious to many plants. I have seen rows 

 of wild cane planted thickly not only on 

 exposed sides but between every fourth 

 and fifth row of trees. Again, I have 

 seen high frame works of cane erected to 

 break the force of the wind. High walls 

 are sometimes used and the sheltered 

 hillsides are terraced, with immense la- 



bor and cost, to their summits to avail 

 of every foot of shelter. 



In the Azores, at St. Michaels, I re- 

 member to have seen in their quinkis 

 (orange groves) walls of huge stones, 

 eighteen or twenty feet high, erected for 

 protection from the winds, and planted ^ 

 against these, thickly, the tall and quick- 

 growing /«^a tree, which added thirty or 

 forty feet more elevation for resistance 

 to the strong winds which sweep over the 

 island. 



NIXED CULTCEE. 



The practice is almost universal of oc- 

 cupying the ground between the trees, 

 until the second or third year of bearing, 

 with other cultures; with vegetables, 

 which is preferable when near towns that 

 ofi'er a market; with vines or fruit trees 

 under other circumstances. The peach 

 tree, which lives ten years in Italy, does 

 well planted with the orange, and disap- 

 pears at the right moment. I have seen 

 accounts of groves to which mixed cul- 

 ture had been applied, when, by the time 

 the trees were in bearing, nil the ex- 

 penses, including the cost of the trees 

 themselves, had been paid by these 

 crops. 



PBODCCTS. 



A gieat business is done at Nice and 

 in the neighborhood in orange flowers. 

 The wild trees are cultivated for that 

 purpose, and are superior to the sweet — 

 those of the highland being superior to 

 those of the low. The leaves, too, are 

 an article of commerce. The flowers are 

 gathered all summer, shaken on sheets 

 when dry, and distilled with equal quan- 

 tities, by measure, of water. The wild 

 orange averrges 80 pounds, the sweet 40 

 pounds per year per tree. I remember 

 one wild tree in Nice yielding 410 pounds 

 of flowers and 4,000 oranges in one year. 

 Two hundred pounds of fresh flowers 

 yield 80 pounds of double and 20 pounds 

 of single orange flower-water, and half a 

 grain of essential oil — reroli. 



PEUIT. 



There are three gatherings: the first 

 in November, when yellowish, and solely 

 for export, and is the dearest; the second 

 in Becember and January, when half 

 ripe and full yellow color — the cheapest 

 priced; the third iu March, when quite 

 ripe and unfit for export— these bring a 

 high price. The sales are made on the 

 trees, to merchants, as they stand, or per 

 thousand (merchantable), 1,040 being 

 reckoned as a thousand, and in some 

 districts 360 pounds, or again, the grove 

 is rented for a term of years. 



PICKING. 



They are picked by breaking the stem, 

 deposited in baskets lined with cloth, 

 then piled upon straw, after the stem 

 has been cut down close to the fruit, and 

 sweated for three days in darkness under 

 cover. They are then culled for market. 



MARKET. 



The merchant sends his own sorters, 

 and thirty-three per cent, of oranges, 

 sixty-six per cent, of lemons, is the aver- 

 age "number of merchantable fruit. All 

 the least imperfections, the abrasion of 

 the skin or loss of stem insure rejection. 

 The oranges are then papered and packed 

 in boxes for transportation to the mer- 

 chant's warehouse and never sent in 

 bulk. Here they remain a week or two 

 to permit them to develop any latent de- 

 fects, when they are again inspected and 

 twelve to fifteen per cent, thrown out. 

 They are then assorted according to size, 

 repapered and carefully packed. The 

 baskets, the bins, sorting and papering 

 tables being carefully padded to prevent 

 abrasion of the epidermis. The fruit for 

 export is of three sizes, numbered re- 

 spectively 25, 30, 42, which represents 



