AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



505 



Orange continued. 



from which the host of forms have sprung, are of Asiatic 

 origin. Some idea of the number of these cultivated 

 varieties, and their range of differences in the size, form, 

 colour, and taste of the fruits, may be obtained when it 

 is stated that, in the " Histoire Naturelle des Grangers," 

 a folio work, by Risso and Poiteau (1818), there are no 

 less than 109 plates. The literature 6f the subject is 

 very considerable ; but the most important work, besides 

 the one just mentioned, is Gallesio's " Traite" du Citrus" 

 (8vo), published at Paris, in 1811. 



Under favourable conditions, the Orange is a very free 

 bearer. Wallace mentions a tree in St. Michael's that 

 bore 20,000 fruits in one crop. The longevity of the 

 plant, too. is not less remarkable. At Versailles, one 

 tree is still growing which was sown in 1421, and the 

 famous tree, now upwards of 30ft. in height, in the 

 Convent of St. Sabina, at Rome, is said to be more 

 than 600 years old. " In Cordova, the noted seat of 

 Moorish grandeur and luxury, in Spain, there are Orange- 

 trees still remaining which are considered to be 600 or 

 700 years old" ("Treasury of Botany"). 



Some commentators suppose that the " Apples of Gold" 

 were Oranges ; but there does not seem to be any definite 

 evidence that the Orange was cultivated in Palestine in 

 the time of Solomon. More than 700 years later, Theo- 

 phrastus, however, describes the Citron as occurring in 

 Northern Persia (Media), and as being cultivated by the 

 Jewish nation, in Syria, while under Roman dominion. 



In 1884, no less than 4,958,838 bushels of Oranges 

 and Lemons were imported into this country. Oils of 

 Neroli and Bergamot, highly esteemed as perfumes, are 

 obtained the first, by distillation, from the flowers of 

 the common Orange ; and the second, either by distilla- 

 tion or expression, from the rind of the Bergamot 

 variety. 



Cultivation. At one time or another during the long 

 period in which varieties of the Orange have been culti- 

 vated in this country, a few plants at least have been 

 amongst the occupants of almost every garden of any 

 extent, more especially in those established at an early 

 date. An orangery, as it is termed, is usually a 

 massive building, found in gardens adjoining old man- 

 sions, and not unfrequently constructed with a ceiling 

 and a slate roof, on an architectural design externally 

 similar in detail to the mansion. The custom was to 

 grow Orange-trees in large tubs or pots, keep them 

 throughout the winter in an orangery, and place them 

 in the open air during summer. Since the introduction 

 of glass into all houses devoted to horticultural purposes, 

 and such numerous representatives in the way of plants 

 have been brought from foreign lands, conservatories have 

 taken the place of orangeries in most of the gardens of 

 modern times. Orange-trees, too, are not grown now 

 to nearly the extent they were formerly, even for orna- 

 mental purposes. In gardens where an orangery still 

 stands, its special occupants seem to have vanished. 

 This may partly be accounted for by the plants being 

 exposed to a continued low temperature, by their being 

 placed in a position throughout the winter, in a house 

 with insufficient light, and by the application of too 

 much water at this season. Orange-trees have at all 

 times been grown in this country more as decorative 

 plants than for the use of their beautiful fruits, 

 when these are well ripened, for dessert. The highly 

 fragrant flowers and glossy evergreen foliage are 

 of themselves sufficient to render the tree deservedly 

 attractive as a decorative subject; and the frequency 

 with which orange blossoms are in demand for bridal 

 festivals, &c., is well known as being another explanation 

 of the plant's popularity. There is scarcely any part of 

 the season when neither flowers nor fruits are present, 

 in at least some stage of development, on trees of suffi- 

 cient age and size for producing either or both of them. 



Vol. IL 



Orange continued. 



Orange-trees grown in tubs should be provided with 

 efficient drainage, and be placed in soil calculated to last 

 a long time, such as a compost of good loam, to which 

 may be added some dry cow manure or crushed bones, 

 and some charred ballast, charcoal, or sand, to keep the 

 whole open. If the roots become unhealthy, or are not 

 properly attended to, indications of the foliage turning 

 yellow and becoming sickly are soon apparent. In the 

 treatment and cultivation of the Orange, it must be 

 remembered that the tree is a fruit-bearing subject, and 

 not, like many other evergreen plants, of use only for 

 its flowers or ornamental foliage. As such, it must 

 never be allowed to become very dry at the root, it 

 must have a season of growth, and another of rest, and 

 always have plenty of light. The roots, too, should not 

 be interfered with more than is really necessary; but 

 comparative restriction is recommended, provided the 

 soil is good, and attention is given to applying an annual 

 top-dressing in spring. Deer or sheep dung, with a little 

 loam intermixed, forms an excellent top-dressing. When 

 the trees are grown for ornamental purposes alone, they 

 are not usually subjected to anything higher than a 

 greenhouse temperature. Under this treatment, they 

 commence growing about March, and often do not flower 

 until towards Midsummer. The fruits which set after- 

 wards are too late for ripening before antumn, and, con- 

 sequently, they hang green throughout the winter, and 

 do not ripen off until the following summer. Thus, 

 under cool treatment, Oranges cannot be ripened in one 

 season, and are then much inferior to what they would 

 be if subjected to a higher temperature, more in ac- 

 cordance with the tree's requirements. It is surprising, 

 however, to what an extent interest is evoked in the 

 minds of visitors to garden establishments on seeing 

 living specimens of trees whose fruits only have, hitherto, 

 been so well known to them from foreign introductions. 

 Orange-trees bear a considerable amount of ill-usage, 

 and, in consequence of this, they are often subjected 

 to so much neglect that specimens seen in gardens, 

 showing signs of bad health by a stunted growth and 

 small yellow leaves, instead of broad, glossy, green 

 ones, are, perhaps, oftener the rule than the excep- 

 tion. The trees should have plenty of water throughout 

 the summer, and be frequently syringed from February 

 onwards to autumn, early in the morning, and again in 

 the afternoon; this tends to keep the leaves clean and 

 also to destroy insects. The plants may either be placed 

 in a sheltered, warm position, outside, during June and 

 the two following months, or kept in a greenhouse, with 

 plenty of air and light. In autumn and winter, water 

 should be partially withheld ; but not to an extent suffi- 

 cient to render the soil quite dry at any time. Any 

 plants that fall into ill-health (indicated by the appear- 

 ance of the leaves, as already alluded to), through 

 neglect, or as a consequence of improper treatment, 

 should be cut back somewhat in spring, placed in a 

 moist, growing temperature, with some bottom heat, and 

 be kept well syringed. The roots, too, should be 

 examined, and if, as will most likely be the case, many 

 of them are found dead, they should be shaken out, the 

 dead portion cut away, and the others placed in an 

 entirely new compost, with clean drainage, and in a 

 smaller-sized pot or tub. Orange-trees in very large 

 tubs have been efficiently brought from imperfect health 

 into a thriving condition, by the latter being surrounded 

 with a thickness of about 3ft. of fermenting material 

 when the season of growth begins. This is renewed 

 occasionally, until the tree is sufficiently restored to no- 

 longer need such help; and, as it is then later in 

 summer, the mean natural temperature is considerably 

 higher than when the new growth needed extra en- 

 couragement to induce it to start. 



The natural habit assumed by Orange-trees prevents. 



3T 



