AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



507 



Orange continued. 



for trees in pots. The drainage, in either case, should 

 have thin, turfy soil laid over the top, to keep it clean. 

 Trees permanently planted out should have considerable 

 space allowed between them. This space may be filled 

 with movable pot-trees until the others grow and require 

 it themselves. The portability of trees in pots is one 

 point specially in their favour, and, if feeding is prac- 

 tised with them during the time the fruits are swelling, 

 and watering is always properly attended to, excellent 

 produce may be obtained from Oranges grown in such 

 houses as those devoted to Fig-tree or Vine culture. 

 Proper and good fruiting varieties only are suitable for 

 the purpose ; seedling plants are useless. 



Eespecting temperatures for Oranges grown for the 

 use of their fruit as dessert, a little bottom heat at 

 command is of importance all the year through. The 

 trees should be encouraged to begin flowering in 

 February by this aid, and a house or air temperature, 

 in winter, of from 45deg. to SOdeg. As the days 

 lengthen, the minimum temperature may be increased 



FIG. 760. FRUITING BRANCH OF MANDARIN ORANGE. 



lOdeg., and it may be still further raised during summer. 

 In spring, a bottom heat of SOdeg. will not be too high 

 for plunging Orange-trees in, if they are out of health, 

 to induce them to start afresh ; 70deg. to 75deg. is re- 

 commended for others in health. A very light shading 

 in summer is advisable, should the plants be fully ex- 

 posed to hot sunshine ; otherwise, the leaves are liable to 

 be burnt. Careful attention to airing, early in the day, 

 during hot weather, aids materially in preventing scorching. 

 Supposing the trees to flower in February and March, set 

 properly, and receive proper treatment afterwards, the 

 fruits (see Figs. 759 and 760) may be grown to maturity 

 in from nine to eleven months a long period in com- 

 parison with most other fruit-trees. Oranges require 

 plenty of water in their growing season, and it should 

 not be applied at a lower temperature than the soil in 

 which the roots are situated. The free use of tepid water 

 with the syringe or garden engine throughout the same 

 season, except for a short time at the flowering stage, 

 is an essential to success. It should be applied so as 

 not to injure young leaves, but yet with sufficient force 

 to keep the old ones clean, and prevent insects esta- 

 blishing themselves. 



Of insects, the most troublesome on Orange-trees are 

 White and Brown Scale, Mealy Bug, and Bed Spider. 



Orange continued. 



The first-named, in bad cases, can scarcely be eradicated 

 without cutting the trees hard back, cleaning their 

 stems, and starting afresh. Sponging, assiduously car- 

 ried out, with an insecticide, so as to prevent any great 

 quantity of insects from becoming established, should be 

 practised for Brown Scale and Mealy Bug, or the trees 

 may be occasionally syringed with petroleum and water 

 (a very little of the former being used), and afterwards 

 thoroughly syringed with clean water. Eed Spider will 

 have but little chance if syringing is practised through- 

 out the summer with the garden engine, in the way above 

 recommended. 



Varieties of Dessert Oranges. Information has already 

 been given that it is useless attempting the cultivation 

 of Oranges for dessert except with good and suitable 

 varieties. In " Dessert Orange Culture," one of a series 

 of published papers by the late Mr. Thomas Rivers, of 

 Sawbridgeworth, reprinted from the Eeport of the Inter- 

 national Horticultural Exhibition and Botanical Congress, 

 held in London in 1866, that excellent authority, and, 

 probably, most extensive English cultivator of the Orange 

 as a dessert fruit, makes the following trustworthy remarks 

 respecting the varieties which, from experience, he had 

 proved to be the best. There have been scarcely any 

 other additions of importance made up till the present 

 time: 



" One of the most charming and prolific of dessert 

 Oranges is the Tangierine; the tree has small leaves, 

 and seldom attains a height of more than 7ft., even in 

 North Africa. Its most valuable quality is its early 

 ripening, so that, in October, just as the late peaches 

 and other soft fruits are over, this luscious little fruit 

 is ready for the dessert ; and, when freshly gathered, 

 no fruit can be more gratifying ' or delightful, as its 

 aroma is so delicious, and its juice so abundant, in this 

 respect offering a pleasing contrast to those imported 

 from Lisbon, in November and December, the flesh of 

 which is generally shrunk from the rind, instead of 

 being ready to burst, as is the case with those plucked 

 from the tree. They should, in common with all home- 

 grown Oranges, be placed on the table with some leaves 

 adhering to their stalks, thus showing that they have 

 not made a voyage. 



"Among full-sized Oranges, the Maltese Blood takes 

 the first rank ; when quite fresh from the tree, it 

 differs much from those imported, although the voyage 

 as now made by steamers is of short duration. . . . 

 The great advantage in planting this sort is its tendency 

 to bear fine fruit while the trees are young; they are, 

 indeed, so prolific that trees of only 2ft. in height have 

 here borne nice crops of fruit. 



" Some varieties, quite equal to the foregoing in 

 quality, but without the red flesh, so peculiar to these 

 ' Blood Oranges,' have been imported from the Azores, 

 the paradise of Orange trees. One of the most desirable 

 sorts is called simply the St. Michael's Orange. This 

 kind has a thin rind, is very juicy, and bears abun- 

 dantly, even while the trees are young. In the Orange 

 House these will ripen towards the end of December, 

 and throughout January and February, in common with 

 the Maltese Blood Oranges. . . . 



"In addition to the three leading varieties I have 

 mentioned, there are several kinds which will, doubtless, 

 prove interesting and valuable. It is not to be expected 

 that so much variation in flavour, as in the Pear, for 

 instance, can be met with in Oranges. I believe, how- 

 ever, that, when our Orange palates are educated, we 

 shall find many delicate distinctions in the flavour of 

 Oranges. As far as I have gone, I have found the 

 Mandarin Orange larger and more flat in shape than 

 the Tangierine, and not so good as that sort. The 

 Embiguo, the Egg, the Silver Orange, the Botelha, the 

 White Orange, and some others, all varieties from the 



