PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION, vii 



be worth picking in Florida. The evil prophecy 

 failed. Other persons caught the orange fever, 

 until finally the old prophets were converted, and 

 are to-day our most enthusiastic orange-growers. 

 To-day, hundreds of thousands of trees are growing, 

 and tens of thousands more of plants are ready to 

 be set in groves. 



WILL THE BUSINESS BE OVERDONE ? 



The question now comes up, Will not the busi- 

 ness be overdone ? We answer, No. With the 

 small area within the United States capable of 

 producing oranges, this will be impossible. Canada 

 and the United States are rapidly increasing in 

 population, and these alone could consume the 

 entire product from the orange-growing sections 

 of the United States. But the Florida orange is the 

 finest grown, and will ultimately command the 

 market of Europe as well as America. 



Occasionally already a glut in the market has 

 occurred, but this has been in each instance the 

 result of (mainly) a double fault on the part of the 

 producers. They have attempted to narrow the 

 marketing season to three or four months, when it 

 should be extended over from eight to twelve months. 

 Oranges will remain on the trees in good condition 

 six months after they have turned yellow. Properly 

 handled and cured, they will keep several months 

 after they have been clipped. The Florida season 

 for marketing, like the European, should embrace 

 the entire year. The second mistake, to which 

 allusion is made, was the result of the destructive 



