THE MANDARIN ORANGES. 4J 



Sara, La." Since their bulletin was written in Louisiana, 

 this reading conveys an erroneous idea. 



It has not been possible to fix the date of introduction 

 of the mandarin oranges into Florida, but if the report 

 of the Fruit Growers' Association is correct, it was, of 

 course, subsequent to the Louisiana introduction and pre- 

 sumably some time after it. The origin and introduction 

 of each of the mandarin oranges is given in the section on 

 varieties. 



At the present time it may be said that the sweet 

 oranges, lemons, pomelos and mandarin oranges are the 

 four important groups cultivated in America. 



Of these four important groups, the sweet oranges 

 occupy the first place and are destined to do so throughout 

 the whole future of citrus culture. The sweet orange is 

 a staple fruit, just as the apple is a staple fruit. It is 

 always in demand, and it is the dessert fruit of America, 

 par excellence. 



Considerably more attention has been given to the 

 culture of mandarin oranges in Florida than in California. 

 It must be borne in mind, however, that the mandarin 

 orange is essentially a fancy fruit and as such, commands a 

 fancy price in its season, but it would be useless to attempt 

 to place it on the same plane with the sweet orange as a 

 staple fruit. The fruit, generally speaking, is smaller than 

 the sweet orange. The bearing capacity of the tree seldom 

 reaches and rarely exceeds twelve straps, and all the mem- 

 bers of the group require careful cultivation and fertili- 

 zation to secure the best quality. Of course, this may be 

 said of sweet oranges or any other citrus fruit, but it is 

 peculiarly true of oranges of the mandarin group. 



Mandarin orange culture is on a staple basis in Amer- 

 ica at the present time, and the number of trees may be 



