266 HORTICULTURE, FORESTRY, FLORICULTURE 



sible to gather and market them. In others the conditions for 

 vegetative growth are so favorable that very little fruit sets, ke- 

 gions that are excessively dry may, however, be utilized for citrus 

 culture when irrigation can be practiced. The more nearly the 

 northern limit of the citrus belt is approached, the more sprightly 

 and deliciously flavored the fruit becomes, some of the very best 

 fruit being marketed from areas where the trees every winter are 

 in danger, of being frozen out. 



The ideal climate for citrus growing is one in which the rain- 

 fall occurs after the fruit has been shipped and before the new 

 crop begins to ripen. The rainfall should not be excessive, certainly 

 not more than 50 to 70 inches annually, and the winter tempera- 

 ture should not go below 26 to 27 F. of continued cold, though a 

 lower temperature may be withstood for an hour or more without 

 killing the trees Orange trees in a thoroughly dormant condition 

 can withstand a temperature as low as 24 F. if this is not continued 

 for more than a few hours at a time. A very sharp turn to 18 

 F., if for only a few hours, will entirely defoliate trees in the most 

 dormant condition, while it is likely to kill the larger proportion 

 of those in active growth. Small trees under 8 to 10 feet high, with 

 poorly protected trunks, are very apt to be cut to the ground under 

 these conditions Sometimes snow falls and remains on the trees for 

 some hours without seriously damaging orange trees; but this is 

 of rare occurrence. (F. B. 238.) 



Soil. The orange will grow successfully in a great variety of 

 soils, yet there are a few essential characteristics of a good orange 

 soil which can not be overlooked with safety by the prospective 

 grower. The soil must be abundantly moist but must allow good 

 drainage. It should be deep and rich. It is best to avoid the ex- 

 tremes of heavy and loose texture, though some very heavy soils 

 have given excellent results, particularly when overlaid by a stratum 

 of lighter character. Shallow soils and those underlaid with hard 

 pan near the surface are unsuited to orange culture. 



Preparation of the Soil. The orange makes very indifferent 

 success of the "hole-in-the-grass" method of cultivation. Where 

 the space is too limited to admit of anything like orchard cultiva- 

 tion the orange will often grow and produce fair fruit, but if a 

 serious attempt is made to grow more than one or two trees they 

 should be placed where their rights to full possession of the soil 

 immediately surrounding them will not be disputed by grass, weeds, 

 or other trees. The first step, then, in preparation is to clear the 

 land, if it be occupied by any other trees If the soil be virgin it 

 w r ould be well to plant some other crop for a year or two, plowing 

 it deeply and keeping it in good tilth. It is important that the 

 soil be worked deeply for otherwise the trees, wnen set out, are 

 likely to form surface rather than deepfeeding roots. Surface-rooted 

 plants suffer much from dry weather. Plow deeply, harrow thor- 

 oughly, and get the ground in as friable a condition as possible. 

 The trees may be procured from nurserymen or they may be prop- 

 agated by the orchardist. If the latter plan is adopted there are 



