1158 



ORANGE 



ORANGE 



this line nas been the banking of tree-trunks with soil 

 up to a height of 1-4 ft., which in the event of freezing 

 carries the budded stem safely through the winter and 

 saves considerable growth. This is only a makeshift, 

 however, to preserve the budded variety and does not 

 protect the top or bearing part of the tree, so that many 

 forms of tents for covering the whole tree have been 

 devised, with heating apparatus. Sheds have also been 

 made with tight walls, covering large areas of trees and 

 having either slatted or movable roofs : during severe 

 cold, open fires, aided by the high walls, keep the 

 temperature above the freezing point. There is also 

 the possibility of warming the air by means of sprays 

 of water, forced from set nozzles by a steam pump, as 

 the temperature of well water in Florida is constantly 

 about 75 Fahr. or warmer. Under sheds trees may be 

 set closer and kept at the very highest state of growth, 

 removing crowded trees from time to time as it may be 

 expedient. 



The gathering of the Orange crop may proceed some- 

 what at the will of the owner; picking, of course, pro- 

 ceeds with the ripening of the different varieties, the 

 early sorts being fit to gather in October, weeks or 

 months before medium and late ripening sorts: all 

 varieties will keep in perfection for several weeks while 

 hanging on the trees. 



The fruit from all citrous trees should be cut off, and 

 never pulled, as a rough treatment would cause early 

 decay. Packing is carried on quite uniformly in a 

 great degree of perfection through all the Orange sec- 

 tions of the country; the main essentials to success 

 are a slight wilting of the fruit (two or three days), 

 and a firm, but not extreme degree of pressure, in each 

 package. E. N. REASONER. 



ORANGE CULTURE IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA. From the 

 early settlement of Louisiana to the present day Orange 

 culture has received attention in the lower Mississippi 

 valley. Until recently the seeds of sweet Oranges were 

 planted and the young trees transplanted in and around 

 the yards and gardens. No extensive groves were grown 

 until after the close of the civil war. At first groves of 

 seedling trees only were planted and these proved ex- 

 ceedingly profitable up to the very cold spell of 1895, 

 which destroyed nearly every one in the state. In the 

 meanwhile extensive experiments had been made in 

 budding the choice varieties of sweet Oranges on various 

 kinds of stocks, and many of the experiments demon- 

 strated the power of resisting the cold by certain kinds 

 of stocks, notably the Citrus trifoliate. Accordingly 

 many of the old groves and a number of new ones 



1560. The banking of Orange trees on the Mississippi delta. 



were planted in budded stocks, using the buds of se- 

 lected trees of sweet Oranges and establishing them 

 upon the Citrus trifoliata. 



Budded stock has thus entirely superseded sweet seed- 

 lings. The sour Orange, the bitter-sweet Orange, the 

 rough lemons, the grape-fruit or pomelo and the Citrus 

 trifoliata have all been used successfully as stock for 

 the sweet Orange. In the meanwhile several hardy 

 Japanese varieties, including the Satsuma, Mandarins 

 and Tangerines, were introduced and budded upon va- 

 rious kinds of stock. In 1895,with the temperature going 



down to 15 F. in New Orleans, it was found that the 

 combination of the hardy Japanese varieties upon the 

 Citrus trifoliata alone withstood the cold. This experi- 

 ence caused an adoption of the Citrus trifoliata as the 

 chief stock for future groves. Accordingly nearly all of 

 the groves planted since that time have been with this 

 stock. 



But there is a frost limit beyond which this combina- 

 tion is destroyed. This was evidenced by the unprece- 

 dented freeze of February, 1899, which again destroyed 

 nearly every grove in the state. Since that time Orange 

 planting has made very slow progress, and only a few 

 large groves are to-day to be found in the state. The 

 industry is, however, so profitable that a renaissance 

 may be expected at an early day. The budded trees 

 bear early and yield profitable returns in three to five 

 years after being transplanted in the grove. The city 

 of New Orleans furnishes a home market for all that 

 can be raised, and the Louisiana Orange is about one 

 month ahead of those of Florida and several months ahead 

 of California in ripening, and, therefore, reaches the 

 market when, on account of scarcity, good prices prevail. 

 These facts, coupled with the readily productive soil, 

 requiring no fertilizers, and the abundant rainfall, dis- 

 pensing with irrigation, make Orange culture exceed- 

 ingly profitable in Louisiana, and the only drawback is 

 an occasional blizzard from the northwest, which drives 

 gulf-ward the usually balmy climate and temporarily 

 chills the groves. At rare intervals these blizzards are 

 so intense as to destroy tree and fruit. 



How to protect groves against these destructive 

 frosts is to-day the "burning question "w r ith the Orange 

 growers. Flooding the orchard with water from the 

 river upon the approach of a freeze has been practiced 

 upon a large scale without complete success. 



The practice of banking the tree piling the soil around 

 the stem to a height of a few feet (Fig. 1500) on the 

 approach of a blizzard whose intensity and time of coming 1 

 are usually predicted by the government weather bureau, 

 is now almost universally adopted as the best protection 

 against excessive cold. This banking retainsvitality inthe 

 main trunk, and while the outer limbs are killed young 

 shoots will start from the tree when the soil is removed 

 and spring advances. This practice gives only partial 

 protection. The tree is virtually destroyed, but new 

 shoots from the protected trunk will soon appear and 

 in a year or two the tree has resumed shape and is ready 

 to bear a crop. The crop for the ensuing year or years 

 is destroyed, but by skilful care the grower is enabled 

 to secure a renewed plantation quickly. 



The sweet, the sour, the Mandarin (Fig. 1559), 

 Tangerine and Satsuma, the Shaddock, the grape- 

 fruit, the Kumquat and the trifoliata, are all 

 grown quite largely in Louisiana. The Myrtle 

 and the Otaheite are occasionally found as orna- 

 mental trees. 



The Orange is grown in this state directly 

 from seed and from buds. Budding is done at 

 any time of the year from early spring to late 

 fall. When performed in the fall, the buds re- 

 main dormant through the winter. The various 

 stocks have particular merits for special soils 

 and other conditions, and several kinds are used, 

 as already said ; but when the chief obstacle to 

 successful Orange culture is cold, all other 

 considerations must be dispensed with and only 

 the most resistant stocks used. These are, 

 first, Citrus trifoliata, and, second, sour Orange. 

 Hence nearly all the Louisiana groves are on 

 these two stocks, a large majority being on the 

 former. 



Planting a grove is always preceded by a nur- 

 sery. The latter is made by planting the seed of the 

 Citrus trifoliata or sour Orange. W T hen the young 

 trees are one to two years old they are shield-budded 

 with buds from selected varieties. One year after, 

 these buds are large enough to be transplanted to the 

 grove. 



The soil of the grove is thoroughly prepared and pul- 

 verized, and well drained. The trees are planted at in- 

 tervals of 20 to 40 feet apart both ways, and the grove is 

 cultivated until the trees are large enough to shade the 

 ground. After that only the weeds and bushes are kept 



