The Orange. 479 



east of Orange Lake stood two beautiful and extensive orange 

 groves side by side. They were wild groves budded, and just 

 coming into bearing. Both had the same water protection. One 

 had forest trees left standing at suitable intervals ; the other was 

 without such tree protection, all the forest trees having been cut 

 down. A few days after the severe frost of the winter of 1876-7 

 the sheltered grove was still as green as in midsummer, while the 

 other appeared as if a fire had swept through it. Its leaves were 

 dead, while thousands of dollars' worth of fruit, frozen and spoiled, 

 hung on the naked branches. The owner estimates that if the 

 forest trees had been left, they would by this time have been worth 

 twenty thousand dollars." It has been found of great importance 

 to protect frosted trees from the rays of the morning sun. 



At the same time that continued cultivation- is important for 

 orange groves, small garden crops may be grown between the rows 

 of trees while they are small without detriment, among which are 

 sweet potatoes, the smaller sorts of Indian corn, and guavas. 



Raising Nursery Trees. The seeds for planting are obtained 

 from the oranges by placing the fruit in heaps till rotted, when the 

 seeds are easily washed out. They are to be treated nearly the 

 same as apple-seeds and cherry-stones, described in a former part 

 of this book, and not allowed to become too dry, and planted in 

 beds or drills. Budding is performed as the same work for peaches 

 and cherries. The young trees are transplanted to the orchard 

 when a few feet high, taking care to secure a full supply of roots a 

 foot long, and to prevent their becoming dry outside by heeling-in 

 and taking out one at a time. The distances apart vary from 

 twenty to thirty feet, the strongest growers requiring the most 

 room. The young trees are to be kept in good form by pruning, 

 in accordance with the directions given under the head of pruning 

 in this work. 



In Florida, oranges begin to ripen in November and December, 

 and a part of the crop will hang till March. 



Among diseases of the orange, the twig-blight is to be treated 

 the same as blight in the pear, or by prompt cutting off of the dis- 

 eased branches. The scale sometimes proves a formidable enemy, 

 for which various remedies have been used, among which are a 

 mixture of kerosene in milk and water, violently agitated together 

 before applying ; scraping and washing with soap-suds ; using 

 strong tobacco-water and carbolic soap ; and washing with a mix- 

 ture of wood-ashes and water. These washes, if too strong, would 

 injure the trees. 



