ITS A.MTAGES ! ITS CONDITIONS ! ITS PROSPECTSI 



insects. Siii<{nr^7ScJ0 one arove of 100 

 acres, planted iu sweet S(!e>llir.gs, has 

 Vironjiht to Its owner .flir)?.)!)'!) I'l.r the 

 fruit on the trees. Tlie Italiais lii.y tlie 

 fruit on the trees and then sjailier iLeir 

 inU ship to market. Since ISSO a de- 

 » ii'.cd eh-iiige has conic over (>i;i <ir:ii ;;«! 



The sweet seedlin? is nsed now only 

 t'l furnish buils fi)r inr.crtion and growth 

 u|ii>n the haifdier storks. The sour and 

 liitter-sweet oranges, the rough lemon, 

 the grape fruit and tlie citrus trifoliata 

 all now furnish stock for our groves. Th-e 

 siiur orange is hardier than the sweet 

 and will endure a much lower tempera- 

 ture withdut inj\iry. The citrus trifoliata 

 is very hardy, standing the climate of 

 l'liilad'£l])hia. It is dwarfish in its liabits, 

 and, thei'cforo. is to tlie orange what the 

 quince is to tlie pear. By budding on this 

 stock, small ti-ees are obtained which 

 may be planted closer together iu the 

 orchard. liike the dwiwf pears, they 

 )>e:\r earlier tlian the standards. 



New varieties of oranges have been in- 

 troduced from all over the world; some 

 of these, notably tlie Japanese contribu- 

 tions, are very hardy. The Satsuma, the 

 Kewachai, Dai-Dai, etc., all grow and bear 

 fruit up to the central portion of the 

 state. The first when budded on the 

 citrus trifoliata is very hardy, enduring, 

 perhaps, the greatest cold of any citrus 

 fruit. This comlnnation is now sold 

 largely for growth iu half-Iiarrels in 

 northern conservatories. Fre<iaeutly a 

 tree tbus treated will in three years 

 bear over 100 oranges. It may, there- 

 fore, be asserted, with our present knowl- 

 edge of oranges, that successful culture 

 of this fruit can be carried on all tiirough 

 south Louisiana, provided proper atten- 

 tion be paid to the following. 



First — Selection of the hardier varieties 

 upon the hardiest stscks. 



Second — Windbreaks, iia^iral or arti- 

 ficial, upon the north . nd west of the 

 grove. 



Third— To shade each row upon its 

 eastern side. 



Fourth— To provide temporary means of 

 mitigating the cold (which comes with 

 severity only for a day 3r two) by fire, 

 smoke, smudges, etc. 



Rows of olives (much hardier than 

 oranges) have been suggested for the 

 accomplishment of the third object. 



These precautious are siven for the 

 guidance of those who propose to locate 

 groves above tlie city of New Orleans. 

 Helow the city little or no danger is 

 apprehended to an orange grove" from 

 cold. These precautions are necessary in 

 most every orange-growing country. 

 Florida and California both suffer occa- 

 sionally from freezes and many thou- 

 sands of dollars have been spent" in both 

 states for the protection of groves from 

 cold. 



Tlie following diricWons are given for 

 the guidance of those proposing to start 

 a grove: 



SELECTION OF LAND 



is of first importance. After selecting 

 the locality look well to the character of 

 the soil. Its physical and chemical prop- 

 erties should be examined. Drjiiiioge is 

 of the first considerati :)n. and ycur soil 

 should be naturally or artificially re- 

 lieved of any stwperfluons water. 'Open 

 ditches and tile drains are both used for 

 this purpose: the latter has been fonnd 

 to be very efficient when properly laid. 



Select no piece of land for an urange 

 grove that the bottom, or ground, wat^r 

 cannot lie held at least three feet below 

 the surface. After selecting your ground 

 have it well broken in the late siiinnier, 

 or early fall. If a crop of cowpeas could 

 be turned under it would be belter. The 

 best time to plant here is iu December 

 and January. 



HOW TO START A GItOVE. 



Two ways of doing this, firct by direct 

 purchaiiC of trees from some relialile 

 nursery and plant the entire grove at 

 once, or, second, by procuring a large 

 quantity of sour oranges or fruit ot llie 

 citrus trifoliata. From tliese obtain the 

 seed and plant the latter in nursery rows, 

 5 feet ajiarr and 4 inches iu the drill. 

 Cover about 1 to 2 inches deep. They wili 

 quickly germinate, and if properly worked 

 and fertilized will be ready for budding 

 the ne.xt spring. Buds of any variety ai 

 very low ligures can be obtained <if any 

 reliable nurseryman. In two or three 

 years, with proper care and skill, enough 

 trees will be obtained to plant out The 

 entire grove. The first way will ii'suro 

 an early grove, but at greater expense. 

 The sec(Snd is slower but tiiuch cheaper, 

 and will, in the end, prove more satisfac- 

 tory. Good one-year buds on sour or 

 trifoliata stock can now be bought for 

 from $15 to $4<3 per thousand. 



nOAV TO PLANT A GROVE. 



Use only, in this climate, sour or tri- 

 foliata stock, and plant only strong, well- 

 grown trees. The distance apart in the 

 orchard will depend upon, first, kind of 

 stock, and, second, variety of <. ranges 

 used. If Satsum.as. Tange-renes, iNLindar- 

 ins, etc., are budded on some stock, t-hey 

 should lie planted at least 15 feet eacii 

 way: 20 feet w^uld be ultimately lietter. 

 It on trifoliata 10 to 12 feet each way 

 will do. The sweet oranges on some stock 

 should have from 30 to -tO feet each way— 

 on trifoliata 15 to 20 feet each way. 



Lay off lands in beds of desired width, 

 open holes (large and deeji) at proper dis- 

 tances, and plant trees, in the latter so 

 that the crown roots will be Just at the 

 surface of the ground, and at no time 

 during subsequent cultivation must they 

 be covered deeper. This is a most posi- 

 tive requirement for suc^cess in orange 

 growing iu alluvial lands. 



WHAT VARIETY TO FLANT 



will depend upon the oleasiire of the 

 grower and the demand "of the markets. 

 As a rule, early varieties sell b?st, there- 

 fore, an orchai'd for profit should have a 

 large ma.ioJ■!^y of early ripening, varie- 

 ties. The Satsuma, the mandarin, Boone's 

 Early, Parson Brown, Sweet Saville. 

 Brazilian, Baldwin's No. 1 and many of 

 our Creole seedlings are quite early. 'The 

 tangerines, navels and some of the" Bloods 

 follow next, while Hart's Tardiff, Rivers' 

 unknown, etc., are late bearers. It should 

 be remembered that all oranges ripen 

 earlier here than in Florida or California. 

 The sugar experi*nent station at Audu- 

 bon park. New Orleans, has over 100 vari- 

 eties under cultivation and the merits of 

 each are being studied, 



CULTIVATION OF GROVE. 



Shallow cultivation with plow and cu!- 

 tlv.Trtor is practiced by many. Some sow 



