Proceedings of the Farmers' Club. 421 



trees fifty years old, wliich the owner told me had never failed of a 

 crop but once. In the great freeze in December, 1836, the extremi- 

 ties of the limbs were injured so much that no crop was borne the 

 following year. Another said he bought his place twenty-six years 

 ago. The trees looked as old then as now, and never failed of a crop. 

 The tree is subject to but one disease, which is known here as the 

 chenille, and is, no doubt, the same spoken of by Mr. Day as the scale 

 insect. It is the same disease which caused so much injury to the 

 orange tree in Florida thirty or forty years ago. At that time Con- 

 gress sent a committee to Florida to examine and report. The com- 

 mittee did report, but like many other reports from Congress commit- 

 tees, it resulted in nothing. The disease made its first appearance 

 here about six years ago, and has been through every orchard on the 

 Mississippi river, with more or less injury to the trees. Where the 

 orchard, was in a healthy, vigorous condition, very little injury was 

 done — no more than about the loss of one year's crop. Where they 

 were in the condition of many of the apple orchards of the north 

 they fared worse, in some cases losing a few trees. It has been 

 through our orchard within the last three years with but very little 

 injury and without the loss of a tree. No remedy has been found for 

 the disease. Thousands of dollars have been spent without any good 

 results. At present there is very little of the disease left, only here 

 and there a dead limb among the evergreen foliage of the vigorous 

 growing trees. Oranges are cultivated here in small quantities, very 

 few persons owning more than 500 trees. I know of but one man 

 who owns as many as 2,000. At present there is plenty of land can 

 be bought here suitable for orange trees, both cleared and uncleared. 

 Land is sold here by the acre, or 208 feet fronting on the river, and 

 running back forty acres. So that buying what is called an acre of 

 land, you are really buying forty acres. Of the forty acres, six or 

 eight acres will be good land for orange trees, and as much more back 

 of that will be good land for rice cultivation — back of this is called 

 prairie, on which cattle range and keep in very good condition the 

 year round. This land can be bought cleared and partially ditched, 

 for $1,000 to $1,500 per front acre. Uncleared, for $750 to $1,000. 

 The climate is healthy, free from epidemics, but we have plenty of 

 musquitoes. Our place is sixty-five miles below New Orleans, on the 

 Mississippi river; we call it Orange Farm. Any one wishing further 

 information in regard to raising oranges in Louisiana, who will address 

 me at Newton, Mass., after January 1, 18T2, will be cheerfully 

 answered. 



