2l6 TlMEHRI. 



ing to it, and provided with brains, patience, and energy. 

 The shortened crop raised hopes of high prices, but 

 disappointment arose from defects in the system of mar- 

 keting — the crowding of the large markets to the 

 exclusion of the smaller — high rates of railroad 

 and other freight, and lastly and chiefly, the ship- 

 ment of immense quantities of inferior fruit. If 

 ever Guiana becomes a fruit exporting country this 

 lesson may be useful to us. Produces are often denied 

 fair play with disheartening results. Careless selection, 

 unsuitable packages,* "rushing" a market at unseason- 

 able times, are all errors into which inexperienced, eager 

 exporters too often fall. 



Some figures are given showing the profits derived 

 from a plantation or grove of 4,000 trees, of which only 

 1,500 are bearing; of these 1,500 700 have been planted 

 sixteen years, 400 eleven years, and 400 seven to ten 

 years. From them there were shipped, in 1886-7, 4,724 

 boxes, sold, freight deducted, for $7,168.96 or $150 per 

 box, which, after deducting entire expenses of the whole 

 grove, including overseer's salary, taxes,, &c, left a 

 balance of $3,463 net proceeds for the year. 



From 200 trees, five years old, 80,000 oranges were 

 picked two years previously. 



Frost is not the only enemy of the orange tree. Its 

 insect foes are said to number over fifty (the most dan- 

 gerous being the scale insect) and are described by 

 Wm. H. ASHMEAD and Dr. Kennedy, whose works are 

 published in Jacksonville, as well as in the reports of 

 Professors RlLEY and COMSTOCK, published by the United 



* See letters on the Packing of Fruit for Shipment reprinted from 

 Timehti. 



