THE NAVEL OKA]SrGE OF BAHIA. 7 



CULTURE OF THE NAVEL ORANGE IN BAHIA. 



CLIMATE. 



The climate of Bahia is warm and humid, with more or less well- 

 defined wet and dry seasons, the wet season beginning in February or 

 March and lasting until June or July, when the dry season normally 

 commences and continues until the following January. The rainfall 

 is not, however, limited to the wet season, although it is much heavier 

 at that time than during the remainder of the year. The size of the 

 orange crop and the quality of the fruit are said by the orchardists 

 to be affected materially by the amount of rainfall, the largest crops 

 and the best fruit being produced when the rains are unusually heavy. 



The annual precipitation for the last nine years has varied from 

 40 to 73,35 inches, both these extremes being unusual; ordinarily 

 there is a rainfall of 55 to 65 inches. The temperature of this 

 region is more or less uniform throughout the year and compara- 

 tively constant during the entire 24 hours. Frost is unheard of, the 

 lowest recorded temperature during the last nine years being 63° F. 

 The highest temperature for the same period is 101° and the mean 

 temperature 76.4° F. From January to June the mean temperature 

 usually ranges from 75° to 80° F. ; from June to September there 

 is a slight drop, the average being 72° to 75° F. October, November, 

 and December are slightly warmer, varying from 77° to 80° F. 

 These figures are based upon data obtained at the State meteorologi- 

 cal station, near the city of Bahia (Table I). 



Table I. — Temperature and precipitation at Bahia, Brazil, 1904 to 1912, 



inclusive. 





Temperature (° F.). 



Total 

 precipi- 

 tation. 



Year. 



Temperature (" F.). 



Total 



Year. 



Maxi- 

 mum. 



Mini- 

 mum. 



Mean. 



Maxi- 

 mum. 



Mini- 

 mum. 



Mean. 



precipi- 

 tation. 



1904 



101 

 91 

 95 

 92 

 92 



64 

 64 

 63 

 63 

 64 



76 

 76 

 76 



76 

 78 



Inches. 

 59.1 

 67.5 

 62.25 

 40.0 

 50.5 



1909 



1910 



93 

 92 

 92 

 95 



06 

 60 

 67 



67 



76 

 76 



77 

 77 



Inches. 

 59.4 



1905 



63.5 



1906 



1911 



.73.35 



1907. . . 



1912 ... . 



71.9 



1908 











SITUATION OF THE ORANGE ORCHARDS AND THE SOIL CONDITIONS. 



The land in the immediate vicinity of Bahia is, for the most part, 

 a series of low, rambling hills, not over 100 or 200 feet in height, with 

 intorxoning level vallcy.s wheic^ the soil is frequently wet and best 

 suited to tiie cultivation of such plants as Angola grass {Panlcmii 

 barhinode Trin.), an important forage crop both for horses and for 



