40 



THE ORANGE; 



CHAPTER V. 



T.OCATING AX OKANGE ORCHARD. 



Haviug determined to grow oranges, 

 one should address himself to the task of 

 obtaining the best of everything re- 

 quired;— the best location and soil; the 

 best water right; the best trees of the best 

 varieties; and then he should plant them 

 and (Mire for them in tlie best manner, and 

 he may count with certainty on the best 

 results. If he is to go through the labor 

 . and trials of growing an orchard, he may 

 as well raise line fruit as poor; it is not a 

 whit harder. And besides, when it comes 

 to returns there may be all the difference 

 -between the two that there is between 

 profit and loss. ^ 



Best Ix)catiox.— In Parti of this work, 

 under the heading "A Glance at Our Or- 

 ange Growing Country" and subsequent 

 chapters, I have discussed the question of 

 .localities suited to citrus culture quite 

 -fully, with reference especially to this 

 connection. It is sufiicient to reiterate 

 ^here that all authorities agree in recom- 

 mending the high mesa lands and the in- 

 terior valleys, where conditions of soil, 

 climate and water supply are suitable. 



Soil. — The soil should be loose, well 

 drained and warm; — no standing water 

 within twenty feet of the surface— and if 

 there be a hard-pan at all, it should be 

 deep. The orange flourishes best in a 

 sandy or gravelly loam. Quite a variety 

 •of soils exists, all of which seem to fill 

 the requirements of the orange in nearly 

 ■equal degree. I note the following: 



Disintegrated granite with vegetable de- 

 posit. 



Gravely alluvium. 



Sandy clay (chocolate colored). 



Clayish sand (brown). 



Sandy clay (reddish brown; colored by 

 'ferric acid, and known as '*red land"). 



The best results cannot be accomplished 

 in ground that bakes and packs hard un- 

 der the action of water and sun, even 

 though such ground be rich in all the 

 chemical elements required in tree growth. 

 Hence, adobe and still clay soils are to be 

 avoided. Standing water near the surface 

 is detrimental because it keeps the ground 

 cold, A shallow hard-pan is a disadvan- 



tage because It arrests the growth of the 

 tap root and stunts the tree. 



Exposure.— On rolling or elevated lands 

 a southern, southeastern or southwestern 

 exposure is desirable. The orange luxu- 

 riates in warmth, and the more the tree 

 and the ground in which it stands are ex- 

 posed to the direct rays of the sun the 

 better. 



Water.— Be sure to get a good water 

 supply and have it convenient for appli- 

 cation. But, withal, use it sparingly at 

 first. Your supply will stand you in 

 good stead in a dry season and after your 

 trees come into bearing, when they must 

 have irrigation to yield paying crops. 

 This subject will be more fully discussed 

 in the chapter on Irrigation to follow. 



Winds. — Do not locate where your or- 

 chard will be exposed to severe winds. 

 Quite a large proportion of fruit is lost 

 every year by being whipped against 

 thorns and branches, and the trees them- 

 selves are sometimes half stripped of 

 leaves. If you have reason to apprehend 

 an occasional wind storm, plant a double 

 row of eucalyptus, pepper or cypress trees 

 about the orchard for a wind-break. Cy- 

 press or pepper are preferable, because 

 they do not exhaust the soil to such a dis- 

 tance as the eucalyptus. Some foothill 

 localities excellenth' suited for orange 

 growing in every other respect, are un- 

 available because they chance to align 

 some mountain gorge and are swept by the 

 daily currents of air from inland to ocean, 

 and vice verm. Beware of such places. 



Avoiding Fkosts. — If you follow the 

 advice given in these articles and locate 

 your orchard on the foothills or in the 

 high interior valleys, you will be in little 

 danger from frost. Inasmuch as cold air 

 is denser and heavier than warm, the cold 

 weather most prevails in low places. It is 

 the good fortune of our country to have 

 its cold spells of short duration, and con- 

 sequentlj' the natural basins are never 

 quite filled up, and the isothermal line of 

 damaging frosts does not rise over the 

 higher altitudes. 



Look out for Rocks. — If you select 

 land on the mesas, especialh' in granite 



