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TWENTY-EIGHTH FRUIT-GROWERS* CONVENTION. 



light soil, but it being a vigorous grower and heavy bearer, in order that 

 the fruit may attain large and desirable sizes it must be supplied with 

 plenty of plant food such as these rich, heavy soils usually contain. 



There are two varieties of the Blood orange well scattered throughout 

 the orange districts of Southern California. These are the Malta and 

 the Ruby Blood. The former was imported early in the history of 

 orange culture here, and has proven generally profitable. It does not 

 show the color indicated by its name to the extent that the Ruby variety 

 does. It is, however, regarded by many as the superior orange, being 

 more uniform in size and of better shape and flavor. A limited quan- 

 tity of either of these varieties may be profitably grown. 



The Mediterranean Sweet, which was regarded with great favor some 

 years ago, and was extensively planted, has proven a disappointment. 

 The tree is tender and an irregular bearer, and the tendency of the fruit 

 to puff and its poor keeping quality have made it generally an unsatis- 

 factory orange. Extensive rebudding of the Sweet has been carried on 

 the last few years, and even for this it is not desirable, although it may 

 be successfully changed in this way to any other variety. In justice to 

 this much-abused variety, I will say that it has behaved itself very well 

 the last two years. The yield has been heavy, the quality good, and its 

 greatest weakness, that of puffing, has been largely overcome. Supple- 

 menting these improvements were most satisfactory prices. In this 

 respect it starts off well this season. The prices thus far realized, taken 

 in connection with the fairly good crop, make one hesitate to undertake 

 further rebudding. There is no doubt that with proper treatment the 

 Sweet will do better than it did for years previous. 



The California orange-grower has not only materially developed 

 imported varieties, but has by his genius propagated new ones. Notably 

 among these are Thompson's Improved Navel and the Navelencia. The 

 former has been pretty well disseminated throughout Southern Cali- 

 fornia, and its qualities and merits are quite well known. I think I am 

 justified in saying that the introduction of this orange has not gener- 

 ally met the high expectations some growers entertained for it two or 

 three years ago. Every section is not so well adapted to its culture as 

 that about Duarte, nor is every grower so careful and painstaking in 

 his farming as is Mr. Thompson. These may account, in part, for the 

 failure of growers who secured buds from the parent grove, or set out 

 nursery stock supposed to have been budded from it, to produce an 

 orange altogether satisfactory. It lacks the essential qualities of a fine 

 eating orange. A fruit-dealer of Philadelphia recently stated that some 

 of this fruit sold on that market at a good price, but at the next sale 

 when the fruit was cut, on account of its poor showing, prices fell on an 

 average of 50 cents per box. I think, however, while the orange may 

 lack in quantity of juice and quality of flavor, it has proven a better 

 keeper than was first supposed. 



