100 



The Supplement to the Ttopical Agriculturist 



of a single notable success. Mr. Pearson is 

 therefore led to infer that on the whole Ceylon 

 is unsuitable for orange cultivation except for 

 the native types. Altogether he imported 

 about a dozen varieties of grafted oranges from 

 Australia. 



Mr Pearson also introduced grafted peaches, 

 apricots, vines, figs, olives and lemons and 

 of these, too, he has not heard except that 

 lemons have been found to grow well at the 

 top end of the Maskeliya Galley. It will be 

 equally interesting to have reports of these too. 

 In this connection we call attention to a short 

 paper from the "West Indian Bulletin" re- 

 produced hereafter and entitled " How to En- 

 courage Orange trees to bear early " by the Hon. 

 T. H. Sharp, Jamaica. 



HOW TO ENCOURAGE ORANGE TREES 

 TO BEAR EARLY IN JAMAICA. 



By the Hon. T. H. Sharp, Jamaica. 



I think it a fair estimate to say that not more 

 than 20 per cent, of the oranges produced in 

 Jamaica are exported, and that of this quantity 

 fully 10 per cent, cause losses to the shippers by 

 shipping late. This sad state of affairs is prob- 

 ably due to the fact that during the time when 

 the foreign market requires the fruit it is not 

 mature here, and when our fruit is fully matured 

 and fit for market, competition by other fruit 

 causes such a glut that losses occur. 



If oranges can be got fully matured and ex- 

 ported in the months of July and August they 

 command a high price. Hitherto, we have been 

 shipping immature fruit during those months 

 and obtaining better prices than could be ob- 

 tained for beautiful fruit later on. 



Suggestions have been made by persons in 

 authority who are not traders, and who do not 

 understand what it means to send oranges into 

 a market when they are not required, that noth« 

 ing should be shipped except it is mature, be- 

 cause it brings a bad character on the country. 

 It is, however, probable that as long as a good 

 price can be obtained for the oranges, be they 

 ever so unripe, it is better to ship them and 

 realise than to hold back until they are well 

 matured and fully ripe but not in demand on the 

 market. It has also been contemplated by those 

 who do not fully understand the trade, that 

 legislation should be resorted to, so as to prevent 

 the shipment of immature fruit. The orange, 

 however, is a perishable article, and therefore, 

 the buyer governs the market and not the 

 seller. 



Before suggesting any means by which the tree 

 may be encouraged to bear early, I should like 

 to draw attention to the fact that it is probable 

 that there is hardly a day in the year in the island 

 of Jamaica when a few first-class ripe oranges 

 could not be obtained. What is the cause of this ? 



There is no period fixed for the maturing of an 

 orange from the time the blossom appears until 

 it is fully ripe ; it all depends on the conditions 

 obtaining. Generally seven months may be re- 

 lied upon. 



Whenever an old orange tree is about to die, 

 it makes a last effort to reproduce iteelf by 

 bearing heavily. 



Fruit buds at all times are lying latent in the 

 trees, and the general idea that the tree after 

 bearing its crop has to take a long time before 

 it can make its fruit buds is probably erroneous. 

 In Jamaica, there is a partial rest for vegetation. 

 It is of a spasmodic nature and greatly depends 

 upon the cold winds after the heavy ' tall ' rains. 



There may be said to be two distinct energies 

 in a tree : one the energy of reproduction, the 

 process of which causes the production of fruit, 

 the seed of which carries on the life; and another, 

 the energy for the formation of the tissues. One 

 of these two energies may often be observed to 

 predominate over the other, either in bearing 

 fruit or in growing tissues solely; or they may run 

 concurrently, when it may be observed that the 

 tree is growing and bearing at the same time. 

 The varying exercising of energies is brought 

 about by varied conditions, and, therefore, arti- 

 ficial means should be resorted to in order that 

 conditions may bo produced to force the energies 

 to predominate one over the other as required. 



Pruning causes the energy for the formation 

 of tissue to act, and a shock to the system causes 

 the energy of reproduction to be exercised. In 

 the first case, it may be observed chat soon after 

 pruning a good deal of young shoots are pro- 

 duced, and it may be seen that the shock to the 

 system of the tree causes it to force out the 

 latent fruit blossoms. The latter has often been 

 brought about by accident, such as by a lire 

 scorching a part of the tree, ur by a waggon 

 wheel running up against it. The cutting away 

 suddenly, of large over-hanging shade trees, or 

 the dumping of a large quantity of fermenting 

 manure against a tree has often produced the 

 same results, and, therefore, bearing these points 

 in mind, it has been shown that trees can suc- 

 cessfully be caused to blossom when required. 

 Old congested trees in the parish of Manchester 

 have also after treatment been caused to bear at 

 the proper season. 



Orange trees taken in hand immediately after 

 the ' fall ' rains should have all dead wood and 

 unhealthy branches and fruit pruned off. This 

 should be done about the last week in October. 

 If your tree responds to the treatment by a heavy 

 How of sap, which is easily recognised by the ap- 

 pearance of young shoots and the colour of the 

 leaf, you will know it is healthy. 



Checks to the growth of the trees, such as 

 could be caused by bruises, &c, would make 

 them blossom, and having once got an early 

 bearing from your trees, they will most likely 

 continue, with the adoption of simply pruning 

 and cultivating, to bear early, and it may be anti- 

 cipated that it will not be necessary to bruise the 

 trees more than once in every four or five years. 



