CHAPTER 



XIV. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



In closing our remarks upon the culture of that golden fruit, 

 the orange, we should leave it incomplete did we not gather in a 

 few " odds and ends" of ideas and experiments that are floating^ 

 about, here and there, in connection with this interesting subject. 



One of these is the question of " overproduction," which 

 seems to be disturbing the mind of many superficial observers. 

 We say superficial observers, advisedly, for those who take a sec- 

 ond glance into the matter know such a thing to be impossible. 



Orange culture can never be overdone in this country ; the 

 markets can never be so glutted as to make the prices obtained 

 unremunerative. 



And why ? Because the extent of country where oranges 

 (and lemons) can be successfully grown is very small compared 

 to the extent of country ready and willing to purchase them. 



In the Mediterranean countries you see all the people eating 

 this Queen of Fruits ; they have been educated to consider it as 

 a necessity, as a part of their daily food, to be bought in prefer- 

 ence to other food , if there is not money enough to purchase 

 everything desired; a beggar will buy oranges and go without meat. 



The people of the United States do not appreciate the full 

 value and health-giving properties of the orange as an article of 

 food; it is eaten now rather as a luxury than a necessity ; but 

 they are just coming to a truer appreciation of its real value, and 

 before long the voice of one of our most eminent physicians, who 

 has said that " if each of his patients would eat an orange before 

 breakfast his practice would soon be gone," will be re-echoed all 

 over the land. 



There are thousands of persons in the United States who 

 have never seen an orange, and other thousands who never ob- 

 tain one, except at almost prohibitorv prices. 

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