MISCELLANEOUS. 



109 



und there will no longer be a temptation to deceive the con- 

 sumer. 



It is quite likely that the prices of Florida oranges, as rul- 

 ing at present, will fall somewhat in years to come, but they 

 will probably never fall so low as not to be remunerative. 



Even supposing that the impossible should become possible, 

 and the United States should find more oranges raised on 

 her soil than she could consume, with profit to the grower, there 

 is England ready, as has been proven by actual experiment, to 

 buy our oranges at a higher price than she gives for the sour 

 Mediterranean fruit — a price that yields a handsome profit to 

 the producer ; but we shall never, in all probability, have need 

 to seek aforeign market for our oranges. 



To further show how preposterous the cry of overproduc- 

 tion is, we will ask how it is that, with the immense area of coun- 

 try devoted all the time in the United States to raising apples, 

 peaches, plums, cherries, there has not long since been overpro- 

 duction ? 



So far is this from being the case, and so profitable have 

 these orchards been to their owners, that instead of any over- 

 production, the people, like Oliver Tavist, call for "more, more;" 

 and the demand for nursery stock to set out new orchards is con- 

 siderably on the increase, although in these fruits nearly all the 

 States are competing with each other, and are able to raise their 

 ow^n temperate-climate fruits on their own soil. 



Overproduction of oranges ! when there are just as many peo- 

 ple w^aiting to consume the Queen of Fruits, as there are to con- 

 sume all the apples, pears and peaches raised on ten thousand 

 times the area. 



The question that faces the orange grower is, how to supply 

 the future increasing demand. 



Superior varieties of fruit will always bring superior prices ; 

 £i fruit with a known name and reputation will rank higher than 

 one unnamed. 



An experienced orange grower said : " Seedling trees are 

 generally eight to ten years coming into bearing, and no two 



