110 



OEAXGE CULXrRE. 



trees in a grove are sure to produce alike, or of as good a quality. 

 While ^ve only get twenty dollars a thousand for seedling and 

 unnamed varieties, we get from forty to fifty dollai^s per thou- 

 sand for our select varieties. The sooner orange growers under- 

 stand this the better it will be for them." 



Even supposing that the j^rice of oranges should drop to ten 

 dollars per thousand, which it is not likely to do for the best 

 qualities, the grower would still realize as follows : Given seventy 

 trees to the acre, and each tree bearing only five hundred or- 

 anges, that would be five dollars a tree, or three hundred and 

 fifty dollars per acre ; so that a ten-acre grove at these moderate 

 estimates would give an annual income of thirty-five hundred 

 dollars. 



Can you find ten acres North that will give so good a return 

 to the farmer? except, perhaps, a specialty like cranberry rais- 

 ing, for which but little land, comparatively, is available. 



Having, as we trust, laid the ghost of overproduction ta 

 rest, the next point for consideration is a method of inducing 

 barren trees to bear. That has only lately come into vogue 

 among our more progressive orange growers, and is ?til] un- 

 dreamed of by those who prefer the old time-worn groves. 



It is not a new method, having been practiced for years 

 past in many places, and upon many kinds of fruit trees, with 

 uniform success. 



In all groves or orchards, of whatsoever kind, will be found 

 here and there trees that flourish and grow thriftily, yet bear 

 little or no fruit. These are termed barren trees ; and the 

 method we have referred to is designed to produce fruitfulness 

 in these lazy, ne'er-do-well of the vegetable kingdom. 



There are a good many orange trees at the present time, 

 scattered about, which are old enough, and thrifty enough, but 

 never bear a crop. 



Girdling a non-productive tree in order to retard the flow of 

 sap, and encourage the formation of fruit buds rather than wood,, 

 is the method we have mentioned, and though only now coming 

 into extensive use, has been known and practiced by pomolo- 

 gists for the last hundred years. 



