168 
THE TKOPICAL 
AGRICULTUEIST. 
[Sept. 2, 1901. 
and as it is sweet almost before it is quite yellow, it 
promises well. The " Keonla,," another Indian 
orange, is to be greatly recommended on account 
of its lateness. On comparing one of these trees with 
the " Yussf Effendi " one would imagine that, as both 
oranges were of the* same hue and siza. they would 
both be ripe. This, however, is not so. Long after 
the other oranges huve been gathered the " Keonla " 
stays on the tree until at last its colour is a beauti- 
ful dark red, and not till then is sweet. Of course, 
in Egypt, this should be ready for gathering just 
as the "Yussuf Effendi" is over and when the 
"Portugal" is dearest, at about the end of April. 
Many other varieties of the Suntara group, grown 
in India, Ceylin, South China, and East Indies, and 
Australasia, might be tried. The Australians have for 
two or three years been sending oranges ro England. 
They are mostly of the Portugal variety and have 
reddish skins. This is, of course, rather an attraction, 
and so they sell at about two or three times the 
price of the ordinary ones. Considering that it tnkes 
three times as long for ships to reach England from 
Australia than from Egypt, this should greatly en- 
courage growers here. 
Belonging to the Portugal group there are many 
kinds which ought to be grown here with great 
success. Already Egypt has successfully reproduced 
the blood orange from seed— a feat apparently as 
yet unaccomplished in any other country. Other 
varieties have been grown well in private gardens. 
There should, therefore, be a great extension in the 
growth of the seedless egg-shaped orange of Malta, the 
Jaffa seedless varieties, and'the "Bieray," which is 
grown from seed, and is one of the best of Jaffa 
oranges. All of these are too well known to need 
description. The great advantage of this class of 
orange is its keeping qualities. With careful packing 
it will keep for two or even three months. The British 
Chamber of Commerce in Egypt reports that the egg 
orange has been introduced into Florida and has been 
80 successfully cultivated that it is probably now more 
extensively planted there than any other kind. In 
Malta there is said to be also a unique orange of the 
same group which is never sour from beginning to end 
but sweet and juicy, It is there called "Loomi 
Larenj." Such an orange should be well worth culti- 
vating and should always command a good price. 
Another orange sold in Bombay, the "Mussembi," is 
brought from Poona, and it is said that it can be kept 
on the trees for a whole year without deteriorating. 
The Chamber of Commerce rightly complain that the 
"Lemonn Hin.ii," often exhibited at our horti- 
cultural shows, is not properly cultivated. To 
obtain a really delicious fruit the trees must have, 
as nearly as possible, conditions of soil, heat, and 
humidity similar to what they have in the island of 
Labnan and at Amoy, where they grow to perfection. 
As regards the treatment of the orange tree, 
practical experience, combined with logical reason- 
ing, is of far more value than theoretical book in- 
formation. Nevertheless, it is both interesting and 
very useful to read of the results of others' experi- 
ments and work, and to profit by their succt sses 
and failures. The number of trees per feddan should 
be to obtain the best' results, one hundred. At 
Ja^a, however, as many as six hundred per feddan 
are generally to be found. Abundance of irrigaton 
water is the sine qua non of a plantation and the 
watering should be done continually- The fruit- 
consisting of over yO per cent water it will be un- 
derstood that without a suffioieut supply the tree 
cannot possibly do well. The average of several 
analyses of the orange shews that there are four 
parts each of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash 
per thousand. Calculating from this, 1,000 kilos of 
oranges will contain 4 kilos of each of these three 
constituents. Growers generally fail to supply this 
amount again to the soil, iind consequently it gets 
weaker and the produce of oranges less. To obtain 
theoretically this amount each of the trees supplying 
tbovisaB^ kilos o£ fruit sh9uW receive 2i, 2J, ftn4 
2 kilos respectively of nitrate of soda, superphos- 
phate of lime, and sulphate of potash in return, 
besides an additional quantity for their growth of 
wood and leaves. Manure is one of the absolute 
necessities of ihe orange tree if it is to produce 
Will. Every piastre properly expended in well 
manuring the trees brings much over a piastre's 
worth of extra fruit, either numerically or in 
size, besides giving a better flavour to it. 
The soil of Egypt is admirably suited to the 
physical requirements of the orange tree. A perfect 
soil is a mixture of sand and a little clay and lime. The 
lightness of this soil allows the water to sink in easily 
and the roots to spread out well. Now, if there be 
added to this good food for the tree, it can of course do 
Wbll. The Nile mud, like the " loess " of China, is » 
typical fertiliser. But growers must remember that 
where the deposit is thin or absent, cultivation cannot 
be carried on profitably without abundance of artificial 
manures. Speaking in a simple way, nitrogen produces 
wood and leaves, phosphates produce fecundity, and 
potash produces sweetness and flavour. Lime is abso- 
lutely necessary for the orange tree, which absorbs 
great quantities of it. If not present in the soil it 
should be supplied in the form of Gypsum. If too 
abundant the sap will not run freely, but J kilo of 
sulphate of iron for each thousand kilos of fruit pro- 
duced will correct it. The Gypsum and iron sulphate 
also help to fix the fruit on the tree. Seeds should not 
be treated with mineral fertilisers but should be given 
plenty of organic food. Stable refuse is excellent for 
the seed beds, but it should be passed through a very 
course sieve and the big stravfs taken away. Moat 
people in Egypt make ttie mistake of digging holes 
round their trees and filling thei-e with water. Instead 
of a hole, in the middle of which stands the tree, a ring 
should be made so that neither fertiliser nor water will 
touch the trunk. One very successful orchaid owner 
bores holes in the ground in a circle round the tree vary- 
ing in size, depth, and distance from the stem accord- 
ing to the size of the trees. These he frequently fills 
with liquid fertilisers so that the roots thus receive 
a greater benefit and the tree can better keep its up- 
right position. The best time to apply the manures 
is about a month after the gathering of the crop and 
again when the fruit is about half-grown. Thus ths 
first part will strengthen the tree for producing the 
fruit and the other part will supply the nourishment 
for the fruit when growing. 
Lemons, limes, citrons, and other trees of the 
Citrus group require almost the same treatment. The 
lemon and citron need more nitrogenous manures than 
the orange to the extent of about 12 per cent, and 
the other sour fruits of about 10 per cent. Lemons 
in this country are smaller but more juicy than others 
and limes are very inferior. Both would repay gen- 
erously more liberal feeding. A few only ef the best 
and most suitable kinds of oranges have been named. 
There are many others -nhich might be grown to ad- 
vantage. Young trees and picked seeds can gene- 
rally be obtained from the nurserymen and horticul- 
turiit in the different countries. Those who are an- 
xious to obtain them would no doubt be able to get 
information and help from their respective Consuls. 
It is to be hoped that orange growers will take ''Excel- 
sior " as their motto and that we shall soon see a great 
development in the orange trade. With a little experi- 
menting and care, many new varieties should be well 
established and both quantity and quality improved. 
Those who prefer to keep to their present variety 
should at any rate spend a little on improving it. 
One thing is certain, any expenditure the growers 
may make in doing either or both will prove a good 
investment. — Egyptian Gaaette, July 1. 
RUSSIAN TEA. 
A prijjcb's bnterpkisk on the black sea. 
It is noc generally known that Russia — next 
Englan4 the greatest tea-drinking country 
