FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
21 
timber is a great protection and the shade 
of these trees on the morning after a cold 
night is very advantageous, because it 
enables the citrus trees to thaw out before 
the sun strikes them. 
The sour orange is frequently found 
growing wild in these hammocks, sur¬ 
rounded by more or less dense jungle 
growth, and the fruit on such sour trees 
is usually of deep color, smooth and very 
bright and pretty. This condition seems 
to be the natural home of the orange, and 
for that reason, also, it is thought unwise 
to remove all the timber, but on the con¬ 
trary that enough should be left to make 
conditions as nearly like Nature provided 
for the wild trees as practicable. 
In low hammocks, citrus trees are usu¬ 
ally planted much closer together than is 
the custom on pine lands generally and 
one hundred trees to the acre is about the 
standard. The native wild sour stock is 
almost universally used. 
Very little, if any, cultivation is prac¬ 
ticed, especially if marl happens to be 
found outcropping or near the surface. 
Because of the standing timber, it is diffi¬ 
cult to use implements for cultivating, and 
hoeing is generally resorted to for what¬ 
ever cultivation is deemed advisable. 
Under these conditions, the root-sys¬ 
tem is not as extensive and trees do not 
grow as large, nor bear as much fruit per 
tree, as trees of the same age on higher 
and more open soils; but the fruit, espe¬ 
cially the orange, is of better quality, fla¬ 
vor and texture and usually sells for 
enough more to make up the difference 
in yield, and it is quite probable that an 
acre of low hammock grove nets the 
grower quite as much on an average, or 
perhaps more, than an acre of grove on 
higher land, when comparison is made 
between trees of the same age. 
Rust mites are seldom found in low 
hammock groves which are shaded and it 
is usually not necessary to spray for bright 
fruit; but, on the other hand, white- 
flies seem to thrive fully as well, if not 
better, in low hammock groves than else¬ 
where. The usually more moist condi¬ 
tions prevailing in low hammock-shaded 
groves greatly assist the growth of fungus 
parasites of whitefly. 
The same moist conditions referred to 
not infrequently assist the development 
of fungus diseases, such as withertip and 
stem-end rot, and consequently necessi¬ 
tate more pruning than would perhaps be 
necessary in groves which are more open 
and on higher, better drained soil. 
Fertilizing a low hammock grove is a 
matter which requires careful thought. 
Ordinarily, low hammock citrus trees will 
do best with a little less ammonia than is 
usually given to groves on other types of 
soil, but the grower is sometimes tempted 
to try and force his trees to see if he 
cannot make them bear more fruit, and in 
such cases it not infrequently happens that 
injudicious or over-feeding is apt to re¬ 
sult disastrously, because trees on this type 
of soil are apparently quite susceptible to 
the dieback disease. However, if not 
over-fed the danger of dieback is not 
great. 
When it comes to packing, the low ham¬ 
mock fruit is very tender and has to be 
handled very carefully. This fruit is ea¬ 
sily bruised and if the greatest care is not 
exercised may reach market in a rotting 
condition; but when properly put up, and 
