An Example of Non-Cultivation in Citrus Groves 
H. B. Stevens, DeLand 
I have been asked to say something 
about planting and cultivating a citrus 
grove. I presume it is desired that I tell 
of our experience at DeLand in the grow¬ 
ing of trees on the high pine lands where 
the trees were left standing. 
About ten years ago, we decided late 
in the winter, to move some of our trees. 
As it was then too late to clear the land 
or even thin out the pine trees, we plant¬ 
ed our orange trees among the pine trees 
without removing any of them. These 
trees have done well and during the cold 
of 1917 we found the pines a great pro¬ 
tection. They bear every year and the 
fruit is fine in quality. We dug holes to 
plant the trees, but have not plowed, har¬ 
rowed or even hoed the ground. The 
only cultivation that they have received 
is the mowing of the grass when neces¬ 
sary. We use a mineral fertilizer and 
scatter it on the ground, without working 
it in. We find that these trees do not 
take any more fertilizer than those plant¬ 
ed in the open. 
This first grove having done so well, 
we set other groves among the pines, 
in every case thinning out the pines to 
some extent because we thought the first 
grove had too many in it. In none of 
these groves have we done any plowing, 
or harrowing, either before or after we 
planted the trees. 
In our older groves that had been 
plowed for years, we have adopted the 
same practice of non-cultivation. We 
now fertilize and do nothing more. We 
mow as often as it is necessary to keep the 
grass and weeds from making seed. By 
cutting in time, we make them give back 
to the soil what they have been gathering 
from the air, thus enriching our land by 
that much and supplying plenty of hu¬ 
mus. The shading of the ground is also 
a benefit. Having followed this plan for 
a number of years, we find our fruit 
has better quality in addition to the 
good carrying trait of pine land fruit. 
The number of times we mow, depends 
on growth of the grass and weeds; when 
they are high enough to cut we cut them; 
no matter how many times. I think four 
times is the most we have ever had to 
mow our groves in any one season. 
In the fall we make fire lines around 
our groves, as we did when we plowed, 
and I do not think there is any more, if as 
much danger, of fire under this plan, than 
in the cultivated groves. As the grass 
and weeds are cut green, they rot quickly, 
and leave nothing but the stubble, which 
does not burn easily. 
My observation has been that the soil is 
looser before it is plowed than it ever is 
after it has been broken up; except imme¬ 
diately after plowing. In addition, plow- 
122 
