FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
125 
ing almost never employed. As a rule 
only one or two light cultivations a year 
are given with the harrow, this being 
done early in the spring. At the same 
time, the harrow is running the trees may 
all be circled with the weeding hoe or 
they may be spot-hoed, that is, hoeing the 
trees which need stimulation and allowing 
the. others to go unworked. 
From the time that cultivation ceases 
until midsummer the weeds and grasses 
are kept mowed, after which time they 
are generally allowed to grow until mow¬ 
ing is resumed in the fall. 
Fertilizing is different in the amount 
of ammonia used, three per cent usually 
being considered sufficient. Preference 
is very often given to fertilizers of purely 
chemical origin or base. The amount 
used per acre is less than on the lighter 
types of soils, there being present more 
natural plant food and less chance for 
that which is put on to leach away. 
Spraying is not often necessary in low 
hammock groves because the friendly 
fungi thrive in the moist atmosphere and 
with very little help will control the 
whiteflies and the scale insects. Rust 
mites are rarely found on this type of 
grove. 
Drainage is discussed last here but in 
the grove it should emphatically come 
first. I want to place a great deal of em¬ 
phasis upon drainage, for on that more 
than on any other one. thing depends the 
building and maintaining of a successful 
low hammock grove. If the grove has 
just ordinary treatment in every other 
way but sufficient and proper drainage, 
the trees will be pretty sure, to have on 
them a bountiful supply of thin, smooth 
skinned fruit of a good color and a deli¬ 
cate flavor, and which, best of all, will 
sell in the markets for a premium. 
