Methods of Handling Citrus Fruits 
J. W. Sample, Haines City, Fla. 
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : 
By way of a preface I might say that 
the methods of handling citrus groves are 
as varied and diversified as are the meth¬ 
ods of raising children, and I have had 
some experience with both, and would add 
that the more experience I have, the more 
I find I don’t know. 
My method of handling citrus groves 
will vary as the seasons vary, but gener¬ 
ally speaking, I pursue the following plan. 
About the middle of February, I apply 
fertilizer, keeping up cultivation every 
two weeks until the rainy season begins. 
The second application of fertilizer is 
made between May 15 and June 10, after 
which time it is preferable to let some 
cover crop grow; personally, I am favor¬ 
able to beggar weed and crab gra^s, as 
they add both nitrogen and humus to the 
soil. If the season is dry in September, 
as is often the case, it may be necessary 
to run over your grove with cutaway har¬ 
row. I plan to plow under the third ap¬ 
plication of fertilizer some time in De¬ 
cember. 
Irrigation is a good thing to have in a 
grove in case of a drought; but I would 
not advise an expensive plant, as the only 
thing you require is an abundance of wa¬ 
ter, and do not need it sprinkled on the 
ground or plants, as is necessary for the 
successful growing of truck; and it has 
been my experience that the irrigation is 
not needed every year on bearing groves. 
I find that a great deal of good can be 
accomplished through intelligent spray¬ 
ing, to control the insect and scale pests 
that infest our trees. Keep your trees 
clean! 
I have acquired the lime habit! I use 
burnt lime if I want immediate results, 
then follow up with raw ground lime¬ 
stone, of which we have an abundance in 
the State and which can be procured at a 
moderate cost. I would refer all grow¬ 
ers who are interested in the use of lime, 
to a paper prepared and read by Mr. R. E. 
Skinner before our Society at Palatka last 
year. You will find it published in the 
the last issue of our Proceedings. 
S. H. Gaitskill 
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : 
Our president has given me a subject 
to discuss—I fear with malice prepense. 
I fear he knew that my methods of han¬ 
dling an orange grove were quite different 
from the generally accepted methods. I 
will g-ive you my methods, after thirty- 
one years’ handling of orange groves in 
Marion County. To begin with, it is very 
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