FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
47 
However, if there is any variation, it is in 
favor of the Valencia Late in evenly 
coloring up, and smoothness, and texture 
of peel. The Tardiff will hang on the trees 
a little later in the season, but I am not 
sure that the quality of the fruit improves 
as it is apt, especially so on lemon stock, 
to get greener after rainy season com¬ 
mences. I have noted the past winter, 
that late varieties, owing to their im¬ 
mature condition probably recover from 
the effect of cold weather better than any 
of the midseason, or early varieties. A 
neighbor shipped in good condition April 
15th Tardiff oranges that were seeming¬ 
ly ruined by a temperature of 22 degrees, 
two nights about January 20th. 
I believe, too, that there is a good mar¬ 
ket waiting for a good navel orange. This 
variety, when of good quality, has always 
brought good prices, and as there have 
been some improvements made on the old 
Washington Navel during the past five or 
six years, there is good reason to believe 
that we will yet be able to produce the best 
navels to be had anywhere, and if the new 
varieties prove to be prolific bearers on 
sour, and sweet stock, and of good quality 
on lemon, and generally successful in 
most sections of the state, instead of cer¬ 
tain restricted localities, as heretofore, 
they will be a most profitable variety■*'to 
plant, and propagate. 
By planting the varieties as listed above, 
or others of equal merit, and so dividing 
the different classes of fruit, as to give 
early, midseason, late, and novelties, about 
an equal share, or area in the new groves, 
one could pretty well cover the entire ship¬ 
ping, or marketing season, and in this 
way get an average of season’s prices, 
which ought to bring the account out on 
the right side of the ledger. 
The subject. Stocks, was pretty well 
covered by Prof. Rolfs, in his paper “Re¬ 
lation of Science to Horticulture” See 
pages 56 to 66 last year’s year book; but, 
I want to say that there is probably no 
other state in the Union that shows such 
a diversity of soil, as Florida, and while 
I agree with most others here, that the 
sour orange is the best stock to use and 
that it is this stock that has been used to 
produce m^st of the prize winners at vari- 
'ous exhibitions etc., there are soils upon 
which it would hardly produce a leaf, on 
account of their extremely light, sandy 
composition. If we, in the larger portion 
of Orange county, on our high sandy, hilly 
lands depended altogether on the sour 
stock, we would not have* a very good 
show for the money invested, and a large 
portion of our groves are on sweet, and 
rough lemon stock. The sour stock is 
a favorite in all localities, where a good 
quality of soil is to be had, and there can 
be no doubt, that fruit will carry longer, in 
good condition, on this stock than on any 
other, but on light, or high thirsty pine 
lands, it would be cultivated chiefly, at a 
loss. The Citrus Trifoliata stock has been 
tried, and proven an absolute failure, and 
the pomelo, or grapefruit stock grows off 
well until it has been budded to some 
variety of round oranges, and after that 
it usually loses its thrift, and does not do 
any better than the sour stock. There¬ 
fore, about all that we have to depend on 
is the rough lemon as a stock. 
This stock is a very rank feeder, and 
rarely suffers from the effects of dry 
weather, as other stocks do. It is healthy, 
and will thrive with us, under most ad¬ 
verse circumstances, and can always be 
counted on to produce a good crop of 
fruit, when treated fairly, and properly 
