FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
69 
be done every week, but as a general thing 
every two weeks is sufficient. Broad 
trenches can be plowed where they are to 
be hauled, and the oranges covered at 
once; leaves and twigs are scattered broad 
cast, and plowed under. The land on 
which I first tried this was poor white 
sand on lake shore, nothing more than 
beach sand. After cutting the peas, I 
got a second cutting of crab grass hay, 
the only fertilizer used being the 
oranges and trash from grove. The de¬ 
cayed and refuse oranges from packing 
house can also be utilized in this way. I 
also have all leaves and grass when mow¬ 
ing lawn hauled into the groves and 
spread around the trees where it is work¬ 
ed in with good results. Of course when 
it comes to general fertilizing, we have to 
fall back on our chemical fertilizers, and 
I will say here that I fully agree with our 
friend, Mr. Wm. M. Atwater, in his idea 
of frequent application in small doses, 
beginning in January with fertilizer an¬ 
alyzing say 4 to 6 Ammonia, 6 Phospho¬ 
ric Acid and 8 to 10 Potash ; three months 
later another application of about the 
same analysis; three months later with a 
decrease in ammonia and increasing phos¬ 
phoric acid and potash. The last ap¬ 
plication should be applied the latter part 
of October to the middle of November, 
should show high phosphoric acid and 
potash with low ammonia. This would 
aid in maturing the fruit and hardening 
up the wood and thus placing trees in a 
strong healthy condition to carry them 
through the winter. 
This method I think, tends to keep the 
trees in a good thrifty condition with less 
danger of over-stimulating, thus avoid¬ 
ing the danger of Die-Back and other 
troubles caused by over-stimulation. I 
am also a strong advocate of the use of 
lime in the groves, especially the ground 
rock lime. We all know and must admit 
that the finest oranges and some of the 
best groves in the state are grown on our 
shell hammocks. If enough of the rock 
lime becomes incorporated with our high 
pine soil, why should we not get the same 
fine thin-smoothed-skin fruit? 
You may say there is danger of getting 
too much lime in the soil. My reply is, 
then why is it we found the largest and 
best wild groves growing and thriving 
on shell mounds along our coast, and on 
the St. Johns River. I have seen some 
of the largest and best crops of oranges 
grown on these shell mounds where there 
was but little soil, and the trees were in 
a fine healthy condition, the fruit being 
of the finest quality. Some growers pre¬ 
fer hydrate of lime, but I am inclined to 
think that there is considerable danger in 
its use on account of its caustic qualities, 
and if applied near fertilizing time either 
before or after an application, it is, I 
think, liable to loosen up and dry out the 
soil, thus releasing too much of the avail¬ 
able ammonia. On the other hand, I have 
seen good results come from its use. In 
cases where we had Die-Back in an ag¬ 
gravated form, I have cured it by a good 
application of caustic lime. A case in 
particular which first suggested to my 
mind the need of lime in our groves and 
which came under my observation some 
ten or twelve years ago, we had some 
trees badly affected with die-back, and I 
concluded to try an experiment on them. 
Knowing that the two chief causes of 
