116 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
It is probably true that many of our 
groves throughout the State are even now 
in a potash starved condition, even with 
potash prices down to almost a pre-war 
state. In fact many of our younger 
groves, including those just coming into 
full bearing, have been grown under pot¬ 
ash famine and starved conditions. 
Another point, but few citrus growers 
really appreciate the fact that nitrogen is 
the dominating element of plant food and 
many groves testify to the fact that poorly 
balanced, low nitrogen fertilizer formulas 
are being used; remember, though, that 
excessive nitrogen fertilizing is bad and 
should never be allowed. Use high grade 
.fertilizers without filler as thev are al- 
ways the cheapest and best in the long 
run. The use of low grade fertilizers as a 
source of soil humus is a poor and uneco¬ 
nomical policy. Practice summer legu¬ 
minous cover-cropping and use well rotted 
stable manure instead. 
< 
CULTIVATION PROBLEMS 
The drought we have been experienc¬ 
ing is very unusual in its intensity and has 
clearly demonstrated the great importance 
of practicing solid, level and shallow 
grove cultivation at short intervals during 
periods of rainfall shortage. This estab¬ 
lishes and constantly mainstays a perfect 
dust mulch, completely breaking up the 
surface soil capillary attraction and hence 
conserving the much needed soil moisture 
for the use of the trees. 
Here is where the modern tractor dem¬ 
onstrates its great usefulness in efficiently 
cultivating unit grove areas in a minimum 
of time at low initial cost, saving much 
time and worry. In the highlands using 
a special 14-foot tractor acme pulled by a 
15-27 tractor we have covered as much as 
seventy acres in one working day, doing 
work showing at least double the effi¬ 
ciency in quality as compared to light 
mule operated acmes so commonly used in 
our groves. The day of the tractor has 
arrived in Florida, though the mule will 
never be entirely replaced in the care of 
our groves. Thus does modern horticul¬ 
ture advance. The importance and prac¬ 
tical value of summer tree-row cultivation 
during the summer rainy season months 
with the practice of leguminous cover- 
croping during this same period in the 
middles, cannot be given too much stress 
as a means of keeping the grove in a 
healthy growing condition, and maintain¬ 
ing and increasing the soil humus and the 
fixation of free atmospheric nitrogen 
(thereby saving on the future fertilizer 
bills). Many of us turn our groves loose 
in the summer months entirely too soon 
and at too early an age; tree-row cultiva¬ 
tion, my experience shows, is not only 
cheaper in the long run but is far more 
efficient in keeping a grove up during the 
summer months as compared to the make¬ 
shift of hoeing, say a couple of times. 
Remember that it is during the summer 
rainy season months with its longest days 
and the maximum of sunshine that our 
groves are expected to put forth their 
greatest seasonal effort in growth, and in¬ 
stead of falling down on our job at this 
critical time, we should put forth every 
effort to encourage nature to make the 
best possible showing during the summer 
months of ideal growing season. 
