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SoutKcm Planting Facts 
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Glon Saint 
s enie s 
Citrus Fruits 
ORANGES 
Since the very earliest clays, the Orange has attracted the attention of fruit growers and fruit 
consumers. Today it is one of America’s most important fruit crops and based upon it an enormous 
industry has been built up, and in addition to its importance in commerce, it has lost none of the 
charm that has come down to us from ages past. 
From time to time during the period which has brought the Orange to its present important place 
in industrial development, it has been prophesied that too many trees were being planted, that the 
fruit supply would so outrun the demand that producers would not receive satisfactory returns from 
their crops. In moments of pessimism, many have been guilty of such predictions. Yet, they have 
not come true, and looking at the matter broadly it is a safe venture to say that such a condition will 
never come about. 
So far as our markets are concerned, the United States and Canada are one, with a population of 
one hundred and twenty millions. Last season, Florida's citrus ]>roduction was approximately 
iweiye million l)oxcs. 'I'his includes both Oranges and grapefruit,other kinds l)cing i)roduced only in 
negligible cpiantities. Allowing one hundred and fifty-six fruits per box, which, counting gra[)efrurt. is 
certainly a liberal basis, we ])roduced only enough to supply each one of our possible consumers with 
fifteen fruits. I his of course for i-'lorida's production only. Certainly there is no reason to be alarmed 
over our production if the distribution of the crop is handled properly. More than that, there is no 
immediate chance of increased plantings increasing the number of fruits per person, because of the 
natural increase in population. In this relationship of population and production lies the most satis¬ 
factory answer to any possibility of over supi)ly. But the crop must be properly distributed, so that 
every city, town, village and rural com¬ 
munity will receive its proper allotment of 
fruit. If citrus marketing agencies can ap¬ 
proach their work with a broad.enough view¬ 
point, there certainly is no danger of over- 
j)roduction. 
I laving this in mind, the Orange grower of 
today, considering the limited areas in which 
the crop can be successfully grown, can cer¬ 
tainly look forward with confidence to the 
future of the industry in which he is engaged. 
There was a period in the development of 
Orange growing in Florida when a very large 
number of varieties were propagated by 
nurserymen and set out by planters. Year 
by year, however, as the industry became 
stabilized their number has decreased until 
at the present time the list is confined to a 
sufficient number of varieties to adequately 
cover the fruiting season with a few special 
varieties to meet special conditions and 
special tastes. The list of standard varieties 
of Oranges which we are propagating for our 
customers cannot be improved upon and 
when a planter has decided upon the season 
at which he desires to market his crop, the 
question of varieties to plant is easily settled. 
With the establishment of our nurseries in 
1882 the propagation of the Orange was 
undertaken. We have seen many varieties 
come and go. For tliirty-nine years we have 
been growing citrus nursery stock. Naturally 
during these years we have learned much, 
and our work today is backed by an intimate 
knowledge of how to grow good Orange trees 
that is of the utmost value to our customers. 
Homosassa Orange 
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