10 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

coast districts, although there are bearing Lychee trees in 
that area. Careful search will doubtless discover suitable 
land there for commercial planting. 
The limiting factor in the development of the Lychee in 
Florida, will probably be suitable available land, as so much 
of the land upon which Lychees would thrive is planted to 
citrus. 
COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN FLORIDA 
There are somé plantings in the Oviedo and Merritt 
Island districts that offer fine prospects. These are in capa- 
ble hands and should do well. The Lychee tree has grown 
well on the east shore of Lake Okeechobee and a few trees 
are fruiting there. There are scattered Lychee developments 
in the Palm Beach, Miami and Homestead areas where they 
found suitable soil. There are new plantings of one, five, ten 
oue twenty acres in a number of locations throughout South 
orida. 
At this time the largest commercial planting is on the 
west coast at Lychee Orchards, Inc., Laurel, Sarasota County, 
Florida. This planting represents one of the first efforts to 
develop the Lychee on a commercial scale in the United States. 
Several years ago, planting began as fast as air-layered trees 
from proven stock of fine quality could be obtained. They are 
making good growth on several types of soil and a number are 
now of bearing age. The sale of young air-layered trees from 
this planting accounts largely for the initial development of 
the industry in Florida. 
Until about six years ago, the commercial development 
of the Lychee in Florida made little progress. Some officials 
of the departments of agriculture of the United States and 
Florida were enthusiastic about it on account of the fine 
flavored fruit produced, but their organizations, largely 
through lack of funds and man power, were unable to treat 
it other than as a welcome step-child. Recently sufficient 
progress has been made to demonstrate the practicability of 
ts Sea development on thousands of acres of Florida 
and. 
The cost of an orchard of Lychees should be about that 
of a citrus grove, except for the additional cost of the trees, 
which are higher than for citrus trees. As stated above, the 
recommended planting of Lychee trees is forty feet apart, 
but with one in the center of each square, requiring fifty trees 
to the acre. After about four years the Lychee outgrows citrus 
on suitable soil. Cultivation should be about the same as for 
citrus except that up to date Lychees in Florida have developed 
no diseases. 
During the last few years, the Lychee has demonstrated 
its ability to grow and fruit in numerous locations and on sev- 
