10 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
The limiting factor in the development of the Lychee in 
Florida will probably be suitable available land, as so much 
or the land upon which Lychees would thrive is planted to 
citrus. 
COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN FLORIDA 
There are some plantings in the Oviedo and Merritt Island 
districts that are now fruiting. These are in capable 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, twenty and 
forty acres in a number of locations throughout South Florida. 
The largest commercial planting in Florida is by Lychee 
Acres, Inc., about five miles east of Bradenton, Manatee Coun- 
ty, where two hundred acres were planted in 1950-51, and 
two hundred additional acres of ground is made ready for 
planting as soon as trees are available in the summer of 1952. 
One of the first commercial plantings in Florida was on 
the west coast at Lychee Orchards Inc., Laurel, Sarasota 
County. The sale of young air-layered trees from this plant- 
ing accounts largely for the initial development of the indus- 
try 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 
its commercial development on thousands of acres of Florida 
land. 
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- 
eral types of soil in South Florida. It should have a fine 
future here. 
