369 
 25 
 ay 1 
 
How to "Plant and Cultivate 
 An Orange Orchard 
 
 --h 
 
 v • 
 
 A Summary of the Main Points 
 
 By 
 
 KW. Canada 
 
 Editor Southern Orchards and Homes , 
 Secretary Texas Citrus Gronxjers Association 
 
 AND 
 
 S. Arai 
 
 Manager Alvin Japanese Nursery 
 
 Mason Block 
 
 Houston, Texas 
 
 PRICE, FIFTY CENTS 
 
 (Copyriehted 1909, by J. W. Canada and S. Arai) 
 
MAR 8 ^y^i* 
 
 CLA 5 '^'''■- ^' 
 
 On / 
 
 Texas Horticultural Supply Co. 
 
 CAN FURNISH YOU 
 
 Target Brand Scale Destroyer. 
 
 Bordeaux, Arsenate of Lead, Fly 
 Spray, Etc. 
 
 Standard Supplies of all kinds. 
 
 Pruning Shears and Knives. 
 
 Budding Implements and Cloth. 
 
 Orchard Heaters and Carts. 
 
 Whitewashing Machines. 
 
 Canners, Can and Labels. 
 
 Tree Protectors. 
 
 Standard Books on Horticulture. 
 
 The Catalogue contains a complete 
 Spray Calendar. Sent Free, 
 
 Texas Horticultural Supply Co. 
 
 MASON BLOCK 
 
 HOUSTON, TEXAS 
 
 Received from 
 Copyt!,;nt Office. 
 
 29Ap'09 
 
Citrus Fruit Culture 
 
 This manual is prepared in order to put into the hands of those who are 
 planting orange trees this year the best information available for the making of 
 profitable orange orchards. It can not be comprehensive, but it gives the main 
 points in regard to selection of lands, preparation of lands, distances for plant- 
 ing, when and how to plant, and how to prune, methods of cultivation, diseases, 
 insects and remedies. 
 
 It must be borne in mind that the industry in Texas is a new one. There 
 has been little time yet to gather any comprehensive data, and few from whom 
 to gain information as to how they have made profitable orchards. The climate, 
 rainfall, soils . and methods of cultivation vary greatly in the narrow confines 
 of the orange belt. All these points must be borne in mind. In view of the 
 newness of the industry, and the consequent lack of authentic horticultural 
 information, eacli planter must himself become an experimenter, watch closely 
 liis methods and those of his neighbor, and learn to follow out what seems to 
 give best results. 
 
 I'he growing of fine citrus fruits is the most profitable of all lines of hor- 
 ticulture. It gives highest returns per acre. Naturally it requires the biggest 
 outlay, not necessarily of money, but of brains, from the time the grounds are 
 selected till the fruit is on the market. Each point must be studied; each com- 
 bination of soil, climate, variety, cultivation, must be studied, in the light of 
 the experience of others and as an every day proposition of the orchard grower. 
 With the right sort of care the returns w^ill come and they W"ill be big. But 
 no orange orchard will grow of its own accord. No man expecting an orange 
 orchard, and a profitable one, as the result of his planting may expect to do less 
 than put with his ground and his trees the very best quality of brainwork that 
 he can give. 
 
 CLIMATE AND EAINPALL. 
 
 It may be stated that in all regions where there is sufficient moisture, rain- 
 fall or irrigation, and the temperature does not rise above 100 or fall below 18 
 degrees above zero citrus fruits may be grown. Within these limitations, how- 
 ever, are localities that will not produce fruit to any extent worth while, \\liere 
 the rainfall is too great, or at the time when the fruit is maturing, or the vege- 
 table growth is too luxuriant little fruit may be expected. Along the Texas- 
 Louisiana coastal belt, how^ever, there is not too much rainfall for the growing 
 of fine fruit, and in the regions further west and south in this belt, wliere 
 iho rainfall is not more than 30 inches per year there is still enough without 
 irrigation, and in the southwestern part of the belt irrigation can be practiced. 
 The coastal belt of these two States, back for a hundred miles from the gnlf. 
 may safely be regarded as an orange producing country. With good soil, proper 
 varieties, and careful culture exceedingly profitable orange orchards should be 
 developed within this area. 
 
 SOILS. 
 
 Citrus trees are exceedingly variable, and consequently will adapt them- 
 selves to almost any kind of soil in which they will grow. The quality of the fruit, 
 however, is modified by the soil and the rainfall. Kich, alluvial soils produce 
 trees of rank growth, which often bear enormous quantities of fruit, and yet 
 
the lii^dicst ])ric-c(l fruits niav l)c grown on the poorer soils. In the ricliest 
 soil the phmt food is seldom well balanced and present in the right proportions 
 to prodnee the finest fruits, nor can qualities be affected l)y the use of fertilizers. 
 If the field is. normally fertile enough, as the coastal lands are, to produce great 
 crops each year quality may still be affected by fertilization. On the other hand, 
 the lands further back from the coast and further west, while not so fertile. 
 may be made to produce fruit superior in quality and heavy crops by fertilization. 
 
 In this coastal belt and near it, in the orange belt of these two States, are 
 to 1)0 found the heavy black soil, Avitli almost no sand, and on this soil arc fine, 
 well-paying trees. In the chocolate lands, alluvial, and with more or less sand, 
 are likewise to lie found the healthiest sort of trees. The ):ine lands, with con- 
 siderable sand, and back foi' nmrc tlian a hundred mile? from the gulf show 
 that they will pi'oduce trees that are good growers and productive. The more 
 gravelly lands further west, where the rainfall is not great, also seem e(|ually 
 well adapted to th.e orange, while it seems to lie as much at home in the irrigated 
 ])elt of the southwestern coastal region as it is under irrigation in California. 
 Then no hard and fast rule about the kind' of soil in which to plant can be set 
 down. It is more largely a matter of handling the trees afterward than it is 
 of the kind of soil they are planted in. If the soil is a good rich one to begin 
 with, little need be added to it for some time, if proper care should be taken 
 that ])roper plant food should be added for rapid growth and heavy bearing. 
 
 One thing is essential for the soil and for the orange orchard, and that is 
 adequate drainage. The orange tree does not require a great amount of water. 
 Tlie lands should not be too wet and heavy, for if they are the growth will be 
 slow, and the fruit crop will be light, as well as poor in quality. Drainage in 
 the coastal belt of fiat lands and high rainfall is essential to a good orange 
 orchard. 
 
 A good orange orchard may be made on almost any sort of soil, but select 
 the be^t you have, with good drainage, easy to handle, prepare it well, cultivate 
 it well, fertilize and protect with cover ero] s, and use any other fertilizer when 
 needed, and the result will be a good orchard. 
 
 PKEPARATIOX OF LAND. 
 
 U'lie heavy soils of the level region, the grass-covered lands along the coastal 
 belt require much care to prepare for planting. They should bei broken the 
 year before, thoroughly disced and harrowed and pulverized, and the mass of 
 grass roots given time to break \\\) and rot. Such land, for the best orchard, 
 requires six months or more. For this it should be well drained also. 
 
 The soils with more sand, loamy and without the heavy grass roots is not 
 so difficult to prepare, but should be clean and in good condition, and with not 
 too great an abundance of humus matter immediately about the trees. 
 
 Lighter soils, and soils under cultivation for some time require no more 
 than ordinary })re])aration, as for the jilanting of any sort of trees or seed croj>. 
 But land should not be too clean and too free from humus matter and mulching. 
 
 In order to gain time in | hinting, as many wish to do, it is not necessary 
 to have the lands broken, or cleared even, but the trees may be planted and the 
 land cleared and broken and cultivated afterward. Care should be taken to have 
 the ground about the tree, all that its roots will need for the first year's growth, 
 in good condition for the striking out of the roots and the growth of a root 
 
system, for the first years growth of any tree is mainly l)elow rather than al)ove 
 ground. 
 
 No time must be lost in clearing land so planted, for other trees will shade 
 the plants and will take from them sunshine and moisture and plant food. Also 
 the lands should be plowed and put in good condition and made available for 
 the growth of the trees. All culture should he done with the aim of making 
 as fine, healthy, well-fed and fruitful trees as possible. 
 
 NUMBER OF TREES TO THE ACRE. 
 
 A number of systems are used in planting, but the rectangular one is common. 
 A field may be laid off in rectangules most easily, and cultivation in each di- 
 rection can be done with most ease. The trees may he planted the same distance 
 apart both w^ays, or a greater distance one way. Though the space between 
 trees is not equally divided the citrus roots will penetrate and permeate all the 
 soil, and will secure all the plant food Avithin the top fifteen inches of soil. 
 
 The hexagonal system sets six trees equidistant from a tree in the center. 
 The basis is an equilateral triangle. This system divides equally distance be- 
 tween trees. It sets about 15 per cent more trees to the acre. The quincunx 
 system has a square or four trees, with one in the centre. The advantage of 
 this is that the center tree can be taken out later as needed. 
 
 APPROXIMATE NUMBER OP TREES PER ACRE. 
 Distance Rectangle Hexagon Quincunx 
 
 10x10 feet 
 
 436 
 
 501 
 
 831 
 
 12x12 feet 
 
 303 
 
 348 
 
 523 
 
 10x15 feet 
 
 290 
 
 
 
 15x15 feet 
 
 193 
 
 217 
 
 347 
 
 15x20 feet 
 
 145 
 
 
 
 18x18 feet 
 
 134 
 
 142 
 
 247 
 
 20x20 feet 
 
 108 
 
 124 
 
 199 
 
 20x25 feet 
 
 87 
 
 
 
 25x25 feet 
 
 70 
 
 81 
 
 126 
 
 The following may be regarded as approximately correct distances for planting 
 for best orchard results, both in productiveness and growth of tcees. 
 
 Kumquats 12 to 15 ft. 
 
 Sat^umas 15 to 20 ft. 
 
 Grape Fruit 18 to 25 ft. 
 
 Other varieties of oranges 20 to 25 ft. 
 
 No set of rules can bo given for distances, for soil, rainfall, fertility, stocks, 
 protection from frost, s]vi-nying. etc., must all be considered. The elTect of frost 
 on densely ))oi)ulnted orchards is not so great. The trees should !>(> far enough 
 apart to allow spraying and fumigating. Tree rows should be straight. In 
 general it is l)etter to have oblongs rather than squares. 
 
 Furrows or wires should l)o run both lengthwise and crosswise in the field, 
 and a stake set where the tree is to be planted. It is not difficult to lay out 
 rectangles for i)laiiting. Hexagons or Quincunix are more difficult. In plant- 
 ing either of tlie-c forins it is best to have a good dranglit-mnn make a | lot 
 aiul give dirc;'(inn< for laying off the rows. 
 
 SELECTION OF TREES. 
 
 First of all. buy trees from a responsible nurseryman. He has his reputa- 
 tion at stake, and can not afford to sell trees other than true to name and in 
 
first-class condition. Siioukl any mistakes occur ho will always be louud, ready 
 to rectify them. Some nurserymen guarantee tlie trees and will replace if 
 they die within certain limits. 
 
 Purcluise direct from the nurseryman. If possible, visit his nursery. It 
 will pay you, if you plant to any extent at all, to do this. Do not buy from an 
 agent, unless you are assured beyond all question of his responsibility, and 
 that the nurseryman stands ready to carr}^ out all that he tells you. See the 
 conditions under which the trees arc made ready and furnished you. Become 
 personally acquainted with the nurseryman. You have no assurance as to tlie 
 trees save his honor and integrity, and the better you know him the better for 
 you. He will be glad to give you always all information as to varieties, planting, 
 care, etc., that he can, for he is interested in having you succeed with your or- 
 chard and become a regular customer. 
 
 Purchase trees early, too. The supply is not equal to the demand, and 
 lose no time in ordering for planting from a reliable nurseryman. "First 
 come, first served,^' is true of the tree man. So never delay in securing trees 
 for your planting. 
 
 The l)Ost citrus tree for planting is one with a root of three or four 3fears 
 growth, with a stocky, vigorous top of one or two years. Trees should not show 
 c=igns of a poor stunted growth, though they may vary widely in the amount 
 of growth for the year or two. Nor should the tree show signs of having been 
 unduly forced to bring it up to a fair size. Nor should they show signs of 
 sappy angular growth. 
 
 Generally speaking for the average planter there is no time saved in plant- 
 ing very large trees to have them come in earlier. In the end nothing is gained ; 
 frequently much is lost. Buy a medium or even small tree, with a good root 
 system, give it care, cultivation, water when needed, and it will start off at once 
 and make the best tree. The very best trees from a reliable nurseryman are the 
 cheapest in the end, and poor stock is dear at any price. 
 
 WHEN" THE TREES COME. 
 
 Trees are shipped by the nurseryman in boxes or bales. As soon as they come 
 they should be unpacked and heeled in. A good shady place should be selected 
 for this, a furrow made of sufficient length to hold the trees. Slope off tlie furrow 
 to an angle of about 45 degrees, j^lace the roots in the furrow, spread the roots out 
 well, pack the earth about them and water. 
 
 When all is ready for planting take the trees from the furrow, a few at a time, 
 as needed for planting, trim the roots and wrap them in a damp cloth or gunny 
 sack to carry to the field. Xeither siinlight nor stroncj winds should be allowed 
 to strike the roots. Citrus tree roots are especially susceptible to injuries from 
 these causes. 
 
 In trimming roots remove broken ones, cutting off Avith a smooth cut, slop- 
 ing outward. The smooth cut heals quickly. The larger roots should be cut back 
 freely. A goodly portion of the small, fibrous ones also; all of thorn if they have 
 bopomo dried. When there are two tap roots it is well to leave one longer than tlie 
 other. 
 
 If possible to arrange it, the holes should not be dug till just before plant- 
 ing. The soil will then contain its natural moisture when placed about the trees. 
 Care should be taken that the soil about the root of the tree is compact and clean 
 and in fine condition. If the tree has large roots, rather long, and the soil is not 
 deep make a large hole, and fill with soil, thus making a root bed of soil that 
 
comes from within a half dozen or so inches of the top. Soil below this may have 
 more or less of clay in it. 
 
 Trees should not be planted deeper than they stand in the nursery row, where 
 there is much rainfall or they are irrigated often. In a dryer climate plant from 
 1% to 3 inches deeper. Pack the soil well around the roots, but be careful not 
 to cramp the roots in setting them. Give good soil about the roots for their set- 
 ting and the first yearns growth, so they will be undisturbed. If the soil is poor 
 it is well to mix a pound of good commercial fertilizer with it as it is put in the 
 hole. Water may be used when the hole is about two-thirds full, and after the 
 tree is planted there should be a liberal supply. In irrigation or dry districts 
 water should be used every ten or twelve days. Having applied the water, mulch 
 the surface with leaves or grass to hold the moisture. Dry dust will do for this. 
 
 IeT hot, dry districts the trunks should be protected to prevent sunburn. 
 Many will die from this, and many more will be stunted. Lath cylinders, or 
 those made of yucca or pa^er serve the purpose. The trunks may be wrapped with 
 straw or paper, or covered with whitewash. 
 
 The tops should be pruned back as soon as the trees are set. Do not retain 
 too much top, for there is no gain in so doing. Wlien the trees are taken from the 
 nursery row more than half the root system is left in the ground. The top 
 should be reduced proportionately. If the trees have a single shoot, without 
 branches, they should be cut off Avith a sloping cut just above a node. If there 
 are branches trim these back well, with two or three buds on each spur. 
 
 The Satsuma does not require much pruning of the top, as it is naturally a 
 shrub, rather than a tree, and its natural tendency is to begin spreading from 
 the ground. No further pruning than may seem well for starting the tree off 
 should be given it. 
 
 If the trees are set in an orchard for them there is no need of setting stakes 
 to protect them, but they should be protected if there is any danger of their get- 
 ting broken off in any way or bruised, or the ground about them interefered with. 
 
 CULTIVATION OF OECHAEDS. 
 
 Owing to variety of soils and conditions there is great diversity of opinion 
 as to metliods of culture. The system adopted must meet the requirements of 
 the soil in wliich they are planted and the rainfall. However, there are some 
 broad principles that may 1)6 set down and followed with such variations as soil 
 and climate show the careful tiller. 
 
 It is not generally difficult to keep the lands in good condition. Less labor 
 is necessary than for the lands of other orchards in other parts of the country. 
 The trees seem to thrive some times without any cultivation, and there are even 
 found some men who will say that an orange tree needs no cultication at all after 
 it has attained a growth of a few years. True it may not die and may bear 
 heav}' crops of fruit each year, but it shows, when compared with a tree of the same 
 age in a woll-cultivated orchard, that it pays well to continue cultivation. 
 
 After the ground has been put in fine condition, either before or after plant- 
 ing, the question comes as to how often and when it should be cultivated. It 
 should be cultivated as often as necessary to keep it well pulverized so that it 
 will hold the moisture and allow the air to percolate through it, supplying oxygen 
 to the roots and setting free plant food. In well cultivated soils decomposi- 
 tion of vegetable matter goes on more and nitrogen for the plants is set free 
 more quickly. 
 
 The basis of "Dry-Farming" is the fact that water in the soil is to be 
 found as a film surrounding the particles of soil. Then the more numerous 
 
these particle? are, provided tliey do not become dust, the more water there is 
 available for keeping the soil in good condition. Loose, open soil permits the 
 rain to penetrate. If the surface is dry and hard water runs off. When the 
 soil is well stirred water is held when it rains, and also there is less loss by 
 evaporation because the top of the soil acts as a mulch. Frequent shallow cul- 
 tivation then keeps the water within the soil and prevents its too rapid escape 
 by evai^oration. 
 
 In the area of greater rainfall along the gulf coast the main point is to 
 keep the soil well stirred so that it does not become hard and cake where there 
 is little sand in it. AVliere there is more sand it should be stirred frequently 
 also, in order to keep the water in the soil well distributed. Further west, 
 where the rainfall is not so great, in Bee, Victoria and other counties, yet it is 
 about 30 inches a year, the average in Illinois, and where the sun shines hot, 
 it is best to cultivate the lands so that they will always be in fine tilth and all 
 moisture conserved for the tree roots. Irrigation in these sections is by no means 
 necessarv, and the horse and cultivator are all essentials required for the trees. 
 However, in the district irrigation belt in Southwest Texas irrigation is necessary, 
 and the trees should be watered as the ground seems to need it. 
 
 The orange does not need so much water, and the finest flavored fruit comes 
 from those regions where the rainfall is just enough to keep the trees in healthy 
 prowing condition, provided the water that falls is properly conserved by the 
 right sort of soil culture. xVlong the coast, where the rainfall is 50 inches or 
 more there is danger of getting too much water in the ground, unless it is well 
 drained, an essential spoken of under the heading of "Preparation of Soil." 
 
 Some growers keep the ground perfectly clean the year round. There is little 
 to recommend this. The soil soon becomes lacking in humus matter and de- 
 pleted of its fertility. Xo amount of fertilizers will restore it when too much 
 humus is lost. Soon the trees show the effects of such culture in becoming 
 unhealthy and ceasing to bear large crops of fruit. If clean culture is adopted 
 the humus must l)e restored in some way, by leaves or mold or straw. But it is 
 easier to retain the humus than to restore it after it has been exhausted. 
 
 Humus, one of the most important constituents of plant growth, should 
 be increased rather than diminished by methods of culture. Ground denuded 
 of its natural growth and left exposed to p\in and rain soon lo=cs its fertility, 
 and becomes dead and un])roductive. This holds true of the orchard in cultivation 
 as well as of the field. The soil is the place wherein the roots get the food 
 which they convert into tree and fruit. Long-continued clean cultivation removes 
 from the soil the humus, wherein the tree finds it? essentials for food, and 
 '"•oon makes the soil nothi'iyf but an uni)ro(luctive sand and cl:iy bank. 
 
 Humus is tlio product of tin' decay of organic substances. It is the in- 
 termediate stage between tl'e revolution of the oi'i;aiiic substance into the chem- 
 ical. It is the most important substance found in anv soil, ami n«ay be taken 
 as an index of fertility. Barren soils lack this substance, but not necessarily 
 mineral ingredients. 
 
 Soils rich in humus retain moisture, are more porous, air circulates more 
 freely, and so ])lant food is held in better solution. Humus also contains 
 from three to twelve ]ier cent of niirogen. and are also u-^ually well -u])plied with 
 phosphoric acid and ]X)tash. 
 
 AVliere commercial fertilizeis nre used, and they will come to be used in 
 Texas and Louisiana as orchard cultivation becouies more of a science, humus 
 i< necessarv as an intermediate for the conversion of the fertilizer from an 
 
unavailable state for plant food. It is also the media in which bacteria work, and 
 lioids plant food in solution till it is used up by the plajiit. 
 
 (]\[ore will be said about this subject under "Cover Crops.") 
 
 METHODS OF CULTIVATION. 
 
 Ground should be prepared well before planting. It should be plowed deeply, 
 roots of grass and weeds broken up, and should be disced and harrowed till the 
 vegetable matter is converted into humus. If this is not done before planting 
 it must be done right up- to the tree holes the first season after they are planted. 
 After tlie young orchard is planted the ground may l)e plowed deeply, l)ut not 
 closely to the trees. 
 
 Tree rows should 1)0 cultivated comparatively shallow. This will have a 
 tendency to send the roots deeper into the soil as they spread out from the 
 tree. If the soil is plowed the depths should be variecl from year to year so 
 as not to create a harcl and compact layer below a certain depth. 
 
 With the rich soils and the deep ones of most of the coastal belt d'ecp 
 plowing is not so very necessary. From six to eight inches is usuallv about right. 
 This should be increased from year to year till a depth of twelve or fourteen 
 inches is reached and formed into a good root bed. This may sound radical 
 and useless to the average farmer, but behind this statement is the experience 
 of the best cultivators in other States. 
 
 During the period of most active growth cultivation should be frequent. 
 When the soil is damp and heavy such frequency is not necessary. If the w^eather 
 is dry cultivation should be had every ten days or so to preserve the moisture. 
 The cultivator should be kept going all the time. A light harrow or weeder 
 is all that is necessary. It is always best to cultivate ?vs soon as possible after 
 a rainfall. This retains the moisture. Where the orchard is irrigated it should 
 be cultivated as soon as dry enough. 
 
 Weeds should not be allowed to grow during the | eriod of cultivation. They 
 utilize too much water that the trees need. After cultivation f(u- llio season is 
 done with a proper cover crop should be grown. 
 
 In this region every effort should be made to have the trei's dormant during 
 the entire period when there is danger of a frost. It takes verv little frost to 
 injure a tender, sap])y slioot, and a dornumt tree can not be injured save by a 
 bard freeze. Cultivation should have as it? aim also the making of the tree 
 dornui.nt in the fall, to riMuain so till after the danger in Februarv and March, 
 the real time of danger in this belt. The distinct advantage oF the trifoliiata 
 stock is that its dorinanl jx'riod is a long one, and so the likdiliortd of ils in- 
 jury is small. 
 
 It is difheult to have citrus trees thorouahly dormant, for tlu'V are by nature 
 evergreens. Cultivation 'w'ill help to keei) thein dormant, even thouc-h tlie ten- 
 dency is for them to respond rcadilv to the warm days a.nd weeks of tlu' winter 
 months in the coa.st country. Cultivation should nni be continued late in the 
 fall. Xoi' should fertilizei-s I'ieh in nitrogen be ai)plied lite. Xor sho'.ild sfrass 
 and weeds that have grown up after cultivation has sto]i))e(l in [be f-dl be allowed 
 +o ptav during the winter. In other States it has been sliown <bat Trosj is more 
 likelv to injure the tree? when there is among them dead gras-; and weeds. Cer- 
 tainlv 11u>re is dancrer of fires injuring them. 
 
 'I'be iniitleuienis used For cultivation must be ada' ted lo the character of 
 the soil. Each Farmer knows uhat is best to kee]) bis soil in nood condition. 
 Cultivators, liiiiit nr deep, can be used I)v hiiu as hi< s(ul seem- to need. For 
 
bhallow cultivation there is no better harrow than tlie Acme. Also a weeder 
 and a liglit harrow do well. For deep work a disc harrow will do the work 
 well, as will a Planet, Jr. Cultivation should be in the hands of a careful man. 
 The ends of the whiffletrees should not be allowed to scar the trees. Cultiva- 
 tion s^hould be done intelligently and thoroughly. 
 
 COVER CROPS. 
 
 A cover crop at certain .seasons of the year is an important factor for the 
 orange orchard. It serves two purposes, to keep a requisite amount of humus 
 in the soil, and to protect the soil during certain seasons. In fact, the ad- 
 vantages are many. They may be all named. 
 
 Humus is added and water-holding capacity is increased. This latter effect 
 is of special value where the rainfall is not so great. 
 
 The soil is opened up deep so that hard layers are not formed, and the soil 
 does not become too compact. 
 
 In the coastal belt where the rainfall is great and drainage a problem a cover 
 crop aids in removing too much moisture from the soil. 
 
 It prevents leaching of nitrates where there is excessive rainfall during 
 certain seasons, and promotes nitrification. 
 
 It adds plant food, through the leguminous crops, and breaks up and renders 
 available the plant food in the soil. 
 
 There are two classes of rover crops, those that collect nitrogen, the legu- 
 minous plants, those that consume it. 
 
 To the former belong alfalfa, cow peas, clover, velvet beans, vetch, lupines 
 and a few others. On the roots of these plants are nodules formed by bacteria, 
 v\^hich find entrance to the roots through the root hairs. These bacteria col- 
 lect and store nitrogen of the air in the tubercules formed on the plants. This 
 nitrogen then i)ecomes a.vailable for the use of the tree roots. These tubercules 
 give up their nitrogen and disappear. 
 
 To the latter class belong rye, oats, rape, grasses of various kinds ; in fact, 
 all plants for cover crops not belonging to the legume family. These plants 
 only give back what they have withdrawn. They also add humus to the soil. 
 
 The value of a cover crop depends largely on the time it is ]lowed in. In our 
 hot climate it should not be plowed under when green, but should be allowed 
 to become partially dry. If plowed under green it tends to sour and so he- 
 come injurious to the trees and land. 
 
 Cow peas are well known, and their value as a cover crop every good farmer 
 Icnows, and he knows also how to handle them. The cover crop should be gotten 
 out of the way by the time the picking season liegins. Cow peas are subject 
 to the nematode, a worm that is injurious to most tree roots also, but not to 
 citnis tree roots. The peas may be gotten rid of by mowing them and allowing 
 them to rot on the surface or by harrowing them in. 
 
 The velvet green makes an immense growtli. In full vig(^r it will cover (lie 
 ground two or tliree feet deep with a mass of vines. It is difficult to handle in 
 .n region where there i? no frost to kill it in tlie fall, as it continues a rank 
 growth till late. It may ho mowed and loft to rot on the ground. It collects 
 nitrogen in large quantities. In the orange ordiard it will add I'ullv a hundred 
 pounds of nitrogen to the acre. 
 
 The seed should be sown in "May. Cultivation sliould bo continued for tiiroe 
 or four weeks after planting, and the weeds should be kept down till the beans 
 are well started. It is better to sow in drills, four or five feet apart. They 
 
should not be planted closer than six or eight feet to the trees. Care should 
 also be taken that the vines do not run over the small trees and smother them. 
 
 Crab grass and the cover crops that are not leguminous are valuable as cover 
 crops in that they serve all purposes, save bringing nitrogen. Some growers 
 may prefer supplying the nitrogen. 
 
 These points in cultivation are somewhat new to this region from the fact 
 that very little attention has been given by any one to the study of soils and 
 crops on them and the needs of plants for best growth and fruiting. 
 
 FEETILIZEES. 
 
 Proper food material for the making of the tree and of the fruit must be 
 supplied. It is not enough to say that the soil is rich ajid deep and needs 
 nothing. No soil is inexhaustible. The richest coast country soils in time come to 
 need many constituents for the growing of heavy crops of the best quality of fruits. 
 
 On quality of the orange depends more liberal returns to the grower than 
 is the case with almost any other fruit. The orange is a dessert fruit, and is 
 eaten in its natural state. There are no secondary products. It must appeal 
 to the eye and to the palate direct. Its qualities can not be changed or supple- 
 mented. The only modification in its quality that can be made is through t}.e 
 food on which the plant that produces the fruit grows. Therefore il.e matter 
 of fertilization is an important one. 
 
 It Avill be some time, however, before much attention is given to Diis sub- 
 ject in the orange section now being developed. The careful grower, good stu- 
 dent and practical orchard man will study these problems and see that his trees 
 have the right constituents for the making of oranges uniform, of good size, 
 smooth, well-colored, and of the best flavor. The sooner the study f.f tliis is 
 made the better the orchard will pay the grower. 
 
 The orange lands of Texas and Louisiana are naturally so fertile that little 
 need be added save just the right constituents for making the individual orchard 
 the best. However, when all the essentials of plant growth seem to be present 
 it is often found that something will add materially to the quality as well as to 
 the yield. The intelligent orchard man wishes to apply to his orchard the plant 
 food required by the crop to be grown. In order to do this he must know what 
 his soil has in it, and what the fruit requires. 
 
 The fruits of California and Florida differ from each other in character and 
 com] osition, and it will be found that those of Texas differ from the fruit 
 grown in the States named. The California orange shows .50 per cent more 
 nitrogen and 50 per cent less phosphoric acid than does the Florida. There is 
 more than twice as much potash in the Florida fruit. The potash makes the 
 Florida orange superior in sweetness and flavor. 
 
 The composition of any soil as determined l)y analysis has little bearing 
 on practical methods of fertilizing. It is impossible to determine the amount 
 of any plant food that will become available or will be used by the crop during 
 its period of growth. The chemical condition of the soil is of less importance 
 than is the physical condition and the constituents. 
 
 The food requirements of citrus fruits differ from recognized requirements 
 of other crops only in amount and proportion. Potash, nitrogen and phosphoric 
 acid are demanded by the tree in excess of the ability of the soil to fhirnish, 
 and they need to he supplied by the grower. His concern is to know how much 
 and in what form to apply them. 
 
Lime is iiet'dfd, and its direct cireel is to produec tiie dcsiraUlc thinness of 
 skin. Pliosplioric acid is inoro evident in its effect on the tree than on its 
 fruit. Al.<o it goes hir«rely to the seeds. Lack of sufficient of it in the soil 
 i.N fre(|uenlly shown in a mottled or variegated appearance in the newly formed 
 leaf. Xitrogen forces vigorous growth. This shows in t\ood, leaf and fruit. 
 tVhsence of sufficient nitrogen shows in paleness or yellowness of leaf, scanty 
 foliage and apparent lack of vigor. Ahundance of nitrogen results in luxuriant 
 growth, abundant glossy and dark colored leaves. Heavy, juicy fruit is another 
 result of plenty of nitrogen supply. Dry, light fruit, with superabundance of 
 ''rag" is an indication of a lack of nitrogen. Excess of nitrogen causes the ends 
 of the twigs to die back, and the fruit ])ecomes thick and rough skinned. Potash 
 exerts a most decisive influence onjhe fruit. It affects the color, sweetness and 
 ffavor of the fruit, and tiie ripening or hardening of the wood. Lack of potash 
 -hows in iinnuiture wood and in consequent susceptibility to injury from cold. 
 Over one-half of the ash of an oraaige is potash. Experiments and experience 
 show that the direct influence of potash on the quality of fruit is very great. 
 The inrtuonce of potash on wood growth is apparently greater with the orange 
 than wiili any other kind of tree, and in this respect it has a special significence. 
 The new growth of orange wood is normalh^ not cylindrical. The young twigs 
 at first are flattened on two or more sides to an angular form, usually approach- 
 ing a triangular shape. Toward the end of the first season this condition dis- 
 appears usually, and normal development succeeds. When there is too much am- 
 monia for the trees this form continues and the develo] nient of round branches 
 is dela3'ed. In orchards deficient in potash or with too much ammonia branches 
 two years old showing angular sides are nnich in evidence. 
 
 The condition of the young trees thus shows indications of the soil con- 
 stituents or lack of them for the making of the best trees and the best fruit. 
 The orange grower must feed his plants for both tree growth and fruit. He 
 must observe his (trees and from their appearance decide Kvhat constituents 
 are needled. The young orchard needs fertilizing for the tree growth alone, M-hile 
 the older orchard needs fertilizing for both tree and fruit. In order to get the 
 best results the grower must know his trees and be ready to add in some form 
 the materials that seem to ])e lacking. When the trees come into bearing he 
 must further study what is needed for the making of the l)est fruit. The less 
 quickly available forms, bone meal, sol phosjdiate and Thomas slag may ])e used 
 for tree making materials. For regular feeding and quickest results acid phos- 
 phate should be the standby. 
 
 The best form of potash to use is Sulphate of ])otasli or sulphate of ])otash- 
 magnesia. The latter is best for fruiting trees on account of the magnesia it 
 contains. Hardwood ashes can also he used to good advantage occasionally, as 
 the alkali in the ashes will neutralize any acid that may have accunndated in 
 the soil, and this will better enahle the tree to take up the jilant fo'xl ])]aced 
 wiihin its reach. 
 
 In selecting the form of nitrogen the greatest ]:recauti(»n is nc'ded. Stable 
 manure should not be allowed near orange trees. Hank growth, thick skins, much 
 "rag" and inferior fla.vor are the results. Splitting and dropping, and even 
 die-back arc the residts imder aggravated conditions. Other organic forms of 
 nitrogen, such as cotton-seed meal tankage and blood, ])ossess much the. same 
 tendencv, and should be used with great caution. Nitrate of soda is the liest 
 form in which fo a]»pl\- the nitrogen. 
 
An important secondary effect of fertilizers is on the soil as regards moisture. 
 Xitrate of soda and kainit both materiall}- increase capillaj-y attraction. More 
 water moves np from the lower strata and thus becomes availal)le for the trees. 
 These salts increase surface tension^ and consequently the capillary movement of the 
 water. This is a point so important in some regions that it may well affect the 
 selection of a fertilizer. Organic manures have the opposite effect and increase the 
 dryness of the soil. 
 
 Of the three requisites, phosphoric acid, nitrogen and potash, the last named 
 is far more important. Experienced growers are able to pick out the fruit from 
 orchards where this essential is found in sufficient quantity. 
 
 The orange blooms in the spring. The fruit grows on wood grown the pre- 
 ceding season. It is thus apparent that the fertilizer for the bloom and fruit 
 must have been consumed the previous season. Fertilizer should be applied at 
 least twice during the year. Three times are better. February, June and Sep- 
 tember are the months. The first may be called the bloom, the second the fruit 
 and the third the wood fertilizing. The fii-st two applications should be strong 
 in nitrogen; the final one should be mainly potash. Fertilizer should be so 
 applied that the bulk of it will be, not near the tree, but out where the roots 
 can take it np most quickly. It should be sowed broadcast, and should then 
 be harrowed in. The first two or three years it should be applied close to the 
 tree, of course, for the roots have not yet reached out very far. The roots will 
 seek the fertilizer, and the larger the circle of roots will become as the fer- 
 tilizer is spread and the root systems extend in seaTch of it. This also gives a 
 greater area from which to draw moisture and natural food 
 
 The subject of fertilizei's is one that must be studied carefully by the 
 orchard man who wishes best results from his trees. 
 
 WIND PROTECTION. 
 
 Orange trees exposed to winds, as is the case along the coastal region, should 
 be protected by windbreaks. This prevents the tree from whipping itself to 
 pieces. The salt-laden atmosphere is not injurious to the trees necessarily, but 
 the continual beating is. , Eapid growing, heavy foliaged trees should be planted. 
 The camphor tree makes a fine v/indbreak. The eucalyptus makes a rapid growth, 
 and with some smaller tree as an aid it makes a quick and good protection. The 
 catalpa tree is also first-class. A belt of natural timlier, where tliere is one, should 
 always be left as a protection. 
 
 PROTECTION AGAINST FROST. 
 
 It must not be forgotten that the orange is tropical in nature. The great ad- 
 vantage of the trifoliata stock is he fact that it gives a more complete and longer 
 dormant ])eriod than any other stock. Protection against frost and cold is to be 
 had through methods of cultivation and handling and through artificial protection. 
 
 A statement of the conditions under which tlie trees i^ Florida were killed 
 will illustrate. On December 29th, 1894, the temperature fell at Jacksonville 
 to U degrees, the coldest known for 60 years. The trees were dormant, or 
 fairly so, and little injury resulted. This cold was followed by three weeks of 
 extremely warm weather. The trees at once began to grow to re|\air the de- 
 foliation caused by the cold. By the end of the iirst week in February they had 
 put out tender shoots, buds and half-formed leaves. They were full of sap. 
 On Feliruary Sth the temperature again dropped to 14 degrees and the trees 
 were all killed. It was not so much the cold as the unusual conditions that 
 brought about the damage. 
 
The tree must be kept entirely dormant, or as nearly so as possible from 
 the first of December till the lirst of ]\l:irch. Cold weather here is usually about 
 the middle of February. The following means will help most effectively to this end : 
 
 Omit the working of the trees from September till February. 
 
 Exclude all nitrogenous or ammoniated fertilizers during this period. 
 
 Root-pruning, carefully practiced around one-quarter of the tree is conducive 
 to dornumcy. 
 
 Stocks for planting should be selected with reference to dormancy. Herein 
 lies the adva.ntage of the trifoliata. 
 
 Living trees and large bodies of water are several degrees warmer than the 
 surrounding air. The strip of land along the southern bank of the lower Mis- 
 sissippi is probably the richest natural orange region in the United States. Its 
 warm and even temperature is due largely to the protection of a mile of water 
 between it and the winds that come from the north. A rice farmer in Louisiana 
 floods his orchards from his pumps wh^n a cold and frosty night comes, and thus 
 protects them. 
 
 The hilling of the trees, as practiced by some of the most successful orchard 
 men, has in view the keeping of the trees dormant and not subject to starting 
 growth while there is still danger of frost. It keeps the ground about the roots 
 cold and so prolongs the dormant period. 
 
 Artificial heat is used in both Florida and California. In time it will come 
 to be used in Texas and Louisiana when needed, and the growers recognize the 
 value of their orchards, and that they can afford to take no chances with their 
 trees. Slow fires or smudges, of straw or moss, make a smoke, and this settles 
 over the grove and prevents a formation of frost. This protects the trees 
 after the sun rises, for it is rather the thawing too quickly more than the actual 
 freeze that hurts. Dry fires, of coal or wood or oil, are used also at intervals 
 through the orchard. These fires raise the temperature a few degrees, but more 
 important, set in motion currents of air so that frost is not formed. The cost 
 of thus 1 rotecting an orchard is not great when the value of the trees and fruit 
 is considered. 
 
 DISEASES AND REMEDIES. 
 The number of diseases attacking citrus fruits is not nearly so large as 
 those attacking most other fruit?. Some arc due to negligence, while others 
 are associated with fertilization and cultivation. Still some may appear under 
 the best care. Many of the diseases are due to fungi. These attack various parts 
 of the tree, roots, branches, leaves and interfere with their functions, and eventu- 
 ally kill the part or the entire tree. These fungi are spread by means of spores, 
 v.hich are scattered by the- wind and rain, and sometimes by heat and moisture. 
 Another class of disease is connected witli the cells of the plant and the life 
 activities of the cell formations. 
 
 FUNGUS DLSEASES. 
 Foot-rot or gum disease — mal-di-goma. is known wherever orange trees grow. 
 In Florida it has destroyed the sweet seedlings, and is mainly responsible for the 
 discontinuing of the sweet stock for propagating purposes. It is clearly marked 
 and not likely to be confounded with any other disease. It is confined to the 
 crown and main roots of the tree, extending a foot or so above the ground and 
 downward along the roots. Its presence is indicated by an exudation of gum, 
 which forms in drops on the bark covering the spot. The outer cortex becomes 
 brownish and the inner decayed. The affected part emits a fetid odor like that 
 
of a decayed orange. The } lant strives to overcome the disease by cutting off 
 the infected part and making a wall of new tissue. The bark then dries up, breaks 
 away and drops off. Though the tree may continue to bear fruit it does not appear 
 healthy. The leaves become yellow, the twigs and young branches die. Unless 
 tlie tree is cured in some way it soon dies. Sour orange, trifoliata, rough lemon 
 f^nd pomelo are very risistant to this disease, while sweet orange and lemon are very 
 subject to it. 
 
 The specific cause of the disease is in doubt, but it appears to be a fungi- 
 cidal growth. Deep-setting, wet, soggy soil, rank, organic fertilizers, soil under- 
 laid with hard pan, faulty drainage, shaded conditions, are all contributory to 
 its spread. A healthy tree is more likely to throw it off. 
 
 As a remedy remove any of these injurious conditions ; cut out all diseased 
 tissue and burn it ; paint the freshly cut wood with a good disinfectant insecticide 
 solution and disinfect all implements that come in contact with the diseased tree. 
 
 Scab, lemon scab, sour orange scab, attacks the sour orange, the lemon, the 
 Satsuma, and sometimes the pomelo and kumquat. The leaves, twigs and fruit 
 become scabby and warty. Sometimes the leaves are twisted and drawn out of 
 shape and so can not fulfill their natural functions of respiration. Under the 
 warts on the fruit is an abnormal thickening of the tissue. The warts are first 
 yellowish^ then grayish and finally they become dusky and black and crack and 
 open. The specific cause of the disease is a fungus. The spores are small, 
 smoky in color, and borne on brown colored filaments. Wlien mature they be- 
 come detached, and are carried by the wind from one tree to anotlier. Falling 
 on the young leaves the spores germinate by ending out a delicate slender tube 
 which produces the well-marked diseased condition of the leaf. 
 
 The scab can be controlled by using a copper spraying solution, Bordeaux 
 mixture or ammoniated solution of copper carbonate. Spray three times. First 
 wlien the petals have fallen from the first blossoms and two others inside of six 
 weeks. If these are not enough to protect tlie young fruit further spraying 
 should be done. 
 
 Frequently round dead spots are to be found on citrus leaves. An examina- 
 tion shows that there are minute dark spots over the dead yellowish spots. 
 These dark points contain the spores of a fungus which causes the trouble. This 
 fungus causes tlie dying back of the twigs of citrus trees, the death of lime- 
 blossoms, anthracnose of the lime, and black-spot diseases on the rind of the lemon. 
 This disease can be held in check by spraying with Bordeaux mixture. 
 
 A fungus frequently cause a ripe-rot. This shows as a yellowish cover of 
 dust-like, bluish powder. This fungus is closely allied to the blue mold that 
 forms on bread. The powdery mass is composed of innumerable spores. The 
 filaments or roots of thesQ spores penetrate the tissue of the fruit. After the 
 filaments have grown some time they become beadlike strings of spores. The 
 spores are the bluish, powdery mass. From tl.is spore a filament is sent out, and 
 if it can penetrate the fruit it grows and develops more spores. A -slight bruise 
 or the injury of an insect is sufficient to enable the spore to begin \o spread 
 through the fruit. Hot, damp days and nights are favorable for its growth also. 
 Jt may spread from orange to orange in an improperly cured and tightly packed 
 box, or from orange to orange as they touch on the tree. 
 
 The remedy for this is thorough curing and drying. A good quality of 
 wrapping paper should be used. Culls and decayed fruit should be destroyed. 
 If the packing house is infected it should be closed and fumigated by burning 
 sulphur. 
 
Sooty Diold is widely distributed. It occurs as a sooty-black covering on the 
 ■leaves, i'ruit and twigs of many plants, and is clearly associated with various 
 insects belonging to the families of aphidae and the coccidae. It is found with 
 all tlie scale and allied insects that exude honeydew. It feeds on honeydew. 
 The insects named are gregarious in their habits; the honeydew accumulates in 
 these spots and so the fungus appears as a black covering. This covering is 
 vegetable threads, and develops wherever sufficient honeydew is found. 
 
 When it follows the attack of the white fly it is most dangerous. The 
 white fly spends the greater portion of its life on the under; side of the leaf, 
 the honeydew from it falls on the leaves below, and the fungus spreads through 
 this and soon the leaves, twigs and fruit come to have a black, sooty covering. 
 This covering prevents the entering of the sunlight to the pores of the leaves, 
 shuts off their breathing, and so hurts the tree. The immediate damage is to 
 the cro]>. Ultimately the trees perish. When this fungus is abundant the fruit 
 is so colored by it that it must be washed before marketing. 
 
 Xo treatment for the fungus alone can be recommended. The insects should 
 be destroyed, and then the fungus will disappear of itself, for when there is no 
 longer honeydew it perishes. 
 
 Flyspeck or sooty fungus covers the rind of the fruit to a greater or less 
 extent. When the rind is badly affected it gives the fruit a blotched appearance. 
 This sooty covering must not be confused with the attacks of insects on the trees, 
 as is the case of the soot on the leaves, twigs and fruit spoken of above as due 
 to the white fly and other insects. The cause of this is a fungus. It is com- 
 mon to the apple also. So far as is known no damage is done \o me fruit, but 
 it is made unsightly. Nearly all traces of this fungus may be removed if the 
 fruit is washed, and this is the best treatment. It appears al)Out the time the 
 fruit matures. 
 
 Lichens are found upon trees, stones, logs, etc., in most moist regions. They 
 are not } arasitic, but do injury to trees by preventing free access of air to the 
 tree trunks, and by forming a harbor for insects. They are never so plentiful 
 on trees in healthy condition, and they are very unsightly. There is also a 
 lichen that is sometimes found on the leaves of citrus trees. It takes the form 
 of small ashy-gray dots and blotches on the upper surface of the leaves. This 
 lichen injures the tree by obstructing the breathing processes of the leaves and 
 the access of light. As a remedy leaves should be sprayed and trunks should be 
 scraped or scrubljed clean. Soap suds will serve for the scrubbing. 
 
 PHYSIOLOGICAL DLSEASES. 
 
 Die-hack is found in all citrus districts. It attacks every variety. Con- 
 ditions producing it have been spoken of already under the head or Fertilizers. 
 The diseases can be detected at once. The twigs die back for several inches, and 
 eventually the larger ones are affected. The new growth is nipped off. Fruit 
 drops off. The tree tries to remedy itself by water sprouts, but these too are 
 affected, and at last the tree dies. 
 
 It is not a fungus disease. It is rather a disorder of the tree. The only 
 treatment for it is to study conditions of soil and fertilization and bring the 
 trees into a healthy condition. In damp ground the main thing as safety from the 
 effects of tiiis disease is good drainage. Fertilization and cultivation of the right 
 sort are most effective. 
 
 Blight is the most dreaded and worst of all diseases. Blighted trees appear 
 to be suffering from drought, or look as if they had been recently transplanted. 
 
The leaves wilt, droop and fuially fall oil'. In some cases the disease -work? very 
 ra])idly : sometimes slowly. The cause of the disease is not known. Trees at any 
 age may be attacked. There is no external evidence of cause. It seems to be 
 rather some derangement of the internal functions of the tree. Pruning does 
 not sto}! it. It spreads from one tree to another, and the best method is to cut 
 out and Iniin trees that arc affected. The only way to combat it is through the 
 soil, and no method has yet been found. 
 
 INJURIOUS INSECTS. 
 
 Biting insects ; that is, those that eat the leaves, are not so numerous or so 
 injurious as the class which cling to the leaves and suck the vitality out of them. 
 G-rasslioppers do damage sometimes by eating the foliage off, but this has never 
 l)een a damage of any extent worth while in the coast country. 
 
 The orange-dog, a large, ugly caterpillar some times feeds upon the leaves. 
 It is a dark, brownish black worm, two or more inches in legnth. There are large 
 blotches of dirty white When disturbed it emits two horns, or feelers, and a 
 very disagreeal)le odor. It is an enormous feeder, and a leaf is soon eaten by 
 it. The damage is done while it is in the larval state. A,fter the worm is 
 grown it crawls to some tree, or log, and goes into the chrysalis stage. In about 
 two weeks a butterfly is hatched, gorgeous black and yellow, and six inches across 
 the wings. The females deposit four or five hundred eggs a season, on the 
 tender shoots and twigs, and there are four or five broods a season. As soon as 
 these hatch the damage begins by the eating of the leaves by the young cater- 
 pillars. This insect may be gotten rid of by picking and destroying the cocoons, 
 or a sjjray of paris green : four ounces to fifty gallons of water, will kill the 
 caterpillars. 
 
 The purple scale is M-idely spread. It is one of the largest of the scales. One 
 varitey is called the oyster-shell bark louse, and feeds on apjde trees. The 
 general outline and markings suggest the oyster shell, hence the name. The males 
 are smaller than the females. The eggs are wdiite and very minute. The newly- 
 ha,tched larva is white, about one-tenth of an inch in length, with fiery eyes. 
 This larva soon fastens upon a leaf or twig and sends out a film of threads. 
 About throe weeks after h.atching the true scale is Ijcgun. Three or four weeks 
 later a second moult is begun and the female nine or ten days later begins to 
 lay eggs. The eggs are deposited beneath the female, and in about a week the 
 young begin to ap])ear. The male moults earlier, and becomes a fly by the time 
 the female is tlirough the first moulting. There are four generations a year. 
 In March and April. June or ,Iulv and September are usually found the most 
 scales. A thorough spray witli kerosene emulsion or caustic jiotasli or whale oil 
 soa]) will destroy them. 
 
 'I'he red scale of Florida infests branches, leaves and fruit. It mav l)e treated 
 with the same solutions. It is not so injurious as the ])ur)de scale. California 
 also has a red scale which has | i-oved to be a troublesome pest. Xo predaceous 
 enemies have been found to control it, so that spraying is the onlv remedv. The 
 same solutions are effective. 
 
 The long scale is one of the very injurious ones. It is of a more linear 
 sliape than the pur])le one. 'i'lic fenude is l^rownish. about one-tenth of an inch 
 in length. When crowded the scales take all sorts of shapes to fit their sur- 
 roundings, and many become so dwarfed and nuilformed tliat it is diificult to 
 recognize tliciii. 'I'he young are a translucent wax in coloi-; as they grow older 
 they beeoiiic [)ur])le. The male is smaller than the female. It becomes a minute 
 
two-winged fly. The life history of this scale is like that of the purple scale. 
 The same remedies may be applied to destroy them. 
 
 The chaff scale, thin, light and straw-colored, is found mostly on the trunk 
 and larger limbs of the tree. Sometimes it spreads to the fruit and leaves. It 
 resembles the bark in color and is frequently overlooked. It can be destroyed 
 by using a good scale destroyer and spraying thoroughly. 
 
 The orange scale, found on the twigs and leaves, is very abundant in Louisiana, 
 and may become widely sj)read throughout Texas. It can be seen easily, and 
 can be destroyed by a good spraying with a first-class scale destroyer. 
 
 The turtle-hach scxde grows to about one-eighth of an inch in length, is broad 
 and oval. It gets its name from its resemblance to the turtle. The youno- is 
 yellowish in color, and always settles upon bark and leaves of a tender growth. 
 The insect increases the most rapidly when the young twigs are tender in the 
 spring and early summer. Later they disappear. They do not seem to be able 
 to- pierce the bark of the older twigs. They may be destroyed by a good spraying. 
 
 The black scale is larger, nearly black in color. The young feed upon the 
 twigs and leaves. There is genet-ally only one brood a j^ear. This scale feeds upon 
 other than citrus fruits. It can be destroyed by spraying with a good scale destroyer. 
 
 The wax scale, so called because it is covered Avitli wax, and under this cover- 
 ing the eggs of the young are hatched, is not very dangerous. It feeds' upon 
 other than citrus fruits also. It is large enough to be seen readily. Eesin wash, 
 wdiale oil soap or kerosene emulsion will destroy it. 
 
 The barnacle scale is like the wax scale, save it is differently marked. It is 
 also larger. It is more rare, and may be destroyed in the same manner as the 
 preceding. 
 
 The cottony cushion scale is the one that did so much damage in California. 
 ISTeither fumigation nor spraying were effective. It had a natural enemy, how- 
 ever, in the lady-bug, brought from Australia, and this bug has always checked 
 it. This bug must be introduced Avhere the scale makes its appearance. 
 
 The mealy bug is also common in other orange growing States. It will 
 come to this region in due time. It may be controlled by a strong insecticide 
 and thorough spraying. It is about one-eighth of an inch in size, and dull 
 brownish in color. The young may be found on the under side of the leaves. 
 These bugs- exude honeydew, and the red ants scatter them. Destroy the ants. 
 
 The ^^hite Fly. The white fly is the worst dreaded of all pests for citrus 
 trees. It reproduces very rapidly, and passes through the various stages of 
 development from the minute e^g to the fly, four moults, in a comparatively 
 short time, and the number of eggs laid by one female is enormous. The young 
 larvae crawls about the leaf, but are visible only on close examination. The 
 female is about one-twentieth of an inch in length, and the male somewhat 
 smaller. The fly can be destroyed by fumigation or through spraying during 
 the pupal stage. Use a good scale destroyer solution. 
 
 Mites of various colors are also pests injurious to the tree and to the fruit. 
 They injure the fruit in size, and it does not develop well. They are usually 
 in greater abundance on the under side, and so this side is given a rusty ap- 
 pearance. The mite may be controlled by spraying with solutions of sulphur 
 and caustic soda, or containing these ingredients in goodly quantities. 
 
Alvin Japanese Nursery 
 
 S. ARM, Manager 
 
 Wholesale and Retail 
 
 Importers and Growers of 
 Citrus Fniits, Magnolia Figs, Japanese Fruits and Ornamentals 
 
 A Large Stock of 
 
 GENUINE SEEDLEES SATSUMA ORANGES 
 Thirty other varieties. Kumquats, Grape Fruits, Etc. 
 Our trees have very strong root systems, and are choice. 
 WE GUARANTEE our trees for three months after 
 planting when vy^e ship direct to the planter. .*. /. .*. 
 
 W RITE FOR PRICE LIS T 
 
 Alvin Japanese Nursery 
 
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