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LIBRARY 
NEW  YORK 
BOTANICAL 
GARDEN 


* 


https://archive.org/details/proceedingsofann7189unse 


Dudley  W.  Adams, 

President  Florida  State  Horticultural  Society. 


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PROCEEDINGS 

OF  THE 

SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING 


OF  THE 


HELD  AT 


JACKSONVILLE,  FLA., 


April  10th,  11th,  12th  and  13th,  1894. 


LIBRARY 

Compiled  by  the  Secretary.  id'  & 

_______  GARDEN 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE 

lx.  B.  Wombwell,  Commissioner. 


TALLAHASSEE.  FLA. 
FLORIDIAN  PRINTING  COMPANY. 

1894. 


XP 

v.7 

i&<n 

if  SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  Of  THE 


Letter  of  Transmittal. 


Florida  State  Horticultural  Society, 
Secretary’s  Office, 

Glen  St.  Mary,  Fla.,  July  24,  1894.  J 

lion.  L.  B.  Wombwell ,  Co?nmissioner  of  Agriculture  for  the 
State  of  Florida: 

Dear  Sir: — Some  time  since  I  had  the  honor  to  communi¬ 
cate  to  you  the  Executive  Committee’s  acceptance  of  your 
very  liberal  offer  to  publish  the  proceedings  of  the  seventh 
annual  meeting  of  the  Florida  State  Horticultural  Society; 
in  conformity  thereto  I  herewith  transmit  to  you  the  report 
as  compiled  for  publication.  Yours  respectfully, 

A.  H.  Manville, 

Secretary. 


ijs"- !>4Lle_£'x‘i  So- 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


Y 


LIBRARY 
NEW  YORK 

botanical 

GARDEN 


Page. 


Letter  of  Transmittal .  iv 

Constitution .  vi 

Officers,  including  Standing  and  Special  Committees .  vii 

List  of  Members,  Honorary,  Life  and  Annual .  x 

Prefatory  Note .  xv 

Synopsis  of  Proceedings .  1 

Address  of  Welcome .  5 

Response  to  Address  of  Welcome .  6 

President’s  Annual  Address .  9 

Reports  of  the  Secretary  and  the  Treasurer .  14 

Cataloguing  Our  Fruits .  16 

Florida  and  Texas .  17 

The  Introduction  of  New  Fruits  and  Plants .  23 

Grape  Growing  for  Profit .  25 

Marketing  Grapes .  27 

Discussion  on  Grapes .  28 

Pineapples .  35 

The  Kaki  (Japan  Persimmon) .  40 

Peaches  and  Plums .  44 

Discussion  on  Peaches  and  Plums .  48 

Pears . 52 

Strawberries . . .  57 

Varieties  of  Oranges,  and  Their  Derivation .  59 

Results  in  Crossing  Navel  Oranges .  62 

Experiments  in  Crossing  Citrus  Fruits. ^ .  64 

Discussion  on  Citrus  Fruits- .  65 

Diseases  and  Insects  of  Citrus .  66 

Sulphur  Solution — Blight — Lemon  Scab .  71 

The  “White  Fly”  and  “Sooty  Mould” .  74 

Discussion  on  Citrus  Insects  and  Insecticides. .  79 

Truck  Farming .  84 

Discussion  on  Vegetables .  86 

The  Best  Lawn  Grass  for  Florida .  90 

Injurious  Insects .  94 

Discussion  on  Injurious  Insects . 99 

Fertilizing  Orange  Groves .  103 

Fertilizers  and  Fertilizing  Materials .  104 

Discussion  on  Fertilizers .  117 

Irrigation  in  Florida .  130 

Marketing  Oranges .  140 

Transportation .  143 

Place  of  Next  Meeting . 151 

Resolutions  of  Thanks .  153 


Contents. 


g 

XT. 


VI 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


Constitution. 


Article  1.  This  organization  shall  be  known  as  the  Flor¬ 
ida  State  Horticultural  Society,  and  its  object  shall  be  the 
advancement  of  horticulture. 

Art.  2.  Any  person  may  become  a  member  of  the  society 
by  signing  the  constitution  and  paying  one  dollar. 

Art.  3.  Its  officers  shall  consist  of  a  President,  three  Vice- 
Presidents,  Secretary,  Corresponding  Secretary,  Treasurer, 
and  Executive  Committee  of  three,  who  shall  be  elected  by 
ballot  at  each  annual  meeting.  After  the  first  election  their 
term  of  office  shall  begin  on  the  20th  of  May  following  their 
election. 

Art.  4.  The  regular  annual  meeting  of  this  society  shall  be 
held  on  the  second  Tuesday  in  April,  except  when  otherwise 
ordered  by  the  Executive  Committee. 

Art.  5.  The  duties  of  the  President,  Vice  President,  Secre¬ 
tary  and  Treasurer  shall  be  such  as  usually  devolve  on  those 
officers.  The  President  and  Secretary  shall  be,  ex-officio, 
advisory  members  of  the  Executive  Committee. 

Art.  6.  The  Executive  Committee  shall  have  authority  to 
act  for  the  society  between  annual  meetings. 

Art.  1.  The  Constitution  may  be  amended  by  a  vote  of 
two  thirds  of  the  members  present. 


First  Amendment. — Section  2,  Article  2.  Anyone  may 
become  a  life  member  of  this  organization  by  the  payment  of 
the  sum  of  ten  dollars  to  the  society. 


“The  annual  dues  of  members  shall  be  one  dollar.” 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


vil 


OFFICERS 


OF  THE 


1894-95. 


PRESIDENT. 

Dudley  W.  Adams,  Tangerine. 


VICE-PRESIDENTS. 

G.  L.  Taber,  Glen  St.  Mary.  G.  W.  Mellish,  DeFuniak  Springs. 

O.  P.  Rooks,  Fruitland  Park. 


SECRETARY. 

A.  H.  Manville,  Glen  St.  Mary. 


CORRESPONDING  SECRETARY. 

E.  O.  Painter,  DeLand. 


TREASURER. 

J.  B.  Anderson,  San  Mateo. 


EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE. 

Lyman  Phelps,  Sanford,  Chairman; 

Ch  F.  As  Bielby,  DeLand;  E.  S.  Hubbard,  Federal  Point. 

President  and  Secretary,  ex-officio. 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OP  THE 


VIII 


Standing  Committees. 


Committee  on  Cataloguing  the  Fruits  of  Florida:  A.  H.  Man- 
ville,  Glen  St.  Mary;  L.  W.  Plank,  DeFuniak  Springs;  O.  L. 
Taber,  Glen  St.  Mary;  Jas.  H.  White,  Georgiana;  R.  D. 
Hoyt,  Seven  Oaks. 

Committee  on  the  Introduction  of  New  Fruits  and  Plants  :  S. 
S.  Harvey,  Molino;  W.  T.  Swingle,  Eustis;  H.  S.  Williams, 
Rock  Ledge;  G.  L.  Taber,  Glen  St.  Mary;  G.  P.  Healy, 
Jaffery. 

Committee  on  Citrus  Fruits:  H.  S.  Wiiliams,  Rock  Ledge;  A. 
L.  Duncan,  Dunedin;  W.  A.  Cooper,  Orlando. 

Committee  on  Grapes:  Emile  Dubois,  Tallahassee;  Frank  E. 
Boncher,  Orlando;  H.  P.  Walker,  Auburndale. 

Committee  on  Peaches  and  Plums:  L.  W.  Plank,  DeFuniak 
Springs;  Edward  Winter,  Zellwood;  Irving  Keck,  Bowling 
Green. 

Committee  on  Pears  and  Apples :  S.  S.  Harvey,  Molino;  S.  H. 
Gaitskill,  McIntosh;  J.  D.  Andrews,  Glen  St.  Mary. 

Committee  on  Figs:  W.  D.  Griffing,  Macclenny;  L.  H.  Arm¬ 
strong,  St.  Nicholas;  J.  A.  Moore.  Pensacola. 

Committee  on  Tropical  Fruits  :  Thomas  E.  Richards,  Eden; 
O.  R.  Thatcher,  Avon  Park;  O.  K.  Wood,  Cocoa. 

Committee  on  Kaki:  F.  E.  Fuller,  Okahumpka;  H.  F.  Stewart, 
Daytona;  A.  S.  J.  McKinney,  Stanton. 

Committee  on  Strawberries  and  Miscellaneous  Fruits:  E.  G. 
Hill,  Lawtey;  James  Mott,  Orlando;  C.  II.  Newell,  DeFu¬ 
niak  Springs. 

Committee  on  Native  Fruits:  W.  H.  Mann,  Mannville;  Young 
G.  Lee,  St.  Petersburg;  A.  W.  Stewart,  Galt. 

Committee  on  Ornamentals :  Mrs.  W.  H.  H.  Holdridge,  Grove 
Park;  A.  V.  Ciubbs,  Pensacola;  Mrs.  S.  A.  Cunningham, 
Altoona. 

Committee  on  Nomenclature:  John  Fabyan,  Conant;  E.  S. 
Hubbard,  Federal  Point. 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


IX 


C ommittee  on  Vegetables :  Geo.  H.  Wood,  Tangerine;  W.  K. 
Jackson,  Inverness;  Albert  Fries,  St.  Nicholas. 

Committee  on  Entomology :  P.  H.  Rolfs,  Lake  City;  W.  T. 
Swingle,  Eustis;  J.  F.  Stubbs,  DeFuniak  Springs. 

Committee  on  Fertilizers :  Stephen  Powers,  Lawtey;  O.  P. 

Rooks,  Fruitland  Park;  Lucius  D.  Stebbins,  Orlando. 

% 

Committee  on  Irrigation  :  Geo.  H.  Wright,  Orlando;  Geo.  W. 
Adams,  Thonotosassa;  H.  W.  0.  Margary,  Eustis. 

Committee  on  Diseases  and  Insects  of  Citrus:  H.  J.  Webber, 
Eustis;  F.  G.  Sampson,  Boardman;  C.  A.  Bacon,  Ormond. 

Committee  on  Marketing :  Thos.  Hind,  Georgetown;  W.  S. 
Hart,  Hawks  Park;  M.  W.  Bennett,  Okahumpka. 

Commiitee  on  Transportation  :  G.  P.  Healy,  Jaffery;  T.  A. 
Darby,  San  Mateo;  W.  J.  Borden,  Oxford. 


Special  Committees. 


Committee  on  Legislative  Appropriation  :  S.  S.  Harvey,  Mo- 
lino;  G.  P.  Healy,  Jaffery;  Emile  Dubois,  Tallahassee. 

Committee  on  Joint  Session ,  Texas  and  Florida  State  Horti¬ 
cultural  Societies :  G.  L.  Taber,  Glen  St.  Mary;  Geo.  H. 
Wright,  Orlando;  G.  W.  Mellish,  DeFuniak  Springs. 

Committee  on  Investigation  of  Legislation  Designed  to  Pre¬ 
vent  the  Introduction  of  Diseases  and  Insects:  J.  F.  Stubbs, 
DeFuniak  Springs;  P.  H.  Rolfs,  Lake  City;  H.  J.  Webber, 
Eustis. 


X 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


List  of  Members. 


Honorary. 


Berckmans,  P.  J.,  Augusta,  Ga.,  |  Redmond,  D.,  St.  Nicholas- 


Life. 


Healy,  G.  P.,  Jatfery, 

Manville,  A.  H.,  Glen  St.  Mary, 
Hart,  W.  S.,  Hawks  Park, 
Taber,  G.  L.,  Glen  St.  Mary, 
Painter,  E.  O.,  DeLand, 
Harvey,  S.  S.,  Molino, 


Richards,  Thos.  E.,  Eden,.. 
Phelps,  Lyman,  Sanford, 
Gaitskill,  S.  H.,  McIntosh, 
Conner,  W.  E.,  532  Madison  ave^ 
New  York  City 
Bielby,  C.  F.  A.,  DeLand. 


Annual. 


Adams,  Dudley  W.,  Tangerine, 
Anderson,  J.  B.,  San  Mateo, 
Armstrong,  L.  H.,  St.  Nicholas, 
Anderson,  John,  Ormond, 

Adams,  C.  G.,  Sorrento, 

Amsden,  E.  W  ,  Ormond, 

Allen,  G.  M.,  Oak  Hill, 

Bailey,  Geo.  M.,  Orlando, 
Batterson,  N.  D.,  St.  Augustine, 
Bacon,  C.  A.,  Ormond, 

Bean,  E.,  Jacksonville, 

Bradford,  John,  Bradfordville, 
Brown,  A.  F.,  San  Mateo, 

Bradt,  Benj.  N.,  Huntington, 


Andrews,  J.  D.,  Glen  St. Mary, 
Andrews,  Mrs. K. A. .Glen  St. Mary 
Adams,  Geo.  W.,  Thonotosassa, 
Adams,  S  C.,  Ponce  de  Leon, 
Avery,  Dr.  A.  G.,  Orlando, 
Allsop,  W.,  Weirsdale. 


Bradt,  Mrs.Benj.N.,  Huntington,. 
Brown,  A.  H.,  Belleview, 

Brown,  C.  W.,  Huntington, 
Burgess,  J.  E.,  Grove  Park, 
Boncher,  Frank  H.,  Orlando, 
Bosanquet,  Louis, Fruitland  Park. 
Burr,  R.  H.,  Winter  Haven, 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY 


XI 


Bostrom,  J.  A.,  Ormond, 
Bostrom,  Charles,  Ormond, 

Blood  Edwin,  Newburyport  Mass 
Bartlett,  Geo.  T.,  San  Antonio, 
Texas, 

Brooker,  Hy.  Spencer,  Ocoee, 
Burns,  Dennis,  Pensacola, 
Boring,  J.  W.,  Citra, 

Blake,  Ellis,  Lake  Helen, 

Brady,  A.,  Mims, 

Burgwin,  H.  P.,  Zell  wood, 

Boone,  C.  A.,  Orlando, 

Baker,  Chas.  Henry,  Grasmere, 
Bitting,  A.  W.,  Lake  City, 

Beers,  Jno.  J.,  Emporia, 

Buffum,  F.  C.,  Stanton, 

Ballard,  James  C.,  Lake  City, 


Crane,  A.  H.,  Nashua, 

Chase,  J.  C.,  Sanford, 

Crosby,  O.  M.,  Avon  Park, 
Corrigan,  J.  F.,  St.  Leo, 
Cunningham,  S.  A.,  Altoona, 
Cunningham,  Mrs.  S.  A., Altoona, 
Cooper,  W.  A.,  Orlando, 

Carnell,  James,  Ormond. 
Campbell,  Geo.  C.,  Merrimack, 
Cronise,  C.  T.,  Pensacola, 
Clubbs,  A.  V.,  Pensacola, 

Culley,  J.  F.,  Chuluota, 

Curtis,  C.  H.,  Astor, 

Caldwell,  C.  E.,  Melrose, 
Chapman,  J.  T.,  Plymouth, 
Clark,  E.  L.,  Long  wood, 

Carey,  A.  H.,  Winter  Park, 


Duncan,  A  L.,  Dunedin, 

Dupee,  Henry  H.,  Paola, 

Dreka,  G.  A.,  DeLand, 

DeLong,  Dr.  W.  H.,  Emporia, 
Dickson,  Sam  C.,  Longwood, 

Elliott,  D.  H.,  Sanford. 

Emmons,  W.A  ,  St. Andrews  Bay 


Foster,  Dr.  Henry,  Oviedo, 

Fries,  Albert,  St.  Nicholas, 

Flye,  James,  Haines  City, 
Fabyan,  John,  Conant, 
Friedlander,  H.,  Tnterlachen, 
Forrest,  W.  H.,  Citadel  Hill, 
Quebec,  Canada, 

Faye,  A.,  Faye, 


Branham,  A.  G.,  Orlando, 

Bernd,  Peter,  Bowling  Green, 
Buffum,  E.  H.,  Ocala, 

Buffum,  Mrs.  E.  H.,. Ocala, 
Buffum,  Miss  F.  C.,  Ocala, 
Berry,  Mrs.  C.  H.,  Glen  St.  Mary 
Bennett,  W.  M.,  Okahumpka, 
Bryant,  J.  M.,  White  City, 

Bell,  J.  D.,  Hawthorn, 

Bailey,  E.  E.,  San  Mateo, 
Bradford,  Wm.  A.,  Jacksonville, 
Borden,  W.  J.,  Oxford, 
Barksdale,  H.  J.,  Jaffery, 

Buell,  C.  M.,  Glenwood, 

Bigelow,  G.  W-,  Bushnell, 
Butterweck,  OttoC.,  Brooksville, 
Bush,  G.  G.,  Belleview. 


Clark,  N.  L.,  Bushnell, 
Crawshaw,  J.,  Jr.,  Lawtey, 
Crews,  D.  D.,  Jr.,  Crewsville, 
Craver,  J.  C.,  Sutherland, 
Chilton,  B.  F.,  New  Smyrna, 
Clark,  J.  Y.,  Fruitland  Park, 
Carlton,  S.  J.,  Arcadia, 

Carlton,  E.  B.,  Arcadia, 

Cuzner,  A.  T.,  Gilmore, 

Correll,  Adam,  DeLand, 

Correll,  Mrs.  Adam,  DeLand, 
Cook,  Benj.,  Highland, 

Cogswell,  John  F.,  Clarcona, 
Calvin,  R.  W.,  Daytona. 

Cook,  J.  W.,  Okahumpka, 
Charentenay,Chas.  de, St. Thomas 


Dough t,  H.  F.,  Daytona, 
Darby,  T.  A.,  San  Mateo, 
Douglas,  R.  C.,  Citra, 
Daigre,  Roman,  Boardman, 
Dubois,  Emile,  Tallahassee. 


Edgarton,  1).  M.,  Coquina, 
Earle,  Wm.  H.,  Tangerine. 


Frankland,  A.,  Glen  St.  Mary, 
Fuller,  F.  E.,  Okahumpka, 
Fairbanks,  Geo.  R.,  Fernandina, 
Felt,  J.  P.,  Emporia, 

Froscher,  Andrew,  Titusville, 
Foster,  E.  K.,  Sanford, 
Felderhof,E., South  Dennis.  Mass 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


•  • 

XII 

Gillen,  Dr.  H.  H.,  DeLand, 
Gaines,  J.  B.,  Leesburg, 

Godbey,  T.  K.,  Waldo, 

Gould,  P.  L.,  Eustis, 

Griggs,  Chas.  D.,  Plymouth, 
Grus,  Wm.,  113  Dearborn  Street 
Chicago,  Ill. 

Green,  S.  L.,  Federal  Point, 
Gusney,  L.  H.,  Merritt, 

Hand,  H.  P.,  Daytona, 

Hill,  W.  J.,  Sanford, 

Hamlin,  Arthur  G.,  DeLand, 
Hoyt,  R.  D.,  Seven  Oaks, 
Hastings,  H.  G.,  Interlachen, 
Hastings,  G.  W.,  Interlachen, 
Hopkins,  C.  L,,  Umatilla, 
Haden,  A.,  Orlando, 

Haynes,  L.  E  ,  Orlando, 

Hart,  E.  H.,  Federal  Point, 

Hill,  E.  G ,  Lawtey, 

Hatch,  F.  W.,  Oak  Hill, 

Hawks,  Dr.  J.  M.,  Hawks  Park, 
Hubbard,  E.  S  ,  Federal  Point, 
Hewett,  W.  C.,  Stanton, 
Holdridge,  W.  H  H.,  Grove  Park 
Hoi  1  ridge,  Mrs.  W.  H  II  ,  “ 

Hammond,  E  C.,  Jaffery, 
Hastings,  Tlios.  H.,  Hastings, 

Ingall,  Chas.,  Federal  Point, 


Johnson,  Tom,  La  Grange, 
Johnson,  J.  H.,  Ormond, 
Jackson,  Arthur  C  .  Palm  Beach, 
Jackson,  Mrs.  Arthur  (J.,  “ 

Jones,  Cyrus,  Bowling  Green, 


King,  J.  B.,  Sanford, 
Kleinascheg,  A.,  Sara  Sota, 
Keck,  Irving,  Bowling  Green, 
Kilkoff,  Miss  Eva,  DeLand, 
Kingsbury,  A.  G  ,  Winter  Park. 
Kimball,  R.  J.,  Melrose, 


Lund,  C.  P  ,  Daytona, 
Leedy,  J.  M  .  Keuka, 
Lipsey,  L.  W.,  Citra, 
Lutticliau,  H .  von,  Earlton, 
Love,  J.  C.,  Leesburg, 
Lytle,  Frank  H.,  Stanton, 
Lord,  H.  P.,  Tampa, 


Greenleaf,  D.,  Jacksonville, 
Griffing,  C.  M.,  Waycross,  Ga., 
Gore,  Mahlon,  Orlando, 

Given,  R.  W.,  Winter  Park, 
George,  E.  B.,  Oak  Villa, 
Grosswendt,  Mrs.  M.,  Inverness, 
Grosswendt,  Th..,  Inverness, 
Griffing,  W.  D.,  Macclenny, 
Gillett,  M.  E.,  Weirsdale. 


Ilasenyager,  Chas.  A.,  Interlachen 
Hatch,  A.  L  ,  City  Point, 

Herff,  B.  von,  Washington,  D.  C, 
Harvey,  H.  H.,  Seffner, 

Hawkins,  J.  K.,  Brunswick,  Ga., 
Harding,  J.  W.,  Ormond, 

Hind,  Thomas,  Georgetown, 
Hampton,  Henry  ,T. ,  Lane  Park, 
Hall,  P.  A.,  Glenwood, 

Hawkins,  Chas.  W.,  Georgetow  n 
Harrison,  T.  F.,  Citra, 

Hall,  F.  E  ,  Glenwood, 

Hill,  S.  B.,  Lake  Maitland, 
Hillyer,  Chas.  V.,  Fernandina, 
Hall,  S.  B.,  San  Mateo, 

Hardee,  G.  S  ,  Rock  Ledge, 
Hawkins,  W.  W. ,  Georgetown, 
Hyden,  V.  P.,  Jaffery, 

Higgins,  C.  W.,  Daytona. 

|  Ingraham,  J.  E  ,  St.  Augustine. 


Johnson,  W.H.,  Bartow, 

Jones,  Mrs  M  C.,  Bowling  Green 
Jackson,  W.  K  ,  Inverness, 
Jenkins,  P.  L.,  Seville, 

Jones,  C.  J.  K.,  DeLand. 


Key,  A.  D  .,  Eustis, 

Kirkpatrick,  J.  A.,  Pensacola, 
Kessler,  Thos.  V.,  Pensacola, 
Keown,  W.  J.,  Pom  >na, 

Keck,  Mrs.  A.  W.,  Bowling  Green 


Lee,  G.  M.  Montclair, 

Lcw;s,  W.  J,  Man  jo, 

Lewis,  W  F.,  Pensacola, 

Leslie,  James  H.,  Panasoffkee. 

Lee,  Young  G.,  St.  Petersburg, 
Lancaster,  G.  W  ,  DeLand, 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


Xlll 


Lutghe,  Henry,  New  Smyrna, 

La  Montague,  I.  B.,  Winter  Park, 

Mead,  T.  L.,  Oviedo, 

Manville,  Mrs.  A.  H.,  Glen  St. 
Mary, 

Mo  t,  James,  Orlando, 

Marsh,  W.  A.,  Orlando, 

Mann,  W.  H.,  Mannville, 
McKibbin,  J.  C.,  Ocala, 

Mace,  J,  P.,  Lake  Helen, 
Moremen,  M.  S.,  Switzerland, 
Mahan,  S.  H.,  Island  Lake, 
Munson,  F.  W. ,  Georgiana, 
McNary,  Chas.,  Ormond, 
Markley,  H.  C.,  Greenville,  S.  C., 
Munson,  C.  D.,  Eustis, 

Moore,  J.  A.,  Pensacola, 

Mellish,  G.  W.,  DeFuniak  Spgs. 

Newell,  C.  H.,  DeFuniak  Spgs., 
Noble,  Adam,  Leesburg, 

Nevins,  P.  J.,  Merritt, 

Newcomb,  Irving,  Huntington, 

Oren,  Wm  McF.,  Bartow, 

Pierce,  R.  W. ,  Sunset  Hill, 

Pratt,  Dr.  E.  E.,  Limona, 

Powers,  Stephen,  Lawtey, 
Pugsley,  Chas.,  Mannville, 

Peck,  W.  G  ,  Winter  Park, 

Plank,  Levi  W.,  DeFuniak  Spgs. 
Porter,  Miss  Irma  H.,  Citra. 
Pugsley,  M.,  Woodbine, 

Perry,  D.  W.,  Pomona, 

Regan,  J  E.,  Pensacola, 

Rogers,  J.  Thos.,  Drayton  Island 
Richmond,  J.  F.,  Okahumpka, 
Reed,  W.  F..  Drayton  Island, 
Rooks,  O.  P.,  Fruitland  Park, 
Rooks,  W.  W-,  Fruitland  Park, 
Reasoner,  E  N.,  Oneco, 

Rand,  F.  H  ,  Sanford, 

Richards,  A.  C., Washington, D.C. 
Robey,  Geo.  W.,  Tampa, 

Rolfs,  P.  H  ,  Lake  City, 

gpencer,  J.  W.,  Pensacola, 
gtoddard,  Henry  E.,  Nashua, 
gnow,  Geo.  E.,  Eastlake, 
gtyles,  A.  F.,  Jacksonville, 
gampson,  F.  G  ,  Boardman, 


Leri,  Mrs.,  DeLand. 


Morrison,  D.  A.,  DeLand, 
Magruder,  G.  M.,  Oak  Hill, 
Moore,  A.  D.,  Candler, 

Margary,  H.  W.  O.,  Eustis, 
Montgomery,  L.,  Micanopy, 
Marsh,  Harmon  W.,  Okahumpka 
McCollum,  J.  T.,  Bushnell, 
McGraw,  B.  F.,  Buffalo  Bluff, 
McKinney,  A.  S.  J.,  Stanton, 
McKinney,  Mrs.  A.  S.  J.,  Stanton, 
Miuter,  Miss  L.  S.,San  Mateo, 
Montgomery,  Mrs.  L.,  Micanopy, 
Milton,  T.  N.,  Olustee, 

Miner,  M.  M.,  Emporia, 

Mims,  R.  E.,  Bonaventure. 


Nairn,  James,  Panasoffkee, 
Nye,  F.  M.,  Waldo, 

Neher,  E.  J.,  Keuka. 


|  Oren,  Mrs.  Wm.  McF..  Barlow. 

Paine,  E.  T.,  Jacksonville, 
Penley,  H  E.,  Tampa. 

Price,  Frank  N..  Orlando, 
Prevatt,  F.  B  ,  Seville, 

Porcher,  E.  P  ,  Cocoa, 

Post,  C.  C.,  Halifax, 

Pheil,  A.  0.,  Inverness, 

Patilla,  J.  A.,  Osteen. 


Rolfs,  Mrs.  P.  H.,  Lake  City, 
Rand,  Geo.  D.,  Winter  Park, 
Robinson,  Norman,  Orlando, 
Russell,  J.  W.,  Daytona, 

Rogers,  T.  L.,  Daytona, 

Ross,  W.  M.  P.,  Holly  Hill, 
Robertson,  W.  A.  R. ,  Inverness,. 
Rush,  Jno.  L.,  New  Smyrna, 
Rogero,  F.  E.,  Armstrong, 
Richardson,  Otis,  Bronson. 


Sampson,  Miss  O.  H.,  Boardman, 
Stewart,  A.  W.  Galt, 

Soria,  H.  N. ,  Caryville, 

Stubbs,  J.  T.,  DeFuniak  Springs, 
Stanley.  Miss  Mary  F.,.  Daytona,. 


XIV 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


Swingle,  W.  T. ,  Eustis, 

Stillman,  Joliu  E.,  Jacksonville, 
Street,  A.  W.,  Ormond, 

Stevens,  H.  B.,  Citra, 

Sellner,  Capt.  Chas.,  Zell  wood, 
Seaton,  Wm.,  St.  Thomas, 
Stebbins,  Lucius  D.,  Orlando, 
Slieimer,  Mrs.  F.  A.  W.,  DeLand 
Slayton,  H.  H.,  Glen  S'.  Mary, 
Stephenson,  Henry,  DeLand, 
Scotton,  J.  M.,  Archer. 

Thomasson,  John,  Gotha, 

Taber,  Mrs.  G.  L. ,  Glen  St.  Mary, 
Thatcher,  O.  It. ,  Avon  Park, 
Taber,  J.  O.,  Sanford, 

Taylor,  Wm.  A.  Washington, D.  C, 
Tiscliler,  P.,  Jacksonville, 

Upham,  E.  S.,  Saugus,  Mass. 

Van  Ness , E ugene ,  Balt i m ore , Md , 
Varnum,  Miss  E.  W.,  Fort  Gate^ 

Wade,  J.  S.,  Homeland,  (/ 
Wilson,  Lorenzo  A.,  Jacksonville 
Winter,  Edward,  Zell  wood, 
Woodworth,  N. ,  Welaki, 
Wightman,  L.,  Orange  Park, 
Williams,  H.  S..  Ro  k  Ledge, 
Wright,  Geo.  H.,  Orlando, 

Weld,  Jno.  C.,  Port  Orange, 
White,  Chas.  W..  Citra, 

Whitner,  J.  N. ,  Lake  City, 

Warr,  Aaron,  Georgetown, 
Wright,  R.  J.,  Tangerine, 
Wyman,  A.  F.,  Archer, 

Wilson,  Geo.  W.,  Ocala, 

White,  Jas  .  H.,  Georgiana, 
Warner,  S.  C.,  Palatka, 

Westlake,  J.  Willis,  Lake  Helen, 
Ward  (veil,  W.H.,  Brookline, Mass 


Shapley,  Geo.,  Oak  Villa, 
Stewart,  H.  F. ,  Daytoi  a, 
Stewart,  G.  G.,  Daytona, 
Stewart,  W.  F.,  Daytona, 
Stewart,  Jno.  W.,  Daytona, 
Stanton,  Miss  L.  A.,  San  Mateo, 
Suydam,  G.  L. ,  St.  Nicholas, 
Smythe,  A.  W.  C.,  Orlando, 
Stone,  B.  W.,  Thomasville,  Ga., 
Sampson,  Mrs.  M.  J.,  Boardman, 


Trowbridge,  J.  O.,  Waldo, 
Turner,  E.,  Lake  Maitland, 
Tiffin,  H.J.,  Courtenay, 
Thomas,  Charles,  Citra, 
Thorp,  H.  H.,  Daytona, 
Tillson,  Davis,  Leesburg. 


Van  Roe,  J.,  Tampa, 

Varn,  W.  B.,  Bartow. 

Wakelin,  Amos,  Philadelphia, Pa. 
Webber,  H.  J.,  Eustis 
Woodbury,  E.  D.,  Da-ke, 

Wright,  H.  A.,  Glenw^od, 
Watson,  Thomas  C.,  Pensacola, 
Wright,  H.  C,,  106  E.  Pratt  St., 
Baltimore,  Md. , 

Walker,  H.  P.,  Auburndale, 
Whitner,  Mrs.  J.  N. ,  Lake  City, 
Ware,  William,  Glenwood, 

Waite,  F.  D.,  Belleview, 

Wood,  Geo.  H.,  Tangerine, 
Wyckoff,  John  S.,  Citra, 

Wood,  O.  K.,  Cocoa, 

Watson,  Wilbur,  Stanton, 

Watts,  S.  W.,  DeLand, 

Waugh,  Thos.  C.,  St.  Thomas 
Wilson,  L.  E.,  New  Smyrna. 


Young,  Chas.  F.,  Orlando. 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


XV 


Prefatory  Note. 


In  compiling  this  report,  the  matter  of  general  interest  has 
been  gathered  under  topical  heads,  preceded  by  a  synopsis 
outlining  the  transactions  of  the  session  in  proper  sequence. 
The  pith  and  point  of  lengthy  discussions  have  been  given 
with  as  little  tedious  detail  as  possible,  and  repetitions  and 
irrelevant  matter  has  been  excluded,  so  far  as  this  could  be 
done  without  impairing  the  unity  of  the  whole  ;  the  object 
being,  without  sacrificing  any  essenlial  feature,  to  make  the 
report  more  convenient  for  reference  than  a  simple  transcript 
of  minutes. 

As  noted  in  the  preface  to  the  report  for  1893,  the  last  ses¬ 
sion  of  the  legislature  failed  to  make  provision  for  the  publi¬ 
cation  of  the  annual  reports  of  the  Society.  For  theis  suance 
of  this  report,  as  well  as  the  report  for  last  year,  the  Society 
and  the  public  are  indebted  to  the  public  spirit  of  Hon.  L.  B. 
Womb  well,  state  commissioner  of  agriculture.  Recognizing 
the  importance  of  the  work  to  the  state,  he  has  issued  the  re¬ 
ports  for  1893  and  1894  as  publications  of  his  office,  devolving 
the  cost  upon  the  revenues  of  the  department  of  agriculture. 

This  temporary  arrangement,  by  which  the  state  has  so 
greatly  profited  through  the  breadth  of  view  and  insight  of 
our  present  commissioner,  cannot,  in  the  nature  of  things, 
continue.  The  legislature  should  make  adequate  provision 
for  the  purpose.  The  Society’s  special  committee  will  lay  this 
matter  before  the  next  session  of  that  body.  From  this  com¬ 
mittee’s  forceful  statement  of  the  urgency  and  appropriate¬ 
ness  of  the  legislation  asked,  we  make  the  following  extract  : 

The  proceedings  of  the  annual  meetings  of  the  Florida  State 
Horticultural  Society  should  be  issued  promptly,  in  a  style 
that  will  not  suffer  by  comparison  with  the  published  reports 
of  similar  societies  in  other  states,  and  in  sufficient  numbers 


XVI 


to  supply  members,  and  others  interested  in  the  vast  fund  of 
information  each  copy  would  contain. 

This  is  not  a  matter  of  interest  to  our  membership  merely,, 
but  its  importance  to  the  state  at  large  will  be  appreciated 
by  every  public  spirited  citizen.  Such  a  publication  would 
be  eagerly  sought,  and  everywhere  accepted  as  a  disinterested 
account  of  our  resources  and  advantages,  and  an  authentic 
record  of  the  methods  and  progress  of  our  horticultural  in¬ 
dustry.  In  no  other  way  could  such  information  be  so  ac¬ 
ceptable  and  effectively  put  forth.  It  is  important  to  the 
growth  and  prosperity  of  our  state,  that  this  work  be  distrib¬ 
uted  throughout  the  states,  and  in  foreign  countries,  and  it 
should  be  issued  in  a  form  to  command  respect. 

Nearly  all  the  states  have  made  provision  for  the  publica¬ 
tion  of  the  proceedings  of  their  horticultural  societies ;  in 
some,  all  the  expenses  of  these  organizations  are  defrayed 
from  the  public  funds ;  in  one  state  no  less  than  $30,000  is 
annually  appropriated  for  these  purposes,  and  several  have 
erected  substantial  buildings  as  permanent  homes  for  their 
societies.  In  contributing  of  their  time,  means  and  ability  to 
accumulate  and  bring  together  this  valuable  knowledge,  the 
members  do  their  part.  Publication  and  distribution  should 
devolve  upon  the  state. 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING 


OF  THE 


iORTICUIMAL  SOCIETY. 


The  seventh  annual  meeting  of  the  Florida  State  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society  was  held  at  Jacksonville  upon  the  invitation 
of  the  Board  of  Trade  of  that  city.  The  society  convened 
in  the  rooms  of  the  Board  of  Trade  on  Wednesday,  April 
10th,  at  3  o’clock  P.  M.,  in  accordance  with  the  programme 
as  published,  and  adjourned  sine  die  on  Friday,  April  13th, 
at  12  o’clock  noon. 

The  attendance  was  large,  the  strong  interest  manifested 
was  sustained  throughout,  and  the  work  accomplished  was 
satisfactory.  Altogether  it  was  one  of  the  most  successful 
meetings  in  the  history  of  the  society.  Over  200  members 
were  present,  and  there  was  a  large  outside  attendance,  the 
spacious  hall  being  filled  to  overflowing  at  most  of  the 
sessions. 

The  convenience  of  the  societv  and  the  comfort  of  its 
members  were  exceptionally  well  provided  for.  Mr.  E. 
Bean,  chairman  of  the  society’s  committee  on  local  ar¬ 
rangements,  as  well  as  of  the  Board  of  Trade’s  committee  of 
entertainment,  and  his  coadjutors,  were  congratulated  on  all 
sides  upon  moving  everything  smoothly  and  well,  and 
making  everybody  happy. 

Eight  sessions  were  held  as  follows :  Tuesday,  afternoon 
and  evening;  Wednesday,  morning,  afternoon,  and  evening; 
Thursday,  morning  and  evening;  Friday,  morning.  As  usual 
a  session  was  omitted,  and  the  time  devoted  to  social 
functions.  Opportunity  for  this  was  given  on  Thursday  af¬ 
ternoon  by  a  steamboat  excursion  to  the  jetties  at  the  mouth 
of  the  St.  Johns  river,  tendered  by  the  Board  of  Trade. 

1 


* 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


1 


SYNOPSIS  OF  PROCEEDINGS. 


(While  the  proceedings  are  not  given  in  full  detail  below, 
this  abstract  is  a  complete  epitome  of  the  meeting,  all  its 
actions  and  events  being  arranged  in  order  as  they  occurred. 
The  addresses,  papers,  discussions,  resolutions  and  other 
matters  of  general  interest  or  speeial  importance,  are  given 
in  full  under  appropriate  topical  heads  in  the  body  of  the  re¬ 
port,  and  are  simply  noted  here.  Minor  action  and  events 
and  matters  pertaining  to  routine  business,  are  given  in  a 
more  or  less  condensed  form  in  this  outline.  Discussions 
on  other  subjects  than  horticulture,  not  resulting  in  action, 
and  motions  which  failed,  have  been  omitted,  with  or  without 
mention,  as  their  importance  seemed  to  justify.) 


FIRST  RAY— Afternoon— Opening-  Session. 

1.  Call  to  order  by  President  Adams. 

2.  Prayer,  Rev.  Dr.  E.  B.  Snyder,  Jacksonville. 

3.  Address  of  welcome,  Hon.  D.  U.  Fletcher,  mayor. 

4.  Response  on  behalf  of  the  society,  C.  F.  A.  Bielby. 

5.  President’s  annual  address. 

6.  Secretary’s  report. 

T.  Treasurer’s  report. 

8.  Motion  that  all  member’s  tickets  be  countersigned  by 
the  secretary  as  requested  by  transportation  lines,  carried 
unanimously. 

Evening  Session. 

9.  Call  to  order  by  the  president. 

10.  Report  of  the  Executive  Committee.  Several  by-laws 
and  an  amendment  to  the  constitution  submitted  and  recom¬ 
mended  by  way  of  report.  Discussed  and  laid  upon  the  table. 

11.  Committee  on  Grapes  called.  Paper  by  A.  W.  Stew¬ 
art,  and  paper  by  himself  read  by  Chairman  Geo.  H.  Wright. 
Discussion  on  grapes. 

12.  Committee'on  Figs  called.  No  report. 

13.  Committee  on  Tropical  Fruits  called.  No  report. 
By  request  of  the  president,  Thomas  E.  Richards  addressed 
the  society  on  the  subject  of  pineapples.  Discussion  on  pine¬ 
apples. 


2 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


SECOND  DAY— Morning  Session. 

14.  Call  to  order  by  the  president. 

15.  “Diseases  and  insects  of  citrus”  substituted  for  “apples 
and  pears,”  and  vice  versa  in  the  programme,  by  unanimous 
vote. 

16.  Committee  on  Catalogue  called.  Report  by  A.  H. 
Manville,  chairman.  Catalogue  committee  given  until  next 
meeting  to  complete  its  report,  and  constituted  a  regular 
standing  committee  ot  the  society  by  unanimous  resolution. 

17.  In  connection  with  report  on  catalogue,  address  by  A. 
H.  Manville  on  “Horticulture  in  the  Gulf  Region,”  suggest¬ 
ing  joint  meeting  of  the  Florida  and  Texas  Horticultural  So¬ 
cieties.  Texas  State  Horticultural  Society  invited  to  joint 
session  by  unanimous  resolution. 

18.  Committee  on  Vegetables  called.  Paper  read  from 
J.  A.  Moore,  chairman,  (not  present).  Discussion  on  veg¬ 
etables. 

19.  Committee  on  Diseases  and  Insects  of  Citrus  called. 
Paper  submitted  from  W.  A.  Marsh,  member  of  the  com¬ 
mittee,  who  was  not  present.  (In  order  to  give  place  for  the 
lectures  of  Professors  Swingle  and  Webber,  this  paper  was 
not  read,  but  was  filed  for  publication).  Verbal  report  by 
Prof.  W.  T.  Swingle,  chairman,  on  “sulphur  solutions*, 
blight*  foot-rot,  and  lemon  scab  ” 

20.  “The  White  Fly  or  Black  Smut.”  Verbal  presentation 
of  the  subject  by  Prof.  H.  J.  Webber,  in  accordance  with 
special  request  of  the  society  at  last  meeting.  Discussions 
on  diseases  and  insects  of  citrus. 

21.  Excursion  tendered  by  the  Board  of  Trade  announced* 
for  Thursday  afternoon. 

,  Afternoon  Session. 

22.  Call  to  order  by  the  president. 

23.  Special  Committee  on  Introduction  of  New  Fruits- 
called.  Verbal  report  by  S.  S.  Harvey,  chairman.  Con¬ 
stituted  a  regu’ar  standing  committee,  and  members  con¬ 
tinued  for  another  year  by  unanimous  vote. 

24.  Committee  on  Kaki  called.  No  report.  Discussion 
on  kaki. 

25.  Committee  on  Fertilizers  called.  Paper  read  by  B.  N. 
Bradt,  chairman.  Paper  (prepared  at  the  request  of  the 
society)  read  by  E.  O.  Painter.  Discussion  on  fertilizers. 

Evening  Session. 

26.  Call  to  order  by  the  president. 

27.  Election  of  officers.  Result  as  follows :  President, 
Dudley  W.  Adams;  First  Vice-President,  George  L.  Taber;, 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


3 


Second  Vice-President,  J.  W.  Mellish;  Third  Vice-President, 
O.  P.  Rooks;  Secretary,  A.  H.  Manville;  Corresponding 
Secretary,  E.  O.  Painter;  Treasurer,  J.  B.  Anderson;  Ex¬ 
ecutive  Committee,  Lyman  Phelps,  C.  F.  A.  Bielby,  E.  S. 
Hubbard. 

28.  Committee  on  Transportation  called.  Verbal  report 
by  G.  P.  Healy,  chairman.  Discussion  on  transportation. 


THIRD  DAY— Morning  Session. 

29.  Call  to  order  by  the  president. 

30.  Report  of  the  Executive  Committee  on  Constitution 
and  By-Laws  taken  from  the  table.  Amendment  to  the 
constitution  passed  unanimously.  (See  constitution).  By¬ 
laws  referred  back  to  the  committee. 

31.  Place  of  next  meeting  taken  up.  Invitation  from 
Board  of  Trade  to  hold  next  meeting  in  Jacksonville  read. 
A.  G.  Avery  and  W.  A.  Cooper  of  Orlando,  placed  the  latter 
place  also  in  the  field.  Discussion.  Jacksonville  selected  by 
vote. 

32.  Committee  on  Peaches  and  Plums  called.  Paper  read 
by  S.  S.  Harvey,  chairman.  Discussion  on  peaches  and 
plums. 

33.  Communication  read  from  Stephen  Powers  and  C.  W. 
DaCosta,  inviting  members  while  in  the  city  to  drop  in  upon 
the  Farmer  and  Fruit  Grower  at  home. 

34.  Committee  on  Strawberries  called.  Paper  by  H.  E. 
Stoddard,  chairman.  (This  paper  which  is  published  upon 
another  page,  was  not  read,  Mr.  Stoddard  giving  way  to  the 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Nomenclature  who  was 
obliged  to  leave  by  the  next  train.) 

35.  Committee  on  Nomenclature  called.  Paper  read  by  E. 
,-S.  Hubbard,  chairman.  Discussion. 

36.  Committee  on  Citrus  Fruits  called.  No  report.  Re¬ 
marks  by  Professors  W.  T.  Swingle  and  H.  J.  Webber. 
Discussion  on  citrus  fruits. 

Afternoon. 

The  excursion  was  one  of  the  most  enjoyable  features  of  the 
meeting.  All  the  members  went  with  their  wives  and 
daughters,  and  a  goodly  delegation  from  the  Board  of  Trade, 
and  their  wives  and  daughters.  From  start  to  finish  the  hum 
of  animated  conversation  from  the  groups  about  the  decks 
and  cabins  was  uninterrupted,  save  to  catch  some  new  point 
of  interest  pointed  out  by  the  River  Improvement  Trustees, 
or  to  partake  of  the  liberal  collations  provided.  At  least  no 
interruption  worth  mentioning,  for  the  steamer  was  turned 


4 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


speedily  about  after  passing  the  jetties,  before  the  heavings 
of  the  mighty  deep  had  any  very  perceptible  effect. 

Probably  never  before  in  the  state  did  so  many  prominent 
horticulturists  from  so  many  different  sections  meet  so  many 
other  prominent  horticulturists  from  so  many  other  sections. 
Old  friendships  were  renewed,  and  new  acquaintances 
formed.  Everybody  seemed  to  have  been  waiting  this  op¬ 
portunity  to  ask  somebody  else  something.  More  than  in 
the  formal  sessions  the  real  gist  of  things  is  brought  out  in 
these  familiar  talks  between  the  acts,  when  everybody 
speaks  and  speaks  his  mind.  When  the  steamer  touched  her 
dock  again,  the  faces  plainly  said  they  were  not  half  through. 
The  way  the  choruses  of  the  folk-lore  songs  and  ballads 
rang  out  in  the  gloaming,  and  the  heartiness  of  the  vote  of 
thanks  to  Secretary  Smith  and  the  Board  of  Trade,  certainly 
betokened  that  everybody  had  had  the  very  best  possible 
time. 

Evening  Session. 

37.  Call  to  order  by  the  president. 

38.  Unanimous  resolutions  of  thanks  to  the  State  Com¬ 
missioner  of  Agriculture,  Jacksonville  Board  of  Trade,  and 
general  passenger  agents  of  the  state. 

39.  Committee  on  Marketing  called.  Verbal  report  by 
Thos.  Hind,  chairman.  Discussion  on  marketing. 


FOURTH  DAY— Morning  Session. 

40.  Call  to  order  by  the  president. 

41.  Committee  on  Irrigation  called:  Paper  read  by  A.  G. 
Kingsbury,  chairman. 

42.  Vice-President  Meilish  called  to  the  chair. 

43. -  Committee  on  Entomology  called.  Paper  read  by 
Prof.  P.  H.  Rolfs,  chairman.  Discussion  on  entomology. 

44.  Committee  on  Ornamentals  called.  No  report.  Dis¬ 
cussion  on  the  best  lawn  grass  for  Florida. 

45.  Committee  on  Apples  and  Pears  called.  No  report. 
Discussion  on  pears. 

46.  President  resumes  the  chair. 

47.  Motion  by  J.  T.  Stubbs  that  a  committee  of  three  be 
appointed  to  investigate  and  report  upon  legislation  for  the 
purpose  of  preventing  the  introduction  of  diseases  and  in¬ 
sects,  as  suggested  by  Prof.  Rolf  in  his  paper  on  entomology. 
Carried.  President  announced  the  following  committee  : 
J.  T.  Stubbs,  P.  H.  Rolfs,  H.  J.  Webber. 

Adjourned  sine  die. 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


5 


Address  of  Welcome. 


BY  HON.  D.  U.  FLETCHER,  MAYOR  OF  JACKSONVILLE. 


“Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen — It  is  a  pleas- 
ure  to  extend  to  the  State  Horticultural  Society  the  cor¬ 
dial  greeting  and  hospitality  of  the  city  of  Jacksonville, 
Speaking  for  the  government  and  speaking  for  the  people,  I 
wish  it  understood  that  there  is  not  a  city,  a  town,  a  hamlet 
or  community  in  Florida  which  has  less  than  our  kindest 
feelings  and  best  wishes;  there  is  not  an  enterprise  or  an  un¬ 
dertaking  in  the  state,  no  matter  where  located,  for  which  we 
do  not  desire  every  possible  success  and  prosperity. 
Whether  it  brings  grist  to  our  mill  or  not,  directly  we  re¬ 
alize  that  as  Florida  prospers,  so  must  we;  as  developments 
go  on  in  the  state,  the  better  for  us;  no  section  or  community 
can  build  up  to  our  disadvantage;  no  advancement  can  be 
made  at  our  expense.  This  is  our  view.  This  is  the  view 
which  we  cultivate,  and  we  are  always  glad  to  have  with 
us  our  neighbors  and  friends. 

“At  all  times  our  gates  are  open  wide  to  the  citizens  and 
well  wishers  of  Florida.  Especially  is  it  agreeable  and 
pleasant  to  have  with  us  this  society  which  is  bent  upon 
promoting  the  development  of  the  material  interests  of  the* 
state.  I  understand  that  you  are  very  close  to,  indeed  that 
you  represent  the  most  important  industry  in  the  state  to¬ 
day,  and  you  are  here  for  the  purpose  of  considering  means, 
and  methods  which  will  advance  that  industry  and  render  it 
more  profitable. 

“Any  association  or  individual  who  is  engaged  in  an  effort 
to  make  easier  and  more  profitable  the  cultivation  of  the 
soil,  deserves  the  encouragement  and  gratitude  of  mankind.. 
It  is  a  singular  thing  that  while  more  people  are  engaged  in 
agriculture  than  in  any  other  pursuit,  doing  the  hardest  work, 
they  receive  the  least  remuneration,  although  agriculture 
and  horticulture  are  the  foundation  of  all  prosperity,  and  the* 
source  of  all  wealth.  It  was  wise  philosophy  which  was  ut¬ 
tered  by  the  Persian  king  when  he  said  that  ‘the  authority 
of  the  prince  can  only  be  maintained  by  military  force,  mil¬ 
itary  force  can  only  be  maintained  by  taxes,  all  taxes  must 
rest  on  agriculture,  and  agriculture  can  only  flourish  by  the 
protection  of  justice  and  moderation.’  The  most  cruel  war 
measure  and  that  which  accomplished  the  most  destruction 
and  ruin  to  the  people,  was  that  adopted  by  the  Goths  when 


6 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


they  deprived  their  captives  of  the  right  hand — the  hand  that 
guides  the  plow.  We  may  bond  our  cities  and  dig  out  our 
rivers;  we  may  pave  our  streets,  beautify  and  adorn;  we  may 
erect  immense  buildings,  and  go  on  with  great  improvements; 
we  may  borrow  and  spend,  boast  and  display,  but  no  com¬ 
merce  will  float  on  our  rivers,  the  owls  and  bats  will  inhabit 
our  buildings,  and  serpents  and  toads  will  dwell  in  our  streets, 
unless  the  soil  is  made  to  bring  forth  fruit.  So  I  say  this 
work  needs  to  be  made  attractive,  and  needs  to  be  made  prof¬ 
itable.  In  Florida  we  have  an  unsurpassed  climate,  we  have 
splendid  natural  advantages;  nature  has  dealt  bountifully  with 
us;  to  render  our  harvests  abundant  and  our  products  prof¬ 
itable,  obstacles  must  be  met,  and  difficulties  overcome.  It 
is  for  you  to  solve  these  problems.” 

Continuing,  the  speaker  touched  upon  some  of  the  more 
serious  questions  which  confront  the  producers  of  this  state, 
notably,  transportation  and  marketing.  In  his  opinion  the 
legislature  had  made  a  great  mistake  in  allowing  the  small 
appropriation  asked  for  the  Horticultural  Society  to  fail. 
He  believed,  poor  as  the  state  was,  it  could  afford  “a  few 
thousand  dollars  to  assist  in  destroying  the  insects  which  kill 
the  trees;  in  proving  that  new  plants  may  be  cultivated,  new 
fruits  grown;  in  demonstrating  the  value  of  new  materials, 
new  methods  and  the  like.”  Concluding  as  follows:  “Now, 
gentlemen,  wishing  this  society  abundant  success,  and  hoping 
that  you  will  be  able  to  accomplish  much  benefit  to  the 
people  by  your  efforts  and  deliberations,  I  again  extend  to 
you  a  hearty  and  cordial  welcome.” 


Response  to  the  Address  of  Welcome, 


BY  C.  F.  A.  BIELBY. 


“Mr.  President — As  you  have  asked  me  in  behalf  of  your¬ 
self  and  the  society,  to  reply  to  the  address  of  welcome 
which  the  mayor  of  the  city  has  so  cordially  extended,  I 
beg  to  say  that  I  am  more  than  willing  to  comply,  because  I 
feel  a  personal  as  well  as  a  society  pride  in  our  being  here 
to-day;  for  it  is  a  fact,  as  you  will  perhaps  remember,  Mr. 
President,  that  I  have  always  advocated  that  the  State 
Horticultural  Society  should  hold  its  meetings  not  simply 
to-day,  but  always,  in  this  metropolitan  city  of  the  state. 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


7 


I  have  always  held  this  because  I  believe  it  is  a  good  thing 
for  us  to  meet  yearly  in  this  city  which  is  the  gateway  of 
entrance  and  exit.  This  is  the  proper  place  to  hold  our  ses¬ 
sions,  for  the  great  trial  of  country  life  is  its  solitude  and 
loneliness.  One  reason,  if  not  the  principal  reason  why  our 
young  men  leave  the  country  and  go  into  the  cities  to  live, 
is  because  of  this  loneliness;  and  we  know  that  there  are 
many  who,  year  after  year,  never  go  outside  of  their  county, 
and  for  them  how  wearisome  the  life  of  the  farmer  must  be¬ 
come.  Now,  I  maintain,  that  we  should  have  an  oppor¬ 
tunity  once  a  year,  at  least,  to  meet  in  the  city  through  whose 
gates  the  wonderful  products  of  our  farms  and  orchards  have 
passed,  freighted  with  the  hopes  and  wishes  of  hearts  anxious 
for  the  outcome.  It  has  been  said  sometimes  that  Jackson¬ 
ville  does  not  care  for  meetings  of  this  sort;  that  it  does  not 
rcare  to  have  within  its  borders  assemblies  of  the  nature  of 
this  society,  but  it  has  never  occurred  to  me  that  we  would 
lack  a  welcome,  and  the  kind  and  eloquent  words  of  the 
mayor  show  that  Jacksonville  is  not  insensible  of  her  in¬ 
debtedness  to  those  whom  we  represent  for  their  part  in  the 
splendid  progress  which  she  is  making.  Indeed,  we  may 
judge  of  our  success  by  hers,  and  when  we  look  upon  her  new 
and  handsome  buildings,  her  paved  streets,  her  deep  water  to 
the  sea,  her  promise  of  improved  water  front,  and  see  every¬ 
where  the  air  of  business  activity  and  prosperity,  we  may 
■properly  feel  that  a  portion  of  this  prosperity  is  due  to  us 
*nd  our  efforts.  And,  this  being  true,  it  would  seem  that  we 

are  not  so  poor  and  so  unsuccessful  as  some  would  make  us 
appear. 

“I  believe  that  one  of  the  things  we  ought  to  do  while  here 
is  to  enter  our  protest  against  the  idea  which  is  so  vigorously 
pushed  that  we  are  on  the  verge  of  disruption,  so  to  speak, 
as  a  band  of  men  engaged  in  the  particular  industry  of  fruit 
growing;  that  it  is  so  unpromising  and  so  fruitless  that  we 
may  as  well  desert  it  at  once  and  altogether.  We  believe,  as 
I  have  said,  that  it  is  due  in  part  to  our  efforts — and  the 
mayor  very  properly  admits  this  fact — that  Jacksonville  is 
making  such  rapid  and  marvelous  improvements.  If  the  old 
adage  be  true  that  when  the  tiller  of  the  soil  is  impoverished, 
the  marts  of  commerce  suffer;  we  have  here  the  proof  that  we 
are  not  in  such  bad  shape  as  we  are  shown  by  some  to  be. 
We  do  not  see  any  evidence  of  suffering  in  Jacksonville.  On 
the  contrary,  every  sign  of  vigorous,  healthfui,  prosperous 
and  substantial  growth,  and  from  this  we  may  take  heart  and 
go  home  encouraged  to  our  work.  It  is  an  object  lesson, 
Mr.  President,  for  everyone,  and  I  am  sqre  it  will  inspire  us 
all  to  renewed  industry. 


8 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


“We  may  possibly  be  able  to  shake  off  the  idea  that  the  or¬ 
ange  grower  has  no  future  in  sight.  I  have  to  admit  that  the 
view  at  present  is  not  so  rosy  as  it  was  ten  years  ago,  but  I 
have  to  inquire  also,  did  we  not  expect  too  much  ten  years 
ago,  just  as  some  of  us  to-day  are  prone  to  expect  too  little 
and  to  become  disheartened?  Was  it  reasonable  to  expect 
that  the  owner  of  a  five  acre  grove  ten  years  of  age  would 
be  in  affluence?  Perhaps  it  was  not  unreasonable,  I  confess 
that  I  believed  it,  but  if  we  have  come  out  of  this  dream,  out 
oi  this  paradise,  let  us  not  fall  into  the  other  extreme  and 
despair  of  our  industry.  This  one  thing  we  must  learn,  that 
the  men  that  can  raise  the  best  fruit  for  the  least  money,  are 
the  ones  destined  to  be  successful,  and  that  it  is  the  special, 
I  might  say  the  only  province  of  this  Horticultural  Society, 
to  teach  men  how  to  grow  the  best  fruit  for  the  least  money- 
The  orange  of  Florida  is  peerless,  it  stands  without  a  rival 
or  a  second,  and  when  I  speak  of  the  orange  of  Florida,  I  do 
not  mean  the  thousands  of  boxes  sent  out  annually  which 
should  go  to  the  refuse  pile,  but  the  orange  that  has  no  ri¬ 
val  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  the  orange  which  the  State 
Horticultural  Society  has  been  largely  instrumental  in  mak¬ 
ing  what  it  is.  We  talk  of  the  climate,  soil,  fertilizer  and  all 
the  circumstances  which  fit  together  to  make  orange  grow¬ 
ing  in  Florida,  so  far  as  the  bulk  of  the  fruit  is  concerned,  as 
successful  as  it  is,  but  I  have  no  hesitaiion  in  saying  for  our 
society  that  in  the  last  seven  years  we  have  improved  the 
quality,  appearance  and  texture,  and  thereby  raised  the  stan¬ 
dard  of  the  Florida  orange  more  than  25  per  cent.  And 
the  men  who  never  attend  our  meetings,  who  scarcely  ever 
hear  of  u-,  you  meet  them  everywhere,  and  if  you  ask  them 
about  fertilization  and  orange  and  fruit  culture,  you  will  find 
that  almost  every  one  of  them  has  picked  up  some  portion  of 
the  methods  which  we  have  shown  to  be  best  adapted  to  the 
raising  of  first  class  fruit  on  all  kinds  of  Florida  soils;  and 
now,  Mr.  President,  when  the  standard  of  every  man  who 
raises  fruit  in  the  state  of  Florida  shall  be  the  ideal  which 
this  society  has  created,  then  wTe  shall  have  gone  a  long  way 
towards  solving  the  difficult  problems  before  us. 

“To  j^ou,  Mr.  Mayor,  and  to  those  whom  you  represent,  I 
beg  to  convey  the  thanks  of  our  president  and  the  thanks  of 
this  society  for  your  kindly  welcome,  and  to  assure  you  that 
we  appreciate  the  welcome  and  the  cordiality  with  which 
your  city  has  thrown  open  her  gates  to  us.” 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


9 


President’s  Annual  Address. 


BY  DUDLEY  W.  ADAMS. 


Ladies  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Florida  State  Horticultural  Society  : 

For  the  seventh  time  the  Florida  State  Horticultural  So¬ 
ciety  meets  in  annual  convention.  The  augmented  numbers 
who  meet  here  to-day  give  us  cheer,  for  they  tell  louder  than 
words  of  the  growth  and  extending  influences  of  our  society. 
We  warmly  greet  the  veterans  who  have  been  long  with  us  in 
the  field,  and  heartily  welcome  the  recruits  who  swell  and 
strengthen  our  hosts.  It  is  a  source  of  great  pride  to  be  able 
to  say  that  our  growth  has  been  steady  and  rapid  from  the 
very  first  until  to-day.  Though  one  of  the  youngest,  the 
Florida  State  Horticultural  Society  is  one  of  the  largest, 
most  useful,  intelligent  and  active  societies  of  the  kind  in  the 
United  States.  The  work  we  have  done  we  look  back  to 
with  satisfaction,  and  the  work  before  us  we  look  forward  to 
with  hope,  determination  and  confidence.  When  the  so¬ 
ciety  was  organized,  the  horticulture  of  the  state  was  compar¬ 
atively  in  its  infancy;  the  orange  and  lemon  business  was  just 
beginning  to  be  of  consequence.  Florida’s  peaches,  pears  and 
pomelos  were  practically  unknown.  The  pineapple,  straw¬ 
berry  and  grape  were  scarcely  thought  of  as  Florida  prob¬ 
abilities  of  importance.  The  horticulturists  of  the  state 
were  mostly  at  work  in  the  dark  as  to  the  best  varieties, 
modes  of  planting,  cultivation  and  fertilizing. 

A  STRANGE  SOIL  AND  CLIME. 

Of  those  who  were  engaged  in  horticulture  in  Florida  at 
that  time,  some  were  at  a  strange  business  in  a  familiar  soil 
and  climate;  a  few  more  were  in  a  familiar  business  in  a 
strange  soli  and  a  strange  climate;  but  the  great  majority 
were  engaging  in  a  strange  business  in  a  strange  soil  and 
strange  climate.  Of  all  of  these  was  the  Florida  State  Hor¬ 
ticultural  Society  composed  at  its  organization.  All  were 
anxious  scholars,  not  one  was  a  competent  teacher.  We 
knew  that  the  people  of  the  United  States  wanted  and  would 
use  fine  Florida  fruit,  and  we  determined  to  find  out  how  to 
grow  it  for  them.  To  that  end  almost  exclusively  have  been 
devoted  the  efforts  of  our  society.  We  have  counseled  to¬ 
gether  as  to  the  soil,  planting,  varieties,  fertilization,  cultiva¬ 
tion,  budding,  pruning,  etc.  The  progress  we  have  made,  and 
the  success  we  have  achieved,  is  evidenced  by  a  crop  this 


10 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


year  of  nearly  5,000,000  boxes  of  oranges;  pears,  grapes, 
peaches  and  strawberries  by  the  car  load,  and  young  plan¬ 
tations  of  each  that  in  the  near  future  will  furnish  train 
loads. 

That  we  have  reached  perfection  in  varieties  and  modes  of 
•cultivation  of  these  fruits,  no  one  will  claim.  On  the  con¬ 
trary,  it  is  plain  that  we  are  only  on  the  threshold  of  eco¬ 
nomical,  scientific,  successful  and  practical  production  of 
fruit.  But  we  have  now  reached  a  point  where  we  can  look 
ahead  and  with  certainty  see  what  the  possibilities  and  prob¬ 
abilities  of  production  are.  We  see  now  five  million  boxes 
of  oranges,  and  trees  enough  planted  that  with  our  present 
knowledge  will  in  a  few  years  bear  ten  million,  fifteen  million, 
or  twenty  million  boxes;  and  pears,  peaches,  pineapples  and 
strawberries  are  coming  in  uncounted  carloads. 

IS  THERE  OVER-PRODUCTION? 

This  fact  brings  us  face  to  face  with  the  great  problem  of 
to-day.  Our  efforts  at  production  have  been  so  successful 
that  we  look  with  pride  upon  our  magnificent  crops  of  fruit 
and  vegetables,  and  can  confidently  rely  on  rapidly  increas¬ 
ing  quantity  and  improved  quality.  Here  then  is  the  prob¬ 
lem.  What  shall  we  do  with  it.  Is  there  an  over-produc¬ 
tion? 

The  five  million  boxes  we  have  grown  this  year  would  only 
give  each  inhabitant  of  the  TJniled  States  one  orange  a 
month.  Is  that  too  many?  And  yet  the  growers  have  not 
received  from  the  sale  of  this  crop  the  cost  of  its  production. 
Acres  of  cabbage  are  rotting  in  our  fields  to-day,  and 
millions  of  people  are  hungry  for  cabbage.  In  view  of  these 
facts,  is  it  wise  to  continue  to  devote  undivided  attention  to 
the  growing  of  fruits  and  vegetables,  for  which  we  receive  no 
fair  compensation? 

Though  I  do  not  believe  we  are  growiag  more  fruit  than 
ought  to  be  used  under  proper  conditions,  yet  it  does  occur 
to  me  that  we  have  now  reached  a  point  where  we  must  grap¬ 
ple  with  the  stubborn  facts  that  our  present  production  has 
outgrown  our  present  means  and  methods  of  transporting, 
distributing  and  selling.  It  is  the  height  of  folly  to  go  on 
increasing  our  output  without  at  the  same  time  providing 
some  way  to  dispose  of  it  at  a  profft.  That  thing  must  be 
done,  and  it  will  be  well  for  this  convention  to  give  its  best 
thoughts  to  a  discussion  of  the  paramount  question.  With 
this  in  mind,  it  may  not  be  out  of  the  way  to  call  your  atten¬ 
tion  to  some  of  the  prominent  features  of  the  situation. 

As  stated  before,  five  million  boxes  of  oranges  will  just 
about  give  each  inhabitant  of  the  United  States  one  orange  a 
month.  It  would  seem  possible  that,  under  favorable  condi- 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY.  If 

tions,  each  person  could  be  induced  to  eat  one  orange  a 
week  and  not  become  surfeited,  and  that  would  take  twenty 
million  boxes.  Can  we  bring  about  those  conditions? 

MUST  BE  SOLD  CHEAP. 

To  popularize  oranges  and  have  every  one  eat  them  freely, 
they  must  be  sold  to  the  consumer  at  popular  prices.  At 
fancy  prices  like  40  cents,  60  cents,  or  $1.00  per  dozen,  only 
the  few  can  use  them  freely,  a  good  many  moderately,  but 
a  great  many  more  sparingly  or  not  at  all.  If  the  money  the 
consumer  pays  for  iruit  could  be  divided  among  the  grower, 
carrier  and  seller  in  fair  proportion  to  the  service  rendered, 
this  could  be  done.  The  grower  has  spent  money,  time  and 
care,  and  has  originated  the  product,  yet  under  the  present 
system  he  is  the  last  one  paid.  He  sends  out  a  lot  of  or¬ 
anges;  the  transportation  compauy  takes  charge  of  them,  and 
when  they  reach  their  destination,  the  freight  must  be  paid 
in  full,  and  the  drayage  must  be  paid  in  lull,  and  then  the 
commission  for  selling  must  paid  in  full.  If  the  fruit 
brings  too  little  to  meet  these  charges,  the  grower  is  called 
upon  to  make  up  the  deficiences,  and  in  any  event  he  gets 
only  the  surplus  after  all  other  charges  are  paid.  Whether 
the  price  of  fruit  is  high  or  low,  win  ther  die  grower  gets 
anything  or  not,  the  transportation  is  always  high,  and  is  al¬ 
ways  the  first  bill  to  be  paid. 

HIGH  FREIGHT  RATES. 

Now,  my  fellow  fruit  growers,  it  is  time  for  us  to  have 
something  to  say  about  this  thing.  The  present  rate  of 
freight  and  this  year  s  price  of  fruit,  mnans  absolute  ruin  to 
our  industry.  Last  week  I  paid  $330  freight  on  a  car  load 
of  oranges,  and  the  same  week  a  neighbor  offered  to  sell  me 
a  five-acre  orange  grove  seven  years  old,  in  good  condition, 
for  $300.  That  is  a  startling  statement.  1  give  the  price  of  a 
five-acre  orange  grove  and  $30  t<>  have  one  car  load  of  oranges 
carried  to  market ! 

Now  we  shoulo  not  go  to  the  transportation  companies  as 
supplicants  asking  a  favor,  but  we  should  go  as  masters  of  the 
situation  and  claim  our  rights. 

The  average  price  the  grower  has  paid  for  transporting 
this  crop  is  not  far  from  65  cents  per  box.  The  average  net 
amount  recived  by  the  grower  will  not  exceed  one-half  or 
two-thirds  of  that  sum.  That  is  not  right.  It  is  not  a  fair 
divide.  The  business  of  a  carrier  is  a  legitimate  and  proper 
one,  and  entitled  to  fair  compensation.  So  is  the  business  of 
horticulture.  There  is  no  good  reason  why  one  should  have 
all  that  is  in  it,  and  the  other  nothing. 

The  common  law  recognizes  the  railroads  as  common  car- 


12 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OP  THE 


riers  who  are  lawfully  bound  to  carry  goods  at  a  fair  rate. 
Who  will  decide  what  is  a  fair  rate?  The  lawyer  will  an¬ 
swer:  “The  courts.”  Very  true.  Theoretically  that  is  cor¬ 
rect,  but  practically  it  is  impossible. 

THE  RIGHT  OF  MIGHT. 

The  average  orange  grower  can  never  reach  justice  thus, 
for  he  has  not  the  sinews  of  war  to  conduct  a  protracted  suit 
against  a  great  corporation.  The  transportation  companies 
assume  the  right  to  say  how  much  they  will  take,  and  they 
take  it.  The  other  party  to  the  arrangement  has  no  voice  in 
the  matter.  That  is  not  a  disinterested  tribunal.  Its  inter¬ 
ests  preclude  the  possibility  of  impartial  judgment. 

There  is  but  one  way  in  which  we  can  get  a  just  and  fair 
tribunal  accessible  to  the  poor  and  lowly,  as  well  as  to  the 
rich  and  strong,  and  that  is  by  the  action  of  the  sovereign 
people. 

This  brings  us  to  another  phase  of  the  subject,  and  that  is 
the  proper  relationship  of  the  horticulturists  to  the  state  and 
nation.  In  a  republic,  the  people  are  not  only  the  recipients 
of  the  benefits  of  good  government,  but  in  them  is  placed  the 
sacred  duty  and  responsibility  of  making  it  a  good  govern¬ 
ment.  The  horticulturist  is  no  exception.  He  bas  a  right  to 
expect  of  the  state  the  protection  of  just  laws.  The  state 
has  a  right  to  expect  him  to  do  his  full  share  in  making  and 
enforcing  the  laws.  Some  very  good  men  seem  to  think  it 
particularly  meritorious  to  say:  “I  attend  strictly  to  my 
business  and  let  politics  alone.”  Such  men  are  selfish.  They 
neglect  the  first  sacred  duty  of  American  citizenship,  and  are 
deserving  of  censure.  They  expect  the  protection  of  the 
laws,  and  yet  will  not  do  their  part  in  making  them  what 
they  should  be. 

Gentlemen,  the  laws  of  a  state  are  exactly  what  the  law¬ 
makers  make  them.  If  we  neglect  our  duty  and  allow  the 
laws  to  be  made  by  the  professional  place  hunter,  we  must  ex- 
%  pect  the  laws  will  be  made  to  subserve  his  interest.  If  the 
producers  and  business  men  of  the  state  make  the  laws,  they 
will  be  made  in  accordance  with  their  ideas  of  justice.  If  the 
horticulturist  refuses  to  do  his  duty  as  a  sovereign  citizen, 
if  he  neglects  to  study  public  questions  and  act  on  his  knowl¬ 
edge,  his  punishment  will  consist  in  having  his  interests  ig¬ 
nored  by  those  who  have  done  their  duty  as  responsible  citi¬ 
zens  of  the  republic. 

ASSERT  YOUR  RIGHTS. 

Here  then  is  the  plain  road  Instead  of  going  to  the  com¬ 
mon  carriers  and  begging  for  favors,  assert  your  rights  like 
men  who  know  them,  and  enforce  justice  at  the  ballot  box 


Florida  state  horticultural  society. 


13 


To  the  practical  horticulturist  whose  heart  is  in,  and  whose 
revenue  depends  on,  his  business,  partisan  politics  is  a  mat¬ 
ter  of  small  moment.  The  only  use  the  horticulturist — the 
true  patriot— has  for  any  political  party  is  as  an  instrument 
to  enact  into  law  such  principles  as  he  deems  for  the  good  of 
the  country. 

If  we  believe  that  the  prosperity  of  our  state  and  business 
will  be  advanced  by  a  reasonable  and  just  control  of  the 
common  carriers  of  the  state,  then  we  should  say  so  in  the 
only  way  we  can  speak  with  authority,  or  forever  after  hold 
our  peace.  To  get  together  in  conventions,  or  in  pairs,  or  in 
groups,  and  talk  and  write  about  getting  “concessions’’  from 
the  railroads,  and  all  that  stuff  is  cbild-like,  and  p  aces  us  in 
the  false  position  of  mendicants,  when  really  we  are  the  mas¬ 
ters,  and  ought  to  be  taking  the  proper  steps  to  secure  our 
just  rights. 

WANTS  NO  FENCES. 

Another  thing,  I  have  built  and  am  now  maintaining 
1,950  rods  of  fence.  For  mv  own  use?  Not  at  all.  It  is  not 
only  an  expense  and  of  no  use  to  me,  but  an  actual  damage. 
It  is  in  my  way.  Why  did  I  build  it  and  w*hy  maintain  it? 
Because  the  laws  of  the  state  permit  my  neighbors’  stock  to 
come  on  my  land,  take  my  corn  and  oranges  and  oats  and 
carry  them  away.  If  it  is  just  for  him  to  permit  his  stock 
to  come  and  take  my  crop,  why  should  the  law  prohibit  him 
from  sending  his  children  or  his  servants,  or  coming  himself 
and  take  all  that  is  not  defended  bv  force? 

Speaking  for  one  horticulturist,  I  can  say  that  I  have  paid 
more  for  fences  than  all  the  state,  county  and  school  taxes  I 
have  paid  in  Florida.  What  my  neighbor  horticulturists  and 
I  have  paid  for  fences  would  buy  all  the  stock,  sheep  and  ra- 
zorbacks  in  the  neighborhood,  powder  and  ball  enough  to 
kill  them,  snd  have  money  enough  left  to  run  a  free  school 
a  good  term  each  year. 

STUDY  NATIONAL  AFFAIRS. 

Then  again,  not  only  our  duty  as  citizens,  but  our  interests 
as  horticulturists,  require  that  we  give  thought  and  atten¬ 
tion  to  the  affairs  of  the  nation.  It  is  useless  for  us  to  plant 
and  water  and  manure  unless  we  are  to  have  the  benefit  of 
the  harvest. 

The  crop  of  the  horticulturist  is  one  of  semi-luxury.  It  is 
one  that  in  time  of  want  the  hard  pre'Sed  people  can  and  will 
get  along  without  in  some  sort  of  a  way.  Now,  then,  ours 
more  than  most  lines  of  business,  depends  for  its  existence 
and  prosperity  on  profitable  employment  of  the  whole  people. 
That  this  prosperity  depends  largely  on  national  enactments, 


14 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


no  one  will  deny.  Throwing  partisan  politics  to  the  winds^ 
the  horticulturists  of  the  state  and  nation  should  give  their 
best  thoughts  to  an  understanding  of  these  national  issues*, 
and  so  act  at  the  crucial  time  as  to  promote  the  industries  and 
prosperity  of  the  whole  country. 

With  just  rates  for  transportation,  with  proper  arrange¬ 
ments  for  distribution,  with  a  great  nation  of  workers  and 
business  men  profitably  and  steadily  employed  for  customers,, 
our  business  will  be  on  a  sound,  permanent,  and  paying 
basis. 


Reports  of  Secretary  and  of  Treasurer. 


(Mr.  W.  S.  Hart,  who  had  been  secretary  of  the  society 
for  a  number  of  years,  resigned  some  time  previous  to  the 
Jacksonville  meeting,  and  Mr.  Arthur  H.  Brown  was  ap¬ 
pointed  to  fill  the  unexpired  term.  Mr.  Brown  entered  upon 
the  duties  of  the  office  March  2,6th,  1894,  continuing  to  dis- 
charge  the  same  until  the  end  of  the  official  year,  May  20th,. 
1894,  which  included  the  society’s  session  at  Jacksonville). 


Synopsis  of  the  Report  of  Secretary  Hart. 

Mr.  Hart  expressed  his  regret  that  imperative  duties  ren¬ 
dered  it  impossible  for  him  to  be  present  at  Jacksonville  or 
to  complete  his  term  of  office.  It  was  a  source  of  satisfaction 
to  him  to  know  that  the  secretaryship  would  pass  into  suqh 
competent  hands  for  the  unexpired  term.  While  Mr.  Brown 
was  placed  at  some  disadvantage  in  undertaking  the  remain¬ 
ing  work  of  the  year,  which  was  considerable,  so  suddenly 
and  with  the  annual  meeting  so  near  at  hand,  still  he  felt 
confident  the  society’s  interests  and  comfort  would  not  suffer 
by  the  change. 

He  reviewed  the  work  of  his  office,  up  to  the  time  of  his  res¬ 
ignation,  at  some  length,  referring  especially  to  the  preceding 
meeting,  (Pensacola,  April,  1893). 

The  society’s  funds  were  not  sufficient  to  publish  its 
yearly  reports,  heretofore  this  had  been  provided  for  by  a 
guarantee  fund  subscribed  among  the  membership.  The 
effort  to  obtain  an  appropriation  for  this  purpose  at  the  last 
session  of  the  legislature,  while  it  had  met  with  sufficiently 
favorable  reception  to  justify  the  expectation  of  future  ac¬ 
tion,  had  been  unsuccessful.  The  offer  of  the  Hon.  L.  B# 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


15 


Wombwell,  State  Commissioner  of  Agriculture,  to  issue  the 
report  as  one  of  the  publications  of  his  office,  had,  however, 
been  accepted.  The  funds  available  for  this  purpose  did  not 
admit  of  its  immediate  publication  after  the  meeting,  but  ren¬ 
dered  it  necessary  to  issue  the  report  in  serial  form  in  the 
“Monthly  Bulletin,”  issued  by  the  Department  of  Agriculture, 
which  had  been  done.  The  commissioner  had  subsequently 
gathered  the  matter  in  pamphlet  form,  and  in  conformity 
with  the  agreement  with  the  society  had  sent  copies  to  the 
membership.  In  addition  to  this,  an  edition  of  some  5,000 
copies  had  been  struck  for  free  distribution  through  the 
Bureau  of  Immigration,  and  had  been  widely  disseminated  in 
this  and  other  countries,  which,  the  secretary  thought  would 
be  of  great  benefit  to  the  state  and.  the  society.  Mr.  Hart 
called  attention  to  the  fact  that  Commissioner  Wombwell’s 
action  in  offering  to  publish  the  report,  had  been  entirely 
voluntary  and  gratuitous,  and  prompted  by  good  feeling  for 
the  society,  and  he  had  no  doubt  it  would  receive  a  proper 
acknowledgement  from  the  society. 

The  society  having  been  relieved  of  the  burden  of  pub¬ 
lishing  the  report,  it  had  been  possib’e  to  meet  all  expenses 
for  the  current  year,  and  leave  a  small  balauce  in  the  treasury. 

Mr.  Hart  explained  the  efforts  which  had  been  made  to 
bring  in  new  and  desirable  members,  which  had  resulted  very 
satisfactorily  as  the  increased  membership  showed. 

The  receipts  for  the  year  up  to  the  time  of  his  resignation, 
had  been  $270.39 ;  the  expenditure,  including  some  debts  of 
the  previous  year,  amounted  to  $212.56,  of  which  he  remitted 
a  statement;  $50  had  been  submitted  the  treasuier,  and  $7.83 
turned  over  to  his  successor. 


Synopsis  of  the  Report  of  Secretary  Brown. 

After  readii  g  Mr.  Hart’s  report,  Secretary  Brown  read 
his  own  report  for  the  interim  between  Mr.  Hart’s  resigna¬ 
tion  and  the  Jacksonville  meeting.  He  submitted  a  statement 
of  expenditure  amounting  to  $40.50.  He  had  received 
$167.49  and  there  remained  in  his  hands  $126.99.  At  the 
opening  of  the  Jacksonville  meeting  the  rolls  showed  eight 
life  and  two  hundred  and  eighty-six  annual  members. 


Synopsis  of  the  Report  of  J.  B.  Anderson,  Treasurer. 

In  submitting  his  statement  as  treasurer,  Mr.  Anderson 
said  that  owing  to  the  efficient  manner  in  which  the  secretary 
and  ex-secretary  had  performed  their  duties,  the  treasurer’s 
task  was  very  light.  He  had  received  $50  from  Secretary 
2 


16 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


Hart,  and  a  10  per  cent,  dividend  of  $13.95  from  the  First 
National  bank  of  Palatka,  and  had  $63.95  on  hand.  He  had 
learned  from  the  receiver  of  this  hank  in  which  the  society 
had  a  fund  of  $139.50  at  the  time  of  its  failure,  that  as 
nearly  as  he  could  say  there  would  be  another  dividend  of 
15  per  cent.,  which  would  save  to  the  society  about  50  per 
cent,  of  the  entire  deposit. 


Resolution  by  the  Executive  Committee. 

In  abridging  for  publication  the  report  of  Ex-Secretary 
Hart  as  read  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  society,  the  secretary 
is  instructed  to  place  on  record  in  this  connection  in  the  pub¬ 
lished  report  of  the  proceedings  of  the  society,  an  expression 
of  the  high  appreciation  in  which  the  services  of  Mr.  W.  S. 
Jffart  as  secretary,  are  held  by  this  committee. 


Catalogeuing  Our  Reports. 


Report  Read  by  A.  II.  Manville  of  Denver,  Putnam  County,  Chairman 

Committee  on  Catalogue. 

At  the  Pensacola  meeting  of  the  society,  (April,  1893),  it 
was  enacted: 

“That  a  special  committee  of  five  be  appointed  by  the  presi 
dent,  on  catalogue,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  prepare  a  cat¬ 
alogue  of  the  fruits  of  the  state  on  a  systematic  plan,  on  the 
same  general  lines  adopted  by  the  American  Pomological  So¬ 
ciety,  showing  the  relative  adaptability  to  each  section  of  the 
several  fruits  grown  in  the  slate.  The  same  to  be  submitted 
at  the  next  annual  meeting.” 

In  conformity  to  the  above,  the  following  committee  was 
appointed:  A.  H.  Manville,  L.  W.  Plank,  G.  L.  Taber,  J.  H. 
White,  R.  D.  Hoyt. 

The  compilation  of  an  initial  catalogue  of  this  character, 
having  a  systematic  arrangement  at  once  simple  and  compre¬ 
hensive,  and  possessing  that  accuracy  of  detail  without  which 
a  work  of  this  kind  would  be  valueless,  involves  careful 
preparation,  extensive  correspondence  and  laborious  collation. 
The  magnitude  of  the  undertaking  will  be  appreciated  by 
those  who  have  assisted  in  the  revision  of  the  fruit  catalogues 
Of  our  older  societies. 

Your  committee  was  unable  to  take  up  the  work  at  a  date 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


17 


-sufficiently  early  in  the  society’s  calendar  to  complete  a  re¬ 
port  for  this  meeting.  Considerable  progress  has,  however, 
been  made.  A  plan  has  been  laid  out,  the  preliminary  lists 
prepared,  and  the  work  of  “marking  up”  is  well  under  way. 

Had  the  committee  been  able  to  finish  the  report  in  time 
for  this  meeting,  it  would  not  have  been  practicable  to  pre¬ 
sent  the  draft  of  catalogue  to  the  society  until  the  tables 
could  have  been  printed  for  the  convenience  of  members  in 
discussing  the  report.  In  fact,  to  give  opportunity  for  due 
consideration,  a  printed  copy  should  be  sent  to  each  member 
in  advance  of  the  meeting  at  which  the  subject  is  taken  up. 

In  view  of  these  facts  vour  committee  has  thought  best  to 
suggest  that  the  time  for  its  report  be  extended  until  the  next 
annual  meeting. 

After  the  reading  of  the  above  report,  the  following  res¬ 
olution  was  unanimously  passed: 

That  the  committee  be  given  until  the  next  annual  meeting 
to  complete  its  report;  and 

That  the  word  “special”  be  stricken  from  the  title  of  this 
committee,  and  the  word  “standing”  be  substituted  therefor, 
constituting  the  Committee  on  Catalogue,  one  of  the  regular 
standing  committees  of  this  society. 


Florida  and  Texas. 


The  Texas  State  Horticultural  Society  Invited  to  Joint  Session. 


BY  A.  H.  MANVILLE. 

The  southern  boundary  of  the  United  States  describes  a 
sort  of  ogee,  with  short  curve  around  the  Gulf,  and  long 
curve  up  the  Mexican  line  and  Pacific  coast.  This  line  is 
nearly  3,000  miles  long  from  point  to  point,  and  within  150 
miles  of  it  lie  the  sub  tropical  regions  of  this  country.  But, 
unfortunately  for  our  figure,  this  strip  is  not  sub-tropical 
throughout  its  entire  length.  When  we  apply  this  test  our 
ogee  falls  in  two  in  the  middle.  The  sub-tropical  region 
which  follows  down  the  Pacific  coast  and  passes  the  head  of 
the  Gulf  of  California  does  not  reach  the  New  Mexican  line, 
and  the  sub  tropical  region  that  follows  the  Gulf  from  the 
Keys  to  Mexico,  stops  short  at  the  plains  of  Western  Texas. 
Separated  by  the  arid  table  lands  and  elevated  regions  of 


18 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


Western  Texas  and  Southern  New  Mexico,  which  form  the 
back  bone  of  the  continent  where  crossed  by  our  southern 
boundary,  our  sub-tropical  regions  lie  in  two  segments,  one  at 
either  end  of  this  line. 

I  trust  I  shall  be  pardoned  these  allusions  to  trite  ge¬ 
ographical  facts,  I  wish  to  emphasize  the  point  that  our 
sub-tropical  country  is  naturally  and  widely  seperated  into 
two  great  divisions.  The  sub-tropical  region  of  the  Pacific 
lying  crescent  shaped  convex  to  the  Western  ocean,  with  its 
horns  resting  on  the  Golden  Gate  and  the  Arizona  line;, 
and  the  sub-tropical  region  of  the  Gulf,  likewise  cresent 
shaped,  concave  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  extending  from 
Cape  Sable  to  the  Rio  Grande. 

These  two  widely  separated  regions  have  much  less  in 
common  than  we  have  been  wont  to  think,  While  both  are 
sub  tropical,  they  are  at  variance  in  topography,  soil,  cli¬ 
mate  and  productions.  This  difference  is  most  apparent  in 
the  two  extremes.  California  farthest  west,  and  Florida 
farthest  east.  There  the  surface  is  broken,  even  moun¬ 
tainous,  here  level;  their  climate  is  unlike  ours  in  nearly 
every  condition,  the  only  marked  similarity  being  that 
neither  is  subject  to  very  low  ranges  of  temperature;  they 
have  weather  incident  to  narrow  strips  betw<  en  high  moun¬ 
tains,  or  between  high  mountains  ancl  the  sea;  our  atmos¬ 
pheric  conditions  are  modified  by  the  broad  expanse  of  water 
which  surrounds  us;  their  seasons  are  the  reverse  of  ours,, 
their  soils  require  different  manipulation  than  ours;  in  hor¬ 
ticulture  their  most  valued  acquisitions  come  from  Europe, 
ours  from  Eastern  Asia.  I  will  not  stop  to  amplify  these 
dissimilarities,  which  are  apparent,  nor  to  point  out  others 
that  might  be  mentioned. 

Because  California  products  have  been  found  in  a  few  mar¬ 
kets  alongside  of  our  own;  because  California  also  raises 
oranges;  or  because  there,  too,  palm  trees  grow  in  the  south¬ 
ernmost  confines,  we  have  fallen  into  the  habit  of  measuring 
ourselves  up  by  the  side  of  California,  and  have  come  to 
look  upon  the  Golden  Gate  as  our  competitor  and  exemplar. 
But,  Mr.  President  and  fellow  members,  I  submit  that  the 
horticulture  of  the  Pacific  coast  is  too  dissimilar  to  have 
value  as  a  criterion,  and  California  is  too  far  away  to  become 
a  rival. 

Dismissing  the  Pacific  sub-tropical  region,  let  us  consider 
for  a  moment  the  othei  great  sub-tropical  region  of  the 
United  States,  the  Gulf  coast  country,  of  which  our  own 
state  forms  a  part,  but,  let  us  not  deceive  ourselves — by  no 
means  the  only  important  part. 

While  we  have  been  taken  up  with  the  California  bugaboo, 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


19 


absorbed  in  measuring  ourselves  by  standards  in  vogue  on 
the  other  side  of  the  continent,  we  have  overlooked,  lit¬ 
erally  overlooked,  a  rival  near  at  hand;  a  real  rival  of  our 
own  size  and  make-up;  a  rival  about  to  finish  training  and 
likely  to  give  us  a  serious  contest  for  horticultural  honors 
and  preferment  in  the  near  future. 

Part  of  our  own  coast  country;  at  the  other  end  of  this 
sub-tropical  crescent;  just  across  the  Gulf ;  I  refer  to  coast¬ 
wise  Texas.  The  surface  of  the  country,  the  soil,  the  cli¬ 
mate  and  the  horticultural  productions  of  coastwise  Texas 
are  like  those  of  Florida.  The  products  of  her  market  gar¬ 
dens  are  already  well  known  in  the  great  markets  of  the 
Mississippi  valley;  she  produces  the  small  fruits  we  do; 
the  figs,  pomegranates,  grapes  and  miscellaneous  fruits  that 
we  grow,  succeed  there;  during  the  past  few  years  thousands 
of  acres  of  peaches,  plums  and  pears  have  been  planted  in 
this  Texas  coast  country,  oriental  varieties,  the  same  as  our 
own,  from  China,  Japan,  and  the  East  Indies;  as  in  Florida 
most  of  the  varieties  of  these  and  similar  fruits  from  Europe 
as  well  as  those  from  the  north,  do  not  succeed. 

Put,  we  say  complacently,  “this  is  not  an  orange  country.” 
Let  us  not  be  too  sure  of  this.  Coastwise  Texas  reaches  far¬ 
ther  south  than  Lake  Worth  or  Punia  Gorda,  and  its  horti¬ 
cultural  records  not  only  report  oranges  yielding  abun¬ 
dantly,  but  also  limes,  while  banana  culture  is  laid  down  as 
having  already  attained  a  commercial  success.  It  is,  in  fact, 
a  question  whether  in  citrus  culture  in  one  respect  at  least, 
they  are  not  in  advance  of  us;  for  they  are  planting  their  or¬ 
ange  groves  on  hardy,  dormant-in- winter  stocks,  which  their 
growers  claim  mature  the  fruit  before  frost,  ripening  it  for 
the  high  prices  of  the  early  market,  and  rendering  the  trees 
resistant  to  the  lowest  degree  of  cold  to  which  that  region 
is  liable.  Their  trees  are  reported  uninjured  by  the  un¬ 
usually  severe  cold  of  the  past  winter. 

This  region  across  the  Gulf  is  by  no  means  of  limited  ex¬ 
tent.  The  sub-tropical  coast  country  of  Texas  embraces  an 
area  equal  to  the  entire  peninsula  of  Florida.  Old  residenters 
have  been  developing  its  horticulture  for  years.  Mr.  G. 
Onderdonk,  one  of  the  pioneers,  who  began  before  the  war, 
speaking  way  back  in  the  eighties  of  Southeastern  Texas, 
says:  “Starting  with  only  a  few  dimly  lighted  landmarks, 
she  has  beaten  her  toilsome  way  until  she  has  a  well  defined 
horticulture.”  In  1891,  speaking  before  the  Texas  State 
Horticultural  Society,  he  says:  “Many  have  presumed  that 
Southeastern  Texas  could  produce  only  cacti,  mesquite  and 
thorny  chaparral,  but,  with  the  array  of  fruit  we  have  here, 
none  can  speak  lightly  of  the  pomology  of  this  large  area. 


20 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


The  pomology  of  southeastern  Texas,  so  distinct  from  that 
of  other  parts  of  the  state,  has  vastly  outstripped  the  most 
sanguine  expectations  of  her  students  of  forty  years  ago.” 

Texas  is  about  as  large  as  New  England  and  the  Middle 
States,  or  all  the  cotton  states  east  of  the  Mississippi  river 
combined.  In  the  older  settled  districts  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  state,  fruit  culture  has  been  long  established,  and  is 
about  as  nearly  related  to  the  pomology  of  the  coast  as  the 
pomology  of  upper  Georgia  is  to  that  of  Florida.  Less  than 
a  year  ago  the  Texas  State  Horticultural  Society  met  at 
Rockport,  which  is  well  down  on  the  coast.  The  fruit  exhibit 
came  from  the  coast  country.  Referring  to  it,  the  leading 
horticultural  journal  of  the  state,  the  “Firm  and  Ranch,” 
says:  The  exhibits  were  the  finest  ever  seen  in  the  state. 

Attracted  by  its  horticultural  advantages,  people  are  going, 
to  this  country  for  the  purpose  of  fruit  growing,  new  towns 
are  springing  up,  land  is  being  cleared  and  hundreds  of  or¬ 
chards  planted.  They  are  having  such  a  boom  over  there  a  & 
we  had  late  in  the  seventies. 

Working  under  conditions  similar  to  ours,  raising  the 
same  fruits  for  the  same  markets  we  do,  these  intelligent, 
energetic  horticulturists  of  the  Texas  coast  country  are,  not 
only  competitors  and  compeers  from  whom  we  have  much  to 
fear,  as  well  as  much  to  learn,  but,  the}'  are  also  neighbors;, 
for  it  is  but  a  short  span  from  the  Perdido  to  the  Sabine,  and 
the  intervening  strip  across  lower  Alabama,  Mississippi  and 
Louisiana  is  of  the  same  character,  part  and  parcel  ot  the 
sub-tropical  region  of  the  Gulf. 

Running  over  the  history  of  horticultural  progress  on  op¬ 
posite  sides  of  the  Gulf,  one  is  struck  that  the  lines  followed 
are  so  nearly  parallel. 

Twenty  years  ago  our  first  State  horticultural  society 
was  organized  at  Palatka,  and  called  the  Florida  Fruit 
Growers’  Association.  Its  second,  and  perhaps  most  impor¬ 
tant  meeting  was  held  in  1875  in  this  city,  scarce  a  block 
from  this  spot.  The  governor  thought  the  occasion  of  suf¬ 
ficient  importance  to  require  the  presence  of  himself  and  cab¬ 
inet,  and  in  response  to  the  invitation  of  the  association,  the 
legislature  adjourned  to  enable  its  members  to  come  down 
from  Tallahassee  and  attend.  There  are  a  few,  a  very  few 
persons  in  attendance  at  this  meeting  who  will  recall  with* 
what  interest  we  listened  to  the  discussion  on  “Florida  as 
Compared  with  the  West,”  led  off  by  the  venerable  Solon. 
Robinson,  ex-agricultural  editor  of  the  New  York  Tribune, 
Floridian  by  adoption,  or  to  Col.  Dane}',  the  pioneer  orange- 
grower,  a  recognized  authority,  one  of  the  few  men  at  that 
time  possessed  of  an  old  bearing  grove,  as  he  expatiated  upon* 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


21 


“Orange  Culture  as  an  Investment  for  Capital.”  Most  of 
us  were  begifmers  who  had  just  finished  planting  our  first 
fiye  acres.  A  report  of  this  meeting  was  issued  from  the 
press  of  the  old  “Florida  Agriculturist,”  then  published  in 
this  city  and  edited  by  Col.  Codrington.  Among  the  names 
of  those  who  participated  in  the  proceedings,  names  that 
have  a  place  in  the  history  of  our  state,  are  H.  S.  Sanford,  P„ 
P.  Bishop,  A.  S.  Baldwin,  Columbus  Drew,  J.  S.  Adams, 
Harrison  Heed,  H.  L.  Hart,  E.  K.  Foster,  and  “Concussion’" 
Hardee  of  “Honeymoon.” 

With  the  passing  of  the  speculative  period  in  orange  cul¬ 
ture,  interest  in  the  Fruit  Growers’  Association  waned,  and 
it  gradually  fell  into  innocuous  desuetude. 

This  brings  us  to  the  practical  horticulture  of  the  present. 
In  1886  we  organized  the  Florida  Nurseryman’s  Association. 
The  interest  in  the  meetings  of  this  association  was  so  gen¬ 
eral  that  it  was  determined  to  widen  its  scope.  In  1887  the 
Florida  Nurseryman’s  Association  issued  an  invitation  to  the 
horticulturists  of  the  state  to  join  in  the  formation  of  a  state 
horticultural  society.  This  was  accomplished  in  1888  by 
the  joint  action  of  the  Florida  Nurseryman’s  Association, 
members  of  the  old  Fruit  Growers’  Association  and  other 
horticulturists.  In  1889  the  Florida  State  Horticultural 
Societv  entertained  the  22d  biennial  session  of  the  American 
Pomological  Society  at  Ocala.  In  1892  we  began  the  reg¬ 
ular  publication  of  our  proceedings,  including  stenogiaphic 
reports  of  the  discussions.  We  are  about  to  take  up  the 
work  of  cataloguing  our  fruits.  In  the  words  of  President 
Adams,  “the  State  Horticultural  Society  has  steadily  grown 
in  numbers,  influence  and  usefulness,  till  at  the  age  of  seven 
years  it  is  the  peer  of  similar  societies  in  any  state  in  the 
Union.” 

Meanwhile,  what  has  been  going  on  across  the  Gulf?  In 
1886  the  North  Texas  Horticultural  Sotiety^  and  the  Pilot 
Point  Horticultural  Society  joined  the  Central  Texas  Hor¬ 
ticultural  Society,  upon  the  invitation  of  the  latter,  in  organ¬ 
izing  the  Texas  State  Horticultural  Society.  In  1889  this 
society  began  the  publication  of  its  proceedings.  In  1890 
it  announced  that  the  ninth  regular  meeting  of  the  American 
Horticultural  Society  would  be  held  in  Texas.  The  society 
has  grown  to  be  a  large  and  influential  body  like  our  own, 
and  at  its  next  annual  meeting  will  undertake  the  cat¬ 
aloguing  of  the  fruits  of  Texas. 

Throughout  the  country  wherever  fruit  growing  has  be¬ 
come  an  industry  of  importance,  the  state  horticultural  so¬ 
cieties  have  compiled  catalogues  of  the  fruits  grown,  show¬ 
ing  by  their  arrangement  and  marking  the  relative  adapta- 


22 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


toility  of  the  various  varieties  to  the  several  sections,  such 
catalogues  being  revised  every  year  and  published  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  the  reports  of  the  proceedings  of  the  societies. 
These  catalogues  form  an  invaluable  guide  to  the  planter  and 
enable  even  a  novice  to  select  with  certainty.  In  this  sub¬ 
tropical  region,  where  selection  is  more  difficult  than  else¬ 
where,  because  conditions  are  peculiar  and  the  precedents  of 
other  sections  are  not  to  be  depended  upon,  such  p  catalogue 
would  be  invaluable.  Up  to  this  time  neither  in  Florida, 
Texas,  nor  the  intervening  states,  has  such  a  work  been  is¬ 
sued. 

The  only  information  of  the  kind  obtainable  is  to  be  found 
in  the  magnificent  fruit  catalogue  of  the  American  Pomo- 
logical  society,  which  includes  the  fruits  of  the  entire  coun¬ 
try,  but  is  too  general,  and  covers  too  wide  a  range,  to  include 
the  specific  information  required  in  any  particular  section, 
and  especially  in  a  section  like  this  where  fruit  culture  is  com¬ 
paratively  new  and  developing  rapidly. 

When  the  general  revision  was  made  of  the  American  Pomo- 
logical  society’s  catalogue,  in  1891,  the  Sub-Tropical  com¬ 
mittee  of  that  society  submitted  tabulated  and  properly  marked 
lists  of  the  fruits  of  the  Gulf  coast  sub-tropical  region,  and,  as 
chairman  of  that  committee,  I  urged  the  importance  of  giving 
this  great  section,  unique  and  peculiar  in  its  pomology,  a  sep¬ 
arate  and  distinct  place  in  the  catalogue,  but  the  time-honored 
oustom  of  listing  by  stat  es  was  adhered  to,  lessening  the  value 
of  the  work  for  this  region,  although  the  revision  was,  for 
this  section,  as  elsewhere,  as  thorough  and  comprehensive  as 
possible  under  the  restrictions  of  this  rule. 

With  the  sole  exception  of  Florida,  the  sub-tropical  regions, 
both  of  the  Pacific  and  the  Gulf,  are  made  up  of  parts  of 
states  having  little  in  common,  pomologically  speaking,  with 
those  portions  of  the  same  states  lying  outside.  Hence  the 
inapplicability  to  this  region  of  fruit  lists  made  up  with  re¬ 
gard  to  political  rather  than  pomological  lines,  and  the  great 
importance  of  the  work  now  under  way  in  Texas  and  Florida. 

These  two  horticuhural  communities,  which  have  grown  up 
during  the  past  quarter  century  on  opposite  sides  of  the  Gulf, 
and  which  have  so  many  interests  in  common,  have  been,  up 
to  this  time,  practically  speaking,  strangers.  Is  it  not  time 
for  us  to  get  acquainted  ?  What  better  way  of  bringing  this 
about  than  through  a  joint  meeting  of  the  two  horticultural 
societies  ?  Aside  from  the  pleasure  such  a  session  would 
afford  its  participants,  would  not  the  interchange  of  experi¬ 
ence  and  opinion  elicited,  especially  if  published,  be  ot  great 
value  to  the  horticulture  of  both  states  ?  The  Texas  society 
will  adopt  a  catalogue  at  its  next  meeting  ;  it  is  proposed  to 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


23 


attempt  a  similar  work  at  our  next  meeting — what  better  time 
for  such  a  joint  session  than  the  year  following  the  catalogu¬ 
ing  of  the  fruits  of  both  states  ? 

At  the  conclusion  of  his  remarks  Mr.  Manville  offered  the 
following  resolution,  which  was  unanimously  adopted : 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  by  the 
president  to  prepare  and  present  to  the  Texas  Stale  Horti¬ 
cultural  society  an  invitation  to  meet  the  Florida  State  Hor¬ 
ticultural  society  in  joint  session  in  the  year  1896,  and  that 
said  committee  be  empowered  to  act  for  the  society  in  the 
matter  of  arranging  timo,  place  and  neeessary  preliminaries 
for  such  joint  session  in  case  this  invitation  is  accepted  by 
the  Texas  society. 


Introduction  of  New  Fruits  and  Plants. 


At  the  Pensacola  meeting  of  the  Society  (April,  1893,  see 
published  report),  Prof.  W.  T.  Swingle,  of  the  U.  S.  Sub- 
Tropical  Laboratory  at  Eustis,  Fla.,  urged  that  some  steps  be 
taken  by  the  Society  looking  to  the  introduction  of  new  fruits 
and  plants.  In  an  address  of  exceptional  interest  on  this 
subject  he  pointed  out  the  great  gain  that  had  resulted  to  our 
horticulture  from  the  very  limited  importations  which  had 
been  made,  and  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  hundreds  of 
varieties  and  species  remained  to  be  introduced,  which  there 
was  every  reason  to  believe  were  especially  desirable.  He 
introduced  his  remarks  as  follows  : 

“  The  advances  made  during  recent  years  in  horticulture 
are  largely  due  to  the  introduction  of  new  varieties  of  culti¬ 
vated  plants,  or  to  the  improvement  of  old  ones  by  careful 
selection  and  hybridizing.  When  we  consider  the  great 
changes  the  introduction  of  a  single  good  variety  may  work 
in  the  horticulture  of  a  whole  district  or  state,  it  seems  curious, 
to  say  the  least,  why  more  effort  has  not  been  made  to  procure 
all  known  varieties  and  test  them  thoroughly  in  each  region.” 

After  recounting  and  describing  at  some  length  many  kinds 
which  it  was  especially  desirable  to  introduce  into  Florida, 
he  continued  : 

“After  considerable  thought  it  has  seemed  most  feasible  to 
me  to  organize  a  stock  company  or  society  for  the  express 
purpose  of  introducing  these  economic  plants.  *  *  * 

Baron  von  Muller  enumerates  2,485  species  of  useful  plants, 


24 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


tried  in  Florida  ?  Very  many  of  the  most  important  sub' 
tropical  and  tropical  plants  have  never  been  introduced, 
much  less  tried  here. 

“I  would  suggest,  therefore,  that  the  company  send  a 
trained  agent  to  various  countries  and  that  he  collect  what¬ 
ever  economic  plants  he  can  obtain,  as  well  as  citrus  fruits 
and  their  allies.  The  plants  thus  imported  could  be  placed 
on  sale,  and  would,  if  judiciously  advertised,  hardly  fail  to 
pay  expenses,  at  the  very  start,  and  would  certainly  be  a 
most  profitable  investment  in  the  end,”  etc. 

Prof.  Swingle  explained  that  the  United  States  Depart¬ 
ment  of  Agriculture  could  not  undertake  such  a  work,  and 
•oncluded  as  follows : 

“Horticulturists  of  Florida,  by  what  1  have  said  I  hope  I 
have  succeeded  in  convincing  many  of  you  at  least  that  the 
Inauguration  of  this  move  would  succeed  as  a  business  ven¬ 
ture,  would  eventually  place  it  in  the  power  of  every  one  to 
grow  new  and  better  fruits  and  other  crops,  and  would,  in  so 
doing,  place  you  ahead  of  all  competitors,  foreign  or  domes¬ 
tic.  *  *  *  Is  it  not  high  time  that  Florida’s  horticultur¬ 

ists  show  their  abiding  faith  and  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
themselves  and  their  prosperity  by  putting  into  immediate 
execution  some  plan  for  the  systematic  introduction  of  econ¬ 
omic  plants  suited  to  our  climate?” 

The  ideas  advanced  by  Prof.  Swingle  were  favorably 
received  by  the  Society,  and  after  considerable  discussion  the 
following  was  unanimously  passed  : 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed  by  the 
President  to  whom  shall  be  referred  that  portion  of  Prof. 
Swingle’s  report  relating  to  an  organization  for  the  purpose 
of  introducing  new  varieties.  It  is  expected  that  this  com¬ 
mittee  will  issue  a  circular  letter,  calling  astention  to  the 
importance  of  the  matter,  and  if  it  meets  with  sufficient  en¬ 
couragement  the  committee  is  authorized  to  perfect  suck 
organization. 

The  following  committee  was  appointed  :  S.  S.  Harvey, 
W.  T.  Swingle,  H.  S.  Williams,  G.  L.  Taber,  G.  P.  Healy. 

When  the  Committee  on  the  the  Introduction  of  New 
Fruits  and  Plants  was  called  at  the  Jacksonville  meeting, 
Chairman  Harvey  said: 

“The  committee  has  not  been  able  to  make  much  progress. 
The  times  are  too  hard  and  dollars  too  scarce  to  bring  about 
an  investment  of  this  kind.  The  committee  has  not  thought 
it  a  propitious  time  for  such  a  movement.  Your  committee 
asks  to  be  continued.  If  this  be  done  and  the  times  improve 
they  will  take  the  matter  up  the  coming  year.” 

A  motion  was  unanimously  passed  that  the  Committee  on 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY.  25 

suitable  for  cultivation  in  extra-tropical  regions.  *  *  * 

In  comparison  with  these  numbers  how  few  plants  have  been 
the  Introduction  of  New  Fruits  and  Plants  be  made  one  of 
the  Society’s  regular  standing  committees,  and  that  its  mem¬ 
bership  be  unchanged  for  another  year. 


Grape  Growing  for  Profit. 


Prepared  by  A.  W.  Stewart,  of  Galt,  Santa  Rosa  County,  member  of 
Standing  Committee  on  Grapes,  and  read  by  George  H.  Wright, 
Chairman. 

In  preparing  my  Report  on  Grapes  I  endeavored  to  find 
out  the  best  grapes  for  this  state,  so  I  wrote  out  a  number  of 
questions  and  sent  them  to  members  of  our  society  in  differ¬ 
ent  sections  of  the  state.  Most  of  them  furnished  a  prompb 
reply,  showing  that  they  were  interested  in  the  success  of  our 
society. 

1  find  that  the  Niagara,  Delaware  and  Ives  are  the  best 
adapted  as  market  grapes  for  this  state,  as  they  stand  ship¬ 
ping  well  and  bring  good  prices  and  are  a  sure  crop.  I  would 
advise  all  new  beginners  to  plant  these  and  not  waste  their 
money  on  putting  out  too  many  varieties,  but  confine  them¬ 
selves  to  the  above. 

I  would  recommend  the  following  fertilizers:  Ground  bone, 
sulphate  of  potash  and  cotton  seed  meal.  Use  one-half  to 
three-fourths  ton  per  acre  of  the  mixture.  The  vines  require 
nitrogen,  and  this  I  would  give  in  two  applications,  one  in 
January,  the  other  the  last  of  May. 

I  sent  out  the  following  question:  “Are  your  vines  free  of 
disease?”  and  most  of  them  replied  “yes,”  while  others 
replied  that  they  were  troubled  with  mildew  and  that  it  could 
be  prevented  by  spraying.  I  would  recommend  spraying 
with  Bordeaux  mixture. 

Most  of  them  report  that  they  received  good  prices,  while 
others  complain  of  the  commission  men  getting  away  with 
them.  I  would  recommend  them  not  to  ship  to  any  one 
unless  they  know  he  is  honest  and  makes  true  returns.  Put 
your  grapes  up  in  nice  little  baskets  four  to  the  crate,  anci 
they  will  sell,  while  those  put  up  in  boxes  are  a  drug  on  the 
market.  Although  this  fruit  may  be  good  it  is  in  no  shape  to 
sell.  A  person  will  come  along  and  see  one  of  those  nice 


i 


26 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


baskets  and  it  takes  his  fancy;  whereas  if  he  has  to  wait  to 
have  them  weighed  he  won’t  have  them.  The  four  baskets 
and  crate  will  cost  you  about  16  cents,  and  will  net  you 
double. 

I  do  not  claim  that  every  kind  of  grape  will  succeed  here, 
but  as  many  as  in  any  other  section. 

When  you  make  up  your  mind  to  start  a  vineyard,  select  a 
dry  place.  If  not  dry  it  should  be  made  so  by  drainage.  If 
it  is  new  land  rid  the  ground  of  all  roots  and  do  not  allow 
any  piles  of  brush  to  decay  to  feed  insects,  t  ut  burn  them  and 
scatter  the  ashes  on  the  ground.  Plow  the  ground  deep  and 
harrow  it  well.  When  your  ground  is  ready  run  your  rows 
ten  feet  apart,  from  north  to  south,  if  possible.  Plant  your 
vines  ten  feet  apart.  Dig  your  holes  two  feet  square  by 
eighteen  inches  to  two  feet  deep. 

Select  varieties  that  will  ripen  well  here.  Get  good  strong 
2-year-old  vines  and  see  that  they  have  roots  on  all  sides  and 
were  not  propagaged  from  layers.  If  so  the  roots  will  be  all 
on  one  side.  When  planted  upright  the  side  on  which  no 
roots  are  formed  begins  to  rot  and  this  gradually  extends  up 
the  vine  and  ihe  unnourished  side  until  in  three  or  four  years 
the  novice  finds  he  has  a  vine  about  at  the  end  of  its  career, 
and  wonders  at  his  misfortune.  This  is  one  cause  of  so  many 
failures. 

We  can  raise  as  large  and  fine  grapes  as  they  can  north  of 
the  same  kind.  The  Delaware  grows  to  perfection,  and  for  a 
table  grape  it  has  no  equal.  .  The  Niagara  is  a  showy  grape 
and  sells  well.  The  Ives  is  a  good  shipper  and  sells  well. 

Pruning  is  of  vital  importance  for  the  production  of  good 
fruit.  Some  claim  that  it  should  be  done  in  the  last  of  No¬ 
vember  or  first  of  December.  I  cannot  agree  with  them.  I 
would  not  prune  until  the  buds  begin  to  swell,  then  you  can 
see  all  dead  and  deficient  wood  and  remove  it.  I  have  pruned 
late  for  the  last  three  years  and  have  had  a  full  crop. 

The  late  freeze  did  me  but  little  damage  ;  my  grapes  were 
not  far  enough  out  to  be  hurt  and  are  fruiting  nicely.  Ac¬ 
cording  to  reports,  in  West  Florida  those  that  were  out  and 
were  killed  are  setting  new  fruit  and  will  make  a  fair  crop, 
but  a  little  late.  I  am  unable  to  say  what  damage  was  done 
in  the  eastern  and  middle  part  of  the  state. 

It  is  impossible  to  lay  down  any  set  rule  for  pruning. 
Different  grapes  require  different  pruning.  I  would  recom¬ 
mend  the  renewal  system. 

Grapes  need  cvltivation,  and  unless  you  can  give  it  you 
need  not  expect  to  have  fine  grapes.  Cultivate  at  least  once 
every  fifteen  days  until  the  middle  of  June,  and  with  new 
vines  until  the  middle  of  September. 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


27 


Marketing  Grapes. 


Prepare'!  and  read  by  Geo.  H.  Wright,  of  Chuluota,  Orange  County, 
Chairman  Standing  Committee  on  Grapes. 

Grape  growing  is  among  the  oldest  horticultural  industries 
since  the  creation,  and  therefore  its  consideration  commands  a 
portion  of  our  time  and  attention. 

Grapes  may  be  seen  growing  to  perfection  in  nearly  all 
parts  of  the  world  ;  on  hill  sides,  in  the  valleys,  by  the  run¬ 
ning  streams,  on  the  plains,  in  tropical  as  well  as  temperate 
zones,  not  a  civilized  country  but  what  they  are  grown  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent.  Yet,  how  few  of  us  understand  the 
requirements  of  the  vine. 

Different  species  require  different  treatment  and  soil.  Some 
varieties  require  a  sandy  soil,  others  clay,  marl  or  muck,  and 
the  planter  that  plants  his  vines  without  a  due  regard  to  the 
requirements  of  variety,  soil,  etc.,  will  not  meet  with  success. 

Seven  years  ago  the  planting  of  the  grape  began  quite 
largely  in  South  Florida.  A  large  acreage  was  planted, 
mostly  to  White  Niagara,  and  up  to  last  year  there  were  500 
acres  in  Orange  county  alone,  and  at  least  half  that  amount 
in  adjoining  counties. 

When  the  spring  of  ’93  opened  the  grape  growers  were  very 
sanguine  that  a  large  crop  would  bless  their  efforts  and  re¬ 
munerative  prices  be  leceived. 

The  first  shipments  to  Philadelphia  and  New  York  brought 
good  returns ;  all  subsequent  shipments  failed. 

The  best  of  packing  and  handling  by  the  grower  came  to 
naught.  Word  came  back,  “  grapes  received  in  bad  condi¬ 
tion.”  Why  was  this?  The  growers  were  obliged  to  ship 
by  express  ;  no  refrigerator  service  could  be  secured  ;  express 
car  was  hot  during  the  day  but  cool  at  night,  the  same  thing 
the  second  and  third  day  and  the  result  was  death  to  the 
business. 

This  year  not  over  one-half  of  the  vineyards  are  being 
worked,  and  lack  of  remunerative  prices  is  the  cause.  To 
make  viticulture  pay  in  Florida  one  of  two  things  must  be 
done :  there  must  be  first-class,  rapid  refrigerator  service  at 
reasonable  rates,  or  the  grapes  must  be  manufactured  into 
wine. 

From  personal  observation  and  experience  in  the  field  I 
have  come  to  the  following  conclusions  :  “  Plant  fewer  Niag' 


28 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


ara  vines,  and  on  our  sandy  soil  more  Herbemont,  Norton’s 
Virginia  and  Cynthiana;  plant  on  higher  land  than  has  been 
previously  recommended ;  use  as  a  fertilizer  plenty  of  am¬ 
monia,  phosphoric  acid  and  sulphate  of  potash  ;  work  vine- 
3^ards  using  clean  culture  up  to  June  1.  In  South  Florida 
we  must  trust  to  express  and  transportation  companies  to 
give  us  better  service  or  we  must  go  out  of  the  business.” 
These  conclusions  are  drawn  from  a  state  where  a  large  variety 
of  grapes  grow  to  perfection. 


Discussion  on  Grapes. 


Mr.  Geo.  H.  Wright — I  wish  to  state  that  Mr.  H.  P. 
Hand,  of  Daytona,  was  the  third  member  of  this  Committee 
on  Grapes.  Mr.  Stewart  wrote  me  that  he  was  an  amateur  in 
grape  growing  I  replied  that  it  was  the  amateur,  as  a  rule, 
that  brought  out  new  thoughts  and  new  ideas,  not  only  in 
grape  growing  but  in  all  planting.  I  regret  that  Mr.  Stewart 
is  not  here. 

Mr.  H.  S.  Williams — The  paper  read  by  Mr.  Wright  does 
not  show  a  very  glowing  future  for  grapes  in  South  Florida.  I 
should  like  to  hear  from  Mr.  Mellish  on  this  subject. 

Mr.  G.  W.  Mellish — I  do  not  know  that  I  have  anything  new 
to  offer.  I  presume  we  have  some  advantages  in  West  Florida 
over  South  Florida  growers.  We  are  within  twenty-four 
hours  of  Cincinnati  and  thirty-six  of  Chicago,  and  our  Niag¬ 
ara  grapes  have  been  shipped  to  both  points  without  any  re¬ 
port  of  bad  condition  when  received.  We  grow  our  grapes, 
at  least  most  of  us,  on  high  sandy  soil,  thoroughly  well 
drained,  naturally.  One  small  vineyard  was  planted  in  our 
section  on  soil  where  the  clay  was  within  possibly  a  foot  of 
the  surface  and  in  going  by  the  vineyard  one  evening  the 
owner  called  me  and  shook  the  grape  vine,  causing  the  grapes 
to  fall  to  the  ground.  I  told  him  to  come  up  to  my  place  and 
see  my  grapes.  He  did  come  and  I  took  him  out  to  the  vine¬ 
yard  and  shook  the  vines,  but  they  did  not  fall.  I  do  not 
know  the  reason  of  it  except  that  it  may  have  been  caused  by 
the  wet  weather  and  poorly  drained  soil.  I  had  used  potash 
and  that  may  have  had  something  to  do  with  it,  but  I  do  not 
know.  I  certainly  should  not  expect  profitable  returns  from 
grapes  grown  on  heavy  soil,  unless  thoroughly  drained.  The 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


29 


water  must  work  off  above  the  clay,  and  if  it  cannot  get  off 
soon  enough  the  ground  becomes  so  saturated  with  water  that 
the  grapes  drop  from  the  stem  and  those  that  remain  are  not 
of  good  quality.  Grapes  should  be  planted  on  high  soil.  On 
my  place  I  have  found  no  foundation  except  sand.  Our  ex¬ 
press  rates  are  probably  not  so  exhorbitant  as  in  South  Flor¬ 
ida.  They  are  high  enough,  but  our  returns  bring  us  a  profit, 
as  much,  perhaps,  as  is  derived  from  any  line  of  fruit  grow¬ 
ing,  all  hough  grape  growing  requires  more  attention  than 
peach  growing  in  our  vicinity.  I  have  always  had  an  idea 
tint  the  trouble  in  Sou  h  Florida  was  that  the  grapes  were 
planted  in  ground  not  well  enough  drained. 

Mr.  W.  A.  Cooper — I  would  like  to  ask  Mr.  Wright  to  ex¬ 
plain  about  the  earload  of  grapes  he  went  to  Chicago  will  from 
Orlando,  and  ab  ut  the  condition  the  grapes  were  in  that 
came  from  St.  Augustine  at  about  the  same  time.  I  read  in  a 
paper  published  at  Avon  Park  about  the  grapes  raised  round 
St.  Augustine  and  Moultrie,  and  how  very  profitable  they  are. 
I  would  like  to  have  Mr.  Wright  say  in  what  condition  he 
found  them. 

Mr.  Wright— I  do  not  like  the  idea  of  criticising  the  bus¬ 
iness  methods  of  any  one,  especially  of  those  in  a  business 
that  is  parallel  with  my  own  ;  yet,  in  answering  the  gentle¬ 
man’s  question  I  will  be  obliged  to  do  it. 

These  glowing  statements  are  not  confined  to  the  paper 
to  which  Captain  Cooper  refers.  Only  last  week  one  of  our 
evening  papers  criticised  the  knowledge  of  the  growers  of 
Orange  county  and  spoke  very  highly  of  the  experience  of 
those  in  St.  Johns  county.  (Mr.  Wright  is  from  Orange 
county.) 

I  think  it  was  on  the  29th  of  last  June  I  left  Orlando  with 
a  car  load  of  grapes  for  Chicago.  The  car  was  iced  the  day 
we  loaded  in  Orlando  and  went  out  the  same  night.  At  Bald¬ 
win  it  laid  over  twelve  hours  and  was  five  days  on  the  road. 
One  of  the  ventilators  of  the  car  was  open.  On  the  morning 
of  the  5th  of  July  I  opened  the  car  and  put  the  grapes  on  the 
market,  and  fixed  the  price  at  which  they  should  be  sold.  I 
sold  about  100  crates  that  day  at  at  an  average  of  $2.50  to 
$5  per  crate  of  24  and  40  pounds.  That  night  a  car  load  came 
in  lrom  Moultrie  by  express,  containing  between  100  and 
200  crates.  These  were  put  up  at  auction  and  sold  at  an 
average  of  $1.20  to  $1.40  a  crate. 

They  were  not  as  fine  grapes  as  ours.  There  were  no  covers 
on  the  baskets  below  the  top  tier,  and  the  baskets  were  not 
quite  full.  Of  course  this  cut  prices,  but  only  a  little.  The 
next  evening  there  was  another  car  load  and  the  following 
evening  another.  The  prices  of  those  grapes  run  down  to  40 


30 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


to  60  cents.  I  didn’t  sell  a  crate  of  our  grapes  for  less  than' 
$1.20.  The  difference  in  the  condition  in  which  they  arrived 
was  due  more  to  the  method  of  shipping  than  anything  else. 
We  have  had  discussions  at  various  times  in  our  society  in 
regard  to  leaving  some  circulation  of  air  in  the  car.  I  ob¬ 
jected  to  it,  thinking  it  would  be  damaging  to  the  grapes.  In 
the  carload  I  went  to  Chicago  with  the  grapes  in  the  end  of 
the  car  in  which  the  ventillator  was  open  were  not  as  good  as 
those  in  another  part  of  the  car. 

In  regard  to  the  failure  of  some  of  the  vineyards  in  Or¬ 
ange  county  and  in  South  Florida,  (and  I  want  to  say  right 
here  that  I  grew  grapes  thirty  years  ago  in  New  York,  I 
have  seen  gr  ipes  growing  in  Missouri,  Colorado  and  Califor¬ 
nia,  and  I  have  seen  grapes  growing  on  the  Rhine,  in  different 
localities,  and  I  think  I  know  something  about  grape  growing.) 
I  believe  the  failure  to  day  to  grow  grapes  profitably,  lies  in 
the  plan  by  which  we  are  forced  to  get  them  to  market.  I 
know  of  one  vineyard  of  110  acres,  all  Niagaras,  of  which  the 
owners  are  very  sanguine  of  successful  returns,  but  they  are 
making  arrangements  for  refrigerator  service  to  market  their 
crops.  In  the  first  place,  we  must  cool  down  the  car  before 
putting  grapes  in.  They  must  lie  in  refrigeration  twenty -four 
hours  before  they  are  loaded.  By  that  means  we  get  the  grapes 
all  cooled  through  before  they  move,  and  then  if  they  can  go 
right  through  in  the  express  trains,  or  if  fast  freight  service 
can  be  secured,  I  venture  to  say  that  grape  growing  in  South 
Florida  can  be  made  as  profitable  and  as  remunerative  as  in 
any  other  portion  of  the  state. 

As  a  rule  we  must  plant  our  grapes,  especially  the  Niagara,, 
on  higher  ground.  I  have  gone  into  nearly  every  vineyard  in 
Orange  county  with  a  view  of  seeing  what  could  be  done  with 
grape  growing  in  South  Florida,  and  I  say  in  the  paper  I  have 
read  it  is  the  method  in  which  they  are  put  into  the  market 
that  causes  the  unprofitableness  of  the  undertaking.  The 
grapes  are  put  into  hot  exprtss  cars,  piled  in  indiscriminately, 
and  some  growers  only  half  pack  them,  taking  no  pains,  and 
of  cousse  they  do  not  get  through  in  good  condition.  Our 
grapes  went  through  to  Chicago  in  better  condition  than  any 
T  saw  from  other  points.  I  went  to  the  auction  and  examined 
the  grapes,  and  those  from  other  points  did  not  come  up  to 
the  standard  of  ours.  I  also  saw  in  Chicago  some  grapes  from 
about  Tallahassee  that  went  into  Chicago  in  very  poor  condi¬ 
tion  indeed,  although  twenty-four  hours  nearer  that  market 
than  we  are.  Anyone  who  will  take  a  carload  of  grapes  and 
run  them  through  to  Chicago,  New  York,  Baltimore  or  Bos¬ 
ton  on  the  plan  that  I  have  outlined,  will  find  they  will  be  im 
perfect  condition  on  arrival  at  their  destination. 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


31 


I  have  had  some  correspondence  with,  a  gentleman  hand¬ 
ling  strawberries  about  Gainesville.  He  has  a  patent  of  his 
own  get  up  in  a  cold  storage  box  that  he  puts  in  a  car — a  com¬ 
mon  freight  car  ;  he  lets  his  car  remain  and  cool  twenty-four 
hours.  After  cooling  it  perfectly  and  thoroughly  he  puts  in 
his  fruit  and  it  goes  to  New  York  and  the  Northern  markets 
in  perfect  condition.  He  said  he  handled  grapes  in  the  same 
way  and  had  no  difficulty  whatever.  From  my  observation 
on  my  trip  to  Chicago  last  June,  from  what  I  have  seen  of 
grape  marketing  in  other  ways,  and  from  experience  of  our 
method  of  shipping  for  two  years  now  in  express  cars,  I  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  this  is  the  difficulty  and  about 
the  only  one.  Grapes  in  our  hot  climate  ripen  when  the 
weather  is  hot  and  moist,  and  we  must  have  some  means  of 
cooling  the  grapes  down  before  they  are  started  in  transit, 
else  they ‘will  rot  on  the  way.  I  d^  not  believe  to-day  that 
there  is  an  investment  that  a  man  can  go  into,  if  he  under¬ 
stands  the  business,  which  would  be  more  paying  than  grape 
growing,  if  the  right  kind  of  transportation  can  be  obtained 
to  put  the  grapes  in  the  Northern  markets.  We  could  not 
get  refrigerator  cars  for  love  or  m  mey;  at  least,  that  has 
been  the  experience  of  the  past.  We  must  have  a  fast,  reli¬ 
able  refrigerator  service  or  make  our  grapes  into  wine. 

Mr.  G.  P.  Healy — I  would  like  to  ask  a  question.  Do  you 
find  that  you  get  remunerative  prices  for  the  grapes  that  go 
through  in  g  >od  order  ? 

Mr.  Wright — Yes,  sir;  this  has  been  my  experience  and  it 
cannot  be  otherwise.  If  the  grapes  reach  the  markets  in 
good  condition  you  will  get  good  prices.  I  want  to  say  one 
thing.  I  do  not  ship  white  grapes  to  Chicago.  You  can  send 
them  to  Philadelphia,  New  York  or  Boston  and  get  good 
prices.  I  have  had  my7  grapes  bring  me  thirty  cents  a  pound 
in  New  York  and  Loston. 

Mr.  Healy — I  would  like  to  ask  if  that  was  last  year. 

Mr.  Wright — Last  year  I  got  twenty-two  cents  for  the  first 
shipments  that  went  through  and  they  were  not  thoroughly 
ripe. 

Mr.  Healy — I  would  like  to  ask  Mr.  Wright  if  it  is  a  fact 
that  all  of  the  grapes  of  South  Florida  that  went  into  the 
Northern  markets  in  good  condition  sold  at  paying  prices. 

Mr.  Wright— As  far  as  I  know  they  did. 

Mr.  Healy — What  were  the  prices  ? 

Mr.  Wright — Eight  to  ten  cents  per  pound.  I  can  grow 
grapes  in  Florida  as  cheap  as  I  can  in  New  York  state. 

Mr.  Healy — I  sent  my  grapes  to  the  Northern  markets. 
They  went  through  in  good  order  ;  I  did  not  have  any  re¬ 
ported  in  bad  order.  They  went  there  in  good  time  and  they 

3 


o  Zi 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


did  not  go  through  the  Grape  Growers’  association,  and  I  got 
what  would  be  considered  for  an  orange  grower  about  three 
and  a  half  cents  a  box.  I  do  not  think  they  paid  over  that. 
You  pay  the  express  company  four  cents  and  you  pay  four 
cents  for  cultivation,  packing,  etc.,  and  then  sell  for  ten  cents 
a  pound.  I  cann*»t  for  the  life  of  me  see  where  the  profit 
comes  in.  1  failed  to  find  a  dollar  in  it.  I  agree  with  Mr. 
Mellish  that  the  grapes  on  the  high  lands  are  the  grapes  that 
will  stay  on  the  stems.  If  an3r  man  is  paying  four  cents  a 
pound  to  transport  his  grapes,  and  four  cents  more  to  have 
them  picked,  and  carried  to  his  packing  house  and  taken  on 
board  the  car,  he  can  do  more  than  I  can  if  he  makes  any¬ 
thing  out  of  the  grapes.  At  these  prices  I  do  not  believe  he 
can  do  it.  This  great  hue  and  cry  they  are  raising  at  St. 
Augustine  about  grapes  is  misleading.  It  is  going  to  carry 
people  into  the  business  and  they  are  going  to  get  hurt  when 
they  go  into  that  business.  I  got  hurt,  and  got  hurt  badly, 
and  a  surgical  operation  could  not  put  me  on  my  feet.  I  met 
Mr.  Terry  at  St.  Augustine;  he  then  had  sent  off  two  carloads 
and  had  one  at  the  depot.  They  were  badly  packed.  They 
were  not  as  good  as  the  South  Florida  grapes.  He  had  not 
received  any  returns,  but  that  night,  at  the  hotel,  he  received 
a  telegram  stating  that  they  had  been  received  in  bad  order, 
and  he  stopped  shipping.  He  is  now  going  int  >  making 
wine.  Now,  the  objection  I  make  to  all  this  is  that  we  are 
rgoing  to  lead  some  poor  fellow  into  this  business  to  put  his 
last  dollar  where  I  put  mine.  Look  at  the  ridiculous  posi¬ 
tion  !  To  invite  the  horticulturists  of  Florida  to  go  into 
the  grape  growing  business  !  It  is  a  mistake  to  induce  the 
horticulturists  of  Florida  to  go  into  something  out  of  which 
they  will  not  get  a  dollar.  The  institution  at  Lockport 
(Niagara  Grape  Company)  got  all  the  loose  change  I  had, 
and  I  do  not  want  anybody  else  to  go  the  rond  that  I  have 
gone.  Look  at  my  vineyard  and  look  at  my  bank  account. 

Mr.  Cooper  — I  was  crippled  a  little  in  the  grape  business. 
I  swallowed  a  bait  on  the  grape  question.  I  got  Col.  Bailey 
to  look  at  my  ground.  He  said  it  was  a  splendid  place  for 
grapes.  I  put  out  about  eight  acres.  Last  year  I  shipped 
some  grapes  and  my  profit  was  two  2-cent  stamps.  I  have 
framed  those  stamps  and  have  them  hanging  in  my  office.  I 
have  plowed  all  my  grape  vines  up.  I  tried  to  give  the  vines 
away  but  nobody  would  take  them.  For  goodness  sake  never 
say  grapes  to  me  again. 

Mr.  Healy— The  matter  of  associations  has  come  to  my 
m  nd.  Where  I  marketed  most  of  my  grapes  I  was  obliged 
to  ship  to  an  association  house.  I  was  guaranteed  8  percent, 
commission,  but  was  charged  12  per  cent.  If  I  had  been 


FLORIDA.  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


33 


•charged  10  per  cent.  I  would  have  had  2  per  cent.  left.  I  had 
taken  so  much  medicine  I  thought  I  could  take  some  more. 
I  am  just  as  much  opposed  to  associations  as  I  am  to  grape 
growing. 

Mr.  Mott — I  would  like  to  ask  Mr.  Cooper  if  he  ever 
raised  a  bunch  of  grapes  in  his  vineyard  all  the  berries  of 
which  were  good  enough  to  eat. 

Mr.  Cooper — Certainly,  I  have,  especially  on  that  portion 
of  my  place  called  the  “Camden  Plac j.”  I  have  raised  as 
fine  grapes  there  as  you- ever  saw.  The  vines  are  very  vigor¬ 
ous. 

Mr.  Mott — I  have  thought  we  could  raise  good  grapes  in 
Florida,  and  I  think  so  yet,  but  we  have  got  to  import  the 
man  to  raise  them.  The  men  who  have  been  raising  grapes 
around  Orlando  cannot  do  it.  They  have  picked  out  the  land 
that  has  been  under  water ;  land  that  it  was  never  intended 
should  be  planted  with  grapes.  They  have  cleared  out  the 
swamps  and  planted,  and  I  am  not  surprised  at  the  failures 
we  have  heard  of  and  are  hearing  of.  They  planted  grapes  on 
land  that  nothing  else  would  grow  on.  A  gentleman  at 
Haines  City  by  the  name  of  Dodson  has  four  acres  in  grapes 
and  he  told  me  that  his  grapes  were  perfect  last  year,  and 
that  he  shipped  them  and  got  good  prices  for  them,  and  that 
they  were  all  gone  before  he  began  to  ship  from  around 
Orlando. 

Mr.  Wright — I  think  you  will  admit  that  I  have  not  made 
a  very  flowery  report  to-night.  I  did  not  propose  to  make  one 
that  would  lead  people  into  the  crape-growing  business  until 
they  knew  what  thay  wanted.  It  is  a  fact  that  the  finest  grapes 
I  have  ever  seen  growing  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  were 
those  I  have  seen  grown  in  South  Florida. 

There  were  a  great  many  men  who  grew  grapes  around 
Orlando  a  few  years  ago  who  did  not  understand  the  proper 
mode  of  spraying  the  grapes  and  the  result  was  mildew  got 
away  with  a  good  many  of  them.  I  have  used  a  mixture  I 
consider  quite  efficient.  Making  and  applying  this  mixture 
is  a  nice  job.  You  put  the  sulphate  of  copper  on  the  lime 
after  it  is  all  dis-olved,  and  you  ruin  it,  but  if  you  put  the 
lime  on  the  copper  it  is  all  right.  You  have  to  use  the  mixture 
as  a  preventive,  not  as  a  cure,  and  then  you  can  make  as  per¬ 
fect  grapes  in  South  Florida  as  you  can  in  Missouri,  in  New 
York  or  anywhere.  I  have  not  made  a  favorable  report,  but 
at  the  same  time  I  do  not  want  to  say  that  there  is  any  diffi¬ 
culty  in  growing  first  class  grapes  in  South  Florida,  but  the 
main  trouble  is  in  getting  them  to  market.  You  want  to  get 
them  there  in  first-class  condition,  and  the  returns  will  be 
satisfactory.  When  the  question  of  transportation  is  solved 


34 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OP  THE 


everything  is  all  right,  as  far  as  I  can  see.  I  can  then  grow 
grapes  and  make  money  out  of  them.  I  do  not  advise  any 
man  to  go  into  grape  growing  unless  he  has  circumstances, 
varieties,  soils,  etc.,  in  his  favor. 

Lyman  Phelps — About  sixteen  years  ago,  after  having 
been  brought  up  in  the  grape  region  of  Central  New  York, 
I  undertook  to  grow  grapes  in  Orange  county.  I  tried  it 
about  four  years  in  a  small  way.  I  spent  a  thousand  dollars 
and  received  nothing  for  my  efforts.  I  got  nothing  back. 

W.  H.  Mann — I  gathered  a  box  of  white  grapes  last  year 
in  July,  and  kept  those  grapes  for  two  weeks  and  they  kept 
good  and  sound.  I  think  something  might  be  made  out  of 
grape  growing  in  South  Florida. 

R.  W.  Pierce  — Where  can  grapes  be  grown  if  not  in 
Florida?  I  was  in  California  last  year  and  I  saw  the  China¬ 
men  there  taking  the  vines  through  the  streets  for  fire  wood. 
This  did  not  seem  to  me  to  prove  that  grapes  were  so  very 
profitable  there. 

Replying  to  a  number  of  questions,  Mr.  Wright  said:  As 
fine  grapes  as  I  ever  saw  in  my  life,  and  I  have  seen  a  great 
many,  I  have  grown  in  South  Florida.  I  use  a  fertilizer  with 
plenty  of  ammonia,  some  phosphoric  acid  and  a  little  potash, 
one-half  pound  to  the  vine,  annually.  Forty  pounds  of  grapes 
to  the  vine  a  little  over  three  years  old  is  what  I  have  pro¬ 
duced  in  my  vineyard.  In  South  Florida  the  vineyards  are 
worked  with  clean  culture  up  to  June  1st. 

I  believe  that  on  most  of  our  flat  lands  in  South  Florida  the 
Niagara  will  be  short-lived.  I  have  a  row  of  the  Duchess,  and 
they  are  very  productive.  There  are  several  objections  to 
this  variety.  One  is  they  are  too  productive.  You  have  to 
thin  them  out  or  reduce  the  quantity  by  short  pruning. 
Again,  as  they  begin  to  ripen  they  begin  to  shed.  The  Cyn- 
thiana,  Herbemont  and  Norton’s  Virginia  all  do  well  enough 
on  high  land.  The  Herbemont  and  Cynthiana  succeed  better 
in  South  Florida  than  they  do  in  the  Tallahassee  region,  and 
there  is  no  reason  why  these  grapes  should  not  be  grown 
profitably  if,  as  I  said,  the  proper  means  of  transportation 
can  be  secured. 

I  want  to  say  a  word  in  regard  to  a  gentleman  who  is  grow¬ 
ing  grapes  near  Winter  Park.  He  has  foreign  varieties  as- 
well  as  American  varieties,  but  he  believes  as  I  do  that  he 
will  have  to  put  the  white  grapes  into  wine. 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


35 


Pineapples. 


The  Committee  on  Tropical  Fruits  presenting  no  report  when 
this  topic  was  reached,  the  President  said  : 

This  afternoon  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Mr.  Thomas 
E.  Richards  of  Eden,  called  the  “Pineapple  King  of  Florida.” 
No  doubt  the  society  would  lik*?  to  hear  from  him. 

Mr.  Richards — I  suppose  1  am  appointed  to  represent  the 
poor  “king.”  1  was  not  brought  up  to  make  speeches.  Four¬ 
teen  years  ago  I  came  from  Little  Jersey  to  the  Indian  River 
country  and  went  to  growing  pines.  I  have  made  consider¬ 
able  success  at  it.  Unlike  tiie  Niagara  grape  growers  we  do 
get  some  returns  from  our  fruit.  I  have  been  growing  pine¬ 
apples  for  fourteen  years,  and  I  think  it  is  a  better  industry 
to-day  than  it  was  fourteen  years  ago,  and  the  prospects  are 
that  it  will  continue  to  be  better.  We  have  been  handicapped 
by  lack  of  proper  transportation.  Our  fruit  would  break 
down  in  transit,  but  at  the  present  time  we  have  very  good 
facilities  for  shipping,  and  we  can  let  our  fruit  get  thor¬ 
oughly  ripe  before  shipping  to  New  York  and  the  eastern 
markets.  We  get  better  prices  than  formerly.  I  think  there 
is  room  for  others  in  the  industry.  If  }rou  are  going  to  give 
up  grapes  come  down  and  try  pineapples. 

The  President — There  are  a  good  many  of  us  who  want 
pineapples,  not  particularly  to  compete  with  your  market,  but 
for  home  market. 

Mr.  Richards — In  that  case  I  think  the  best  way  would  be 
to  send  down  our  way  for  them.  It  is  quite  a  story  to  tell 
the  whole  mode  of  cultivation  of  the  pine.  I  do  not  think  I 
would  like  to  take  up  that  much  time. 

C.  F.  A.  Bielby — Mr.  Richards,  this  is  just  what  we  all 
want  to  know. 

Mr.  Richards — You  will  find  that  you  cannot  plant  the 
pineapple  where  there  is  any  frost,  yet  we  do  not  claim  to  be 
below  the  frost  line.  Poor  scrub  land  with  plenty  of  spruce 
pine  on  it  is  good  enough  for  pineapple  growing.  That  is  the 
kind  of  land  our  fruit  is  planted  upon  principally. 

H.  S.  Williams— Tell  us  something  about  the  varieties  you 
are  growing. 

Mr.  Richards — We  plant  the  Spanish  pine,  the  Strawberry 


36 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


pine  and  the  Egyptian  Queen.  These  are  the  best  and  most 
successful.  The  other  varieties  are  troubled  by  the  red  spi¬ 
der  and  are  not  so  successful.  We  plant  from  ten  to  sixteen 
thousand  plants  to  the  acre.  It  costs  in  the  neighborhood  of 
$300  to  grub  the  land  and  get  it  in  condition,  set  out  the 
plants,  pay  for  them,  take  care  of  them  and  fertilize  them 
until  they  fruit,  which  takes  about  two  years.  I  refer  to  the 
Strawberry  and  Spanish  pines.  The  first  year  about  90  per 
cent,  of  the  plants  fruit,  and  the  second  year  we  get  about 
two  pines  for  each  plant  set.  If  the  fruit  is  well  fertilized 
and  cared  for  it  will  average  about  sixty  to  the  crate.  Last 
year  I  realized  about  $4.50  per  crate,  net.  If  you  want  to  go 
into  the  business  come  down  into  our  country. 

A.  H.  Martin — Something  has  been  said  about  the  grape 
being  planted  in  the  swamps  and  I  know  that  pineapples  are 
planted  in  the  swamps.  What  kind  of  land  should  pines  have, 
Mr.  Richards  ? 

Mr.  Richards — Pretty  good  sand.  They  will  not  grow  in 
swamp  land  and  they  do  not  want  any  water.  The  pineapple 
is  built  for  a  dry  country,  and  if  you  will  notice  the  plant  you 
will  see  the  peculiar  formation  of  the  leaves  or  stems,  which 
seem  to  be  made  to  catch  and  absorb  moisture  from  the  at¬ 
mosphere.  They  get  plenty  of  dew  and  do  not  need  much 
rain.  If  you  wiil  examine  a  growing  pineapple  early  in  the 
morning  vou  will  find  that  the  leaves  are  full  of  water. 

Mr.  Williams — I  remember  as  far  back  as  1814,  when  the 
first  pineapple  in  our  section  bloomed,  it  was  a  great  curiosity; 
people  came  for  fifty  miles  to  see  that  pineapple  growing;, 
that  was  the  first  effort  to  grow  the  fruit  in  that  section,  and 
it  is  wonderful  what  strides  have  been  made.  I  took  a  trip 
to  Lake  Worth  last  summer  and  stopped  at  Mr.  Richards’ 
place.  The  varieties  I  grew  vvere  the  Red  Spanish,  and  up 
to  1886  I  made  quite  a  success  of  growing  pines.  I  had  a 
home  market  for  all  I  could  grow,  and  I  had  a  compliment, 
paid  me  by  a  lady  who  said  that  my  fruit  was  the  first  she 
had  ever  eat  without  sugar.  The  freeze  of  1886  gave  pineapple 
culture  at  Rockledge  a  black  eye  from  which  it  has  not  re¬ 
covered,  but  the  lands  about  Jensen,  Eden  and  St.  Lucie  are 
to-day  as  valuable  as  any  lands  in  the  state  of  Florida,  and  as 
Mr.  Richards  says,  the  lands  there  that  produce  the  spruce  pine 
have  been  found  the  best  for  pineapples.  The  pineapples 
growing  around  Jensen  were  a  picture  to  look  at.  On  level 
ground  you  could  see  acre  a'ter  acre,  and  I  consider  that  that, 
industry  is  going  to  be  the  most  profitable  of  auy  industry  in 
the  state.  There  is  one  objection  to  the  Indian  River  coun¬ 
try  ;  there  are  too  many  mosquitoes. 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


37 


Mr.  Phelps — Mr.  Richards,  does  the  Abakka  pine  grow 
in  your  section  successfully  ? 

Mr,  Richards — It  does  very  well.  We  grow  plenty  of 
them,  but  we  never  try  to  ship  them  to  Northern  markets. 

Mr.  Phelps— I  never  got  so  much  off  a  small  space  as  I  did 
off  pineapples,  but  in  1886  I  went  to  pieces  on  pineapples  and 
have  never  tried  them  since.  There  is  no  question  that  a 
heavy  frost  will  play  havoc  with  and  will  ruin  a  pineapple 
plantation.  There  is  another  quality  of  the  pineapple  and  a 
very  important  one,  which  should  not  be  lost  sight  of.  Years 
ago  I  used  the  pine  as  part  of  my  food.  I  thrived  on  it.  It 
is  readily  and  easily  assimilated.  One  of  the  best  known 
chemical  companies  in  the  United  States  to-day  has  begun  to 
put  up  a  plant  in  Mexico  which  will  cost  thousands  of  dollars 
to  grow  pines  simply  for  the  use  that  can  be  made  of  them  in 
medicine  and  to  produce  a  free-  digesting  food  that  can  be 
taken  up  into  the  blood  without  any  action  of  the  stomach.  I 
investigated  thoroughly  the  properties  of  the  pineapple  some 
years  ago,  aud  I  can  say  that  this  fruit  is  next  to  fresh  beef 
in  nutritive  qualities.  This  chemical  company  has  selected 
Mexico  for  its  plant  as  being  more  of  an  even  climate.  They 
are  going  to  put  up  food  that  will  make  lean  people  fat  in  a 
very  short  time.  It  is  easily  digested  and  is  preferable  to 
fresh  meat.  It  is  in  the  form  of  a  syrup.  The  industry  is  in 
its  infancy.  I  look  forward  to  more  results  from  the  pine  in 
that  direction  than  I  do  to  the  pine  being  consumed  at  the 
table. 

0.  P.  Rooks — I  have  a  neighbor  who  claims  that  he  has  had 
dyspepsia  for  twenty  years,  and  there  is  no  food  or  fruit  that 
he  c^n  eat  with  as  much  relish  as  the  pineapple.  He  states 
that  when  the  pineapple  season  is  on  he  has  no  disturbances 
from  his  complaint  because  he  then  eats  the  pine,  I  have 
been  raising  pines  for  fifteen  years.  Even  tv,e  freeze  of  1886 
did  not  break  me  up.  My  place  is  four  miles  from  Leesburg. 
I  gathered  two  elegant  pines  this  morning  We  h*ve  twenty 
varieties  and  they  all  seem  to  be  doing  fairly  well.  The 
large  varieties  do  not  seem  to  do  as  well  as  the  Queen.  We 
plant  under  protection.  We  put  up  a  rough  shed  and  cover 
that  with  pine  straw  as  a  protection  against  frost.  Pine  stiaw 
that  is  used  during  the  wimer  can  be  put  round  fruit  trees. 
Wherever  the  pineapples  have  been  planted  out  trees  are  do¬ 
ing  much  better  than  elsewhere.  I  have  doubled  the  crop  of 
fruit  where  the  pineapples  have  been  planted.  There  is  one 
idea  that  Mr.  Richards  advances  and  that  is  that  sand  is  abso¬ 
lutely  necessary.  My  land  has  a  clay  sub  soil  from  two  to 
six  feet  down  and  the  pines  do  well.  I  have  raised  pineapples 


38 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


weighing  ten  pounds,  and  this  fruit  has  been  as  profitable  as 
anything  I  have  ever  raised  on  my  place,  I  believe  that 
in  our  section  of  the  country  (Lake  county)  every  farmer  and 
grower  should  have  a  patch  of  pineapples  for  his  own  use. 
When  it  is  thoroughly  ripe  it  is  a  delicious  fruit,  as  much  so 
■Sis  any  that  can  be  had.  These  pineapples  that  we  pick  green 
and  ship  are  not  of  a  very  fine  flavor  when  they  do  ripen. 
People  do  not  like  the  taste  of  them.  People  are  going  into 
pines  extensively  and  there  seems  to  be  a  great  deal  of  trouble 
in  getting  slips.  A  gentleman  told  me  to  day  that  he  had  150 
acres  under  cultivation,  and  he  was  thinking  of  putting  out 
all  of  it  in  pineapples.  The  matter  of  transportation  facilities 
is  also  a  troublesome  question.  Mr.  Plant  has  opened  up  a 
a  st  eamship  line  to  the  tropical  regions,  Jamaica  and  the  south, 
and  in  view  of  the  competition  from  the  West  Indies,  I  do  not 
know  where  we  will  be  after  awhile.  Unless  transportation 
matters  improve  I  am  afraid  we  will  be  run  out  of  the  busi¬ 
ness. 

Mr.  Phelps — It  is  not  well  to  cross  bridges  before  we 
get  to  them.  I  have  great  faith  in  what  Mr.  Flagler  says  and 
he  says  he  is  going  to  build  further  down  into  the  state.  Re¬ 
ferring  again  to  the  medicinal  qualities  of  the  pineapple:  I 
think  the  time  has  come  for  us  to  realize  that  there  is  nothing 
so  eloquent  as  the  truth,  and  the  simple  truth  should  be  told 
of  the  climate  of  Florida.  I  came  to  this  state  as  an  invalid. 
I  respect  the  state.  I  have  been  sick  in  the  last  eighteen 
months,  and  I  have  been  told  again  and  again  that  I  would 
not  live  long,  but  I  am  living  and  strong  to-day.  There  are 
plants  that  grow  in  Florida  that  will  cure  almost  any  disease. 
You  should  all  understand  what  your  systems  need.  After 
going  through  a  very  trying  year  and  not  knowing  what  made 
me  sick,  I  am  up  again  and  on  my  feet  and  ready  to  work, 
almost.  I  say  to  you  that  the  pineapple  and  the  fig  are  pre¬ 
eminently  the  food  for  this  climate.  Those  two  things  are 
worth  more  as  food  than  anything  else,  but  they  want  to  be 
ripe  fruit,  not  green.  Unripe  fruit  is  not  good  for  the  stom¬ 
ach  and  the  acid  of  such  fruit  is  irritating.  The  acid  of  ripe 
fruits  is  all  healthful.  Yo  food  or  fruit  is  equal  to  the  pine¬ 
apple.  I  do  not  think  we  can  raise  pines  where  there  is  frost 
in  the  air  to  compete  with  the  lower  part  of  the  state.  I  have 
kept  a  record  for  forty  years  and  it  is  very  interesting  to  me 
to  studv  the  records  of  the  barometer  and  the  thermometer, 
and  I  have  learned  a  great  many  things  from  this  systematic 
study.  The  question  of  Orlando  has  been  brought  up.  I  have 
resided  in  Orange  county  twenty  years.  There  are  .places 
near  that  town  where  pineapples  have  been  planted  and  grow 
so  luxuriously  that  in  going  through  the  country  in  my  buggy 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


39 


I  have  had  to  stand  on  the  seat.  I  have  never  advised  any 
man  to  invest  one  dollar  in  Florida  until  he  came  to  look  at 
it  and  get  advice  from  the  men  in  the  community  in  which  he 
desired  to  locate.  I  say  that  I  have  more  than  made  a  living 
in  the  state  by  my  efforts,  and  I  propose  to  stick  to  it. 

Mr.  Richards — I  have  been  asked  how  long  a  pineapple 
plantation  would  stand.  I  must  say  I  have  not  been  in  the 
business  long  enough  to  know.  I  haye  been  at  it  fourteen 
years  and  I  have  plants  growing  yet  and  they  do  better  to-day 
than  they  did  five  years  ago.  All  that  is  necessary  is  atten¬ 
tion  and  plenty  of  fertilizer  to  make  them  last  an  indefinite 
period.  Use  phosphate  (Florida  soft  phosphate  ground  and 
dried,)  potash  (derived  from  kanit  and  cotton  seed  meal);  that 
makes  a  cymplcte  fertilizer.  My  pineapple  plants  bear  all 
the  year.  „  I  have  shipped  a  good  many  in  the  winter.  The 
new  ones  come  on  in  the  summer.  We  plant  about  16,000  to 
the  acre.  When  the  plants  are  two  years  old  we  get  from  200 
to  300  per  cent,  and  we  get  less  after  t  hat. 

Speaking  of  the  pineapple  being  a  good  medicine  for  indi¬ 
gestion,  I  found  out  long  ago  that  the  pineapple  was  a  good 
medicine,  and  when  I  came  to  Florida  I  was  a  dyspeptic,  but 
I  am  not  now.  When  I  can  get  a  good  ripe  pineapple  to  eat 
I  do  not  have  indigestion. 

Mr.  Rooks — If  I  understand  correctly  the  captain  states  he 
plants  16,000  pineapple  plants  to  the  acre;  the  first  year  they 
will  average  60  per  cent,  in  fruit;  the  second  year  from  200  to 
300  per  cent.  Do  I  understand  that  in  the  second  year  they 
will  produce  from  thirty  to  forty  thousand  apples  to  the 
acre  ? 

Mr.  Richards — The  first  year  they  produce  90  per  cent, 
and  the  second  year  they  will  produce  300  per  cent. 

Mr.  Rooks — You  plant  16,000  plants  to  the  acre? 

Mr.  Richards — Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  Rooks — That  is  45,000  apples  the  second  year.  I  can¬ 
not  raise  it  on  my  ground. 

Mr.  Richards — Some  of  myr  plants  have  five  to  six  apples 
on  them. 

Mr.  Rooks — I  could  never  do  that.  I  would  like  to  ask 
Mr.  Martin  if  he  is  acquainted  with  the  character  of  the  land 
that  Mr.  Russell  has. 

Mr.  Martin — It  is  dry  land. 

Mr.  Rooks — I  remember  visiting  his  place  once,  but  it  ap¬ 
peared  to  me  that  the  land  was  swampy. 

Mr.  Martin — His  place  was  on  wet  land.  It  has  been 
thoroughly  drained.  It  is  rich,  good  land. 


40 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


Mr.  Rooks — I  would  like  to  know  the  best  kind  of  fertil¬ 
izer  to  use.  I  have  used  fertilizers  that  are  prepared  for  the 
orange  trees  on  my  pineapples.  It  has  a  wonderful  effect  on 
my  orange  trees  and  on  the  oranges.  My  pines  are  planted 
about  two  to  three  feet  apart .  All  the  plants  I  got  from  the 
Indian  River  country  had  the  mealy  bugs.  Something  de¬ 
stroyed  them ;  I  do  not  know  what.  I  have  none  now.  I 
do  not  know  what  the  cure  was. 

Mr.  Richards — The  fertilizer  I  mentioned  is  the  best.  I  do 
not  know  what  killed  out  your  mealybugs.  We  are  not 
troubled  by  them. 

Gf.  P.  Healy — I  would  like  to  ask  Mr.  Richards  if  he  has  any 
difficulty  with  the  stem  rot  in  his  pines. 

Mr.  Richards — The  stem  rot  is  caused  by  the  red  spider. 
The  spider  works  round  the  root  of  the  plant  and  causes  them 
to  rot  off.  I  do  not  know  what  the  remedy  is.  I  have  no 
red  spiders  because  I  do  not  plant  the  varieties  they  infest. 


The  Kaki— Japan  Persimmon. 


The  Committee  on  Kaki  submitt  ing  no  report,  the  subject 
was  taken  up  and  discussed  as  follows  : 

C.  F.  A.  Bielby — 1  think  almost  every  one  present  has  an 
interest  in  this  subject,  and  it  would  be  gratifying  to  every¬ 
one  here  to  hear  from  those  who  have  raised  Japan  persim¬ 
mons  and  of  their  successes.  There  is  no  question  about  the 
possibilities  of  raising  the  fruit,  nor  is  there  question  about 
the  quality  of  it,  but  how  to  prepare  it  so  that  in  getting  it  to 
market  it  may  be  presented  sound  and  whole  and  induce  the 
people  of  the  consuming  portion  of  the  country  to  purchase 
it,  is  the  only  question  we  have  much  interest  in.  I  shipped 
quite  a  large  quantity  last  year,  and  every  box  I  was  able  to 
put  in  the  market  sound,  sold  for  a  very  good  price;  but  un¬ 
fortunately  I  do  not  seem  to  have  the  knack  of  putting  it  up 
so  that  it  will  go  to  the  market  in  good  shape.  Pack  it  ever  so> 
green,  or  as  ripe  as  I  might,  it  would  always  reach  the  mar¬ 
kets  in  bad  order.  On  the  whole  the  shipments  were  disas¬ 
trous.  If  anybody  here  knows  how  to  ship  it  so  that  the 


FLORIDA  STATE-  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


41 


fruit  will  arrive  at  market  in  good  order,  we  will  be  pleased 
to  hear  from  him. 

C.  A.  Hasenyager — I  shipped  some  last  year.  I  wrapped 
them  and  packed  them  in  half  boxes,  the  same  as  we  use  for 
oranges,  and  they  sold  in  Philadelphia  for  $3. 75  per  box.  1 
picked  them  some  time  after  Christmas,  but  the  early  ones  1 
have  not  succeeded  in  marketing  yet.  They  were  very  hard, 
and  I  kept  some  of  the  fruit  three  weeks  before  it  was  fit  to 
eat.  I  wrote  small  cards  and  cautioned  the  dealer  that  they 
must  be  kept  until  they  were  soft  before  they  were  ready  for 
the  consumer.  They  sold  well. 

S.  S.  Harvey — I  have  made  an  effort  to  raise  a  small  grove, 
having  just  lately  become  interested  in  the  fruit.  I  have  set 
out  about  three  acres.  I  have  raised  a  few  trees.  I  shipped 
some  fruit  to  Chicago  last  year.  They  would  ship  round  the 
world.  As  the  gentleman  has  just  said  it  takes  two  weeks 
for  them  to  get  fit  to  eat.  The  difficulty  I  found  in  the  first 
shipments  was  that  nobody  knew  how  to  eat  them  or  when  to 
eat  them,  but  they  are  learning  rapidly  in  the  western  cities.. 
There  is  quite  a  difference  this  year.  I  shipped  my  fruit  in 
the  Sinclair  boxes.  They  went  to  Chicago  in  good  condition 
and  they  brought  me  an  average  of  to  2f  cents  apiece.  I 
had  one  tree  with  185  fruits  one  year,  another  235.  The 
trees  were  about  lour  years  old,  possibly  five,  but  there  was 
not  the  slightest  difficulty  about  shipping  and  reaching  the 
market  in  fine  condition.  I  think  that  if  we  make  a  success 
of  this  fruit  it  will  be  necessary  to  print  a  slip  giving  direc¬ 
tions  in  regard  to  using  it,  and  put  in  each  box  shipped,  cer¬ 
tainly  for  a  year.  My  commission  man  in  Chicago  tells  me 
that  the  fruit  men  buy  them  to  ornament  their  stalls.  From 
my  sales  last  year  I  was  encouraged  to  plant,  aud  I  think  it 
will  be  a  good  paying  fruit.  I  had  a  difficulty  in  growing  the 
trees,  as  I  found  there  was  some  insect  that  attacked  the 
leaves  and  curled  them  up.  I  used  a  solution  of  tobacco  and 
got  rid  of  the  insects  and  have  had  no  trouble  about  the  curl¬ 
ing  of  leaves  since. 

G.  P.  Healy — I  would  like  to  ask  the  gentleman  how  many 
are  consumed  in  ornamenting  ? 

Mr.  Harvey — I  do  not  think  that  is  a  matter  of  any  mo¬ 
ment.  I  think  the  consumers  are  rapidly  learning  to  know 
the  fruit.  My  commission  man  informed  me  that  they  read¬ 
ily  sold  in  the  California  market  in  20-pound  peach  boxes 
last  season  for  $3.50  to  $3.75. 

T.  K.  Godbey — I  have  been  growing  the  persimmon  for 
about  seven  years.  I  had,  I  think,  the  first  fruit  planted  in 
the  state.  I  now  have  about  500  trees.  I  have  never  had 


42 


SEVFNTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


•any  trouble  in  shipping  them.  I  have  only  shipped  a  few.  I 
have  found  a  good  market  near  home.  Sometimes,  though,  I 
overstock  the  home  market.  Last  year  I  did  not  have  a  very 
large  crop  and  about  the  first  of  November  I  shipped  a  box 
{what  would  be  an  orange  box)  with  my  first  shipment  of  or¬ 
anges  to  Chattanooga,  Tenn.  They  were  15  days  on  the 
road.  They  arrived  in  Tennessee  and  sold  for  $2,  net.  That 
is  what  was  equal  to  an  orange  box.  I  have  shipped  them  to 
New  York  and  got  $3,  net,  about  as  well  as  I  have  ever  done. 
The  trees  are  very  prolific  with  me,  but  I  find  this  trouble: 
They  are  liable  to  be  damaged  by  late  frosts  and  if  the  tree 
is  the  least  bit  damaged  the  worms  will  get  into  it  and  kill  it. 
When  the  tree  gets  old  the  worms  will  also  get  into  it.  Aou 
can  depend  on  a  tree  living  only  a  little  while — not  more  than 
three  or  four  crops  will  be  produced.  There  is  one  worm  that 
gets  in  at  the  roots,  but  the  others  get  in  through  the  bark, 
and  they  kill  the  tree.  I  have  decided  that  in  a  commercial 
way  the  Japan  persimmon  will  not  do  to  depend  upon.  I 
have  made  some  money  out  of  them  but  do  not  set  much 
store  by  them.  I  am  afraid  to  trust  them.  It  is  true  that 
the  stump  will  always  sprout  up  and  you  can  regraft  that  and 
get  another  tree  in  a  short  while,  but  that  will  also  die.  My 
first  trees  were  set  out  twelve  years  ago  and  they  have 
gone  down  three  times  to  the  stumps.  The  bulk  dre  only 
five  or  six  years  old  and  many  are  badly  affected  with  the 
worms, 

C.  A.  Bacon — I  have  a  few  of  the  persimmon  trees  and 
what  I  have  have  been  very  successful.  I  have  three  varie¬ 
ties.  The  best  is  acorn-shaped  and  very  large.  Some  of  that 
variety  have  weighed  a  pound.  They  are  very  fine.  I  am 
not  acquainted  with  the  insect  that  gets  into  the  root.  I 
have  used  kerosene  for  killing  the  borer,  both  in  peach  and 
persimmon  trees.  At  Holly  Hill  Mr.  Harris  went  into  the 
persimmon  business  quite  extensively.  The  last  conversa¬ 
tion  I  had  with  him  was  two  years  ago.  He  said  then  that 
the  twig-borer  and  the  wood-pecker  would  ruin  ihe  fruit.  I 
should  be  sorry  to  have  this  fruit  cried  down.  It  is  the  most 
perfect  fruit,  I  think,  grown  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  It  is  a 
delicious  fruit  and  “fit  for  the  gods.” 

Lyman  Phelps — The  gentleman  gave  the  name  of  the 
fruit  when  he  said  it  was  “fit  for  the  gods.”  The  fruit  is  no 
more  liable  to  the  attacks  of  insects  than  any  other  trees  that 
grow .  1  have  a  persimmon  tree  that  has  been  fruiting  for 

me  for  twelve  or  thirteen  years.  Last  year  I  picked  off  fruit 
equal  in  quantity  to  ten  boxes  of  oranges,  and  it  is  quite 
healthy  still.  I  do  not  know  much  about  Japan  persimmons. 
I  got  some  new  varieties  year  before  last  from  California  that 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


43 


came  direct  from  Japan.  The  fruit  is  not  as  difficult  to  grow 
as  peaches. 

A.  G.  AyERY — I  have  eaten  as  many  as  six  varieties  of  this 
fruit  and  they  are  of  different,  taste  and  flavor.  The  fruit 
wants  to  be  kept  from  moisture.  It  should  not  be  exposed  to 
dampness,  aud  if  it  is  placed  in  a  dry  place  it  keeps  a  long 
while  ;  it  will  keep  for  five  weeks.  It  is  not  really  nice  until 
it  gets  very  soft.  There  is  no  fruit  equal  to  it,  in  my  estima¬ 
tion. 

II.  W.  Marsh — I  can  only  raise  one  crop  of  persimmons  a 
year,  but  there  are  three  crops  of  blackbirds,  and  all  want  a 
bite  of  each  persimmon. 

W.  H.  II.  Holdridge — I  have  raised  persimmons,  and  I 
have  found  them  very  fine  fruit,  indeed,  and  I  have  had  no 
trouble  with  my  trees  until  the  March  frost  of  four  years  ago. 
Perhaps  the  fruit-growers  remember  that  year.  We  did  not 
have  a  show  of  frost  from  November  to  March,  but  in  March 
we  had  a  killing  frost  Ever  since  my  trees  have  been  be¬ 
having:  just  like  Mr.  Godbey’s.  I  have  found  them  occasion¬ 
ally  rotting.  I  have  been  watching  other  things  more  closely 
than  these  trees. 

Mr.  Godbey — As  to  the  size  of  persimmons  I  have  had  the 
fruit  of  the  Hvakume  variety  weigh  twenty  ounces.  In  this 
respect  we  could  not  ask  any  more.  As  to  the  quality  of  the 
fruit,  as  a  gentleman  has  said,  4*it  is  fit  for  the  gods,”  if  they 
ever  eat  anything.  The  worm  getting  into  the  bark  is  a  very 
serious  matter,  and  it  might  be  a  good  idea  to  look  and  go 
slow,  and  be  sure  what  you  are  doing. 

0.  P.  Rooks — It  has  been  suggested  that  a  fruit  should  not 
be  denounced  because  it  proves  a  failure  in  one  locality.  One 
of  the  speakers  seems  to  think  that  the  trouble  Mr.  Godbev 
meets  is  caused  by  frost,  and  I  think  the  gentleman  himself 
believes  so.  I  have  never  had  my  trees  injured  in  that  way. 
I  have  never  noticed  any  worms.  We  have  trees  that  are 
twelve  years  old,  bearing  good  and  successful  crops.  I  think 
I  have  ten  varieties.  I  think  the  fine  variety  that  Mr.  Bacon 
referred  to  as  being  acorn-shaped  is  the  Tane-Nashi.  I  sent 
specimens  to  Washington  nine  years  ago  and  they  were  fig¬ 
ured  in  the  bulletins,  and  I  think  they  called  them  the  Tane- 
Nashi.  They  are  certainly  fine  fruit,  and  I  have  grown  them 
weighing  a  pound.  They  are  among  the  most  profitable 
fruits  we  have,  meaty  and  good  shippers. 

Prof.  P.  H.  Rolfs — In  reference  to  the  sawyer:  They  are 
very  thick  where  there  are  hickories.  They  might  be  pre¬ 
vented  from  attacking  the  persimmon  trees  by  protecting 


44 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


<them  from  the  hickories.  While  we  have  varieties  of  hicko¬ 
ries  we  are  liable  to  have  sawyers. 

G.  H.  Wright — I  have  been  growing  persimmons  for 
seven  or  eight  years,  and  have  had  no  difficulty  in  growing 
them.  There  are  lots  of  mocking  birds  usually  around  them. 
These  birds  seem  to  be  fond  of  Idle  fruit.  Recently  I  found 
on  two  trees  ot  mine  a  scale  new  to  me.  I  brought  some 
twigs  and  passed  them  over  to  Prof.  Weber  and  asked  him 
to  see  what  the}^  were  and  tell  me.  They  multiply  rapidly 
and  I  do  not  know  but  what  it  is  possible  that  the  scale  might 
in  the  future  cut  quite  a  figure  in  the  industry. 

Mr.  Rooks— In  the  last  two  years  the  twig  borer  has  been 
very  numerous  in  the  willow  oaks  around  my  place.  I  can 
gather  them  by  the  wagon  load  around  there.  I  have  several 
ornamental  trees  they  are  trimming  for  me  and  they  have 
nearly  destroyed  the  beauty  of  these  trees.  I  always  gather 
the  wood  I  cut  off  and  burn  it. 

Prof.  Weber — In  regard  to  the  scale  mentioned,  it  is  one 
of  the  soft  shell  scales,  and  I  do  not  think  it  is  going  to  be  a 
serious  thing,  and  it  is  quite  easy  to  destroy  them  with  any  of 
the  scale  insecticides. 


Peaches  and  Plums. 


Paper  prepared  and  read  by  Col.  S.  S.  Harvey,  of  Molino,  Escambia 
County,  Chairman  of  the  Standing  Committee  on  Peaches  and 
Plums. 

Before  reading  his  paper,  Mr.  Harvey  said  : 

Two  gentlemen  were  appointed  with  me  on  this  committee 
whom  I  have  not  seen,  and  with  whom  I  have  had  no  cor¬ 
respondence.  I  have  never  met  these  gentlemen.  What  I 
have  to  say,  therefore,  as  to  cultivation  and  varieties  applies 
to  my  own  section  of  the  State — West  Florida. 

As  one  of  your  committee,  I  will  confine  my  portion  of  the 
report  on  peaches  and  plums  to  the  section  in  which  my 
orchard  is  located,  that  is  Western  Florida.  I  had  hoped  to 
be  able  to  make  a  trip  over  the  State,  investigating  *he  peach 
and  plum  culture,  so  that  I  could  make  a  report  that  would 
be  of  value  to  those  cultivating,  or  intending  to  cultivate 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


45 


these  reports.  I  regret  to  report  that  I  was  unable  to  do  so. 
I  did  visit  a  few  points  in  West  Florida  examining  orchards. 

And  here  I  hope  to  be  excused  for  saying  a  good  word  for 
a  railroad  company.  When  I  contemplated  a  trip  examining 
orchards,  I  invited  Mr.  Gr.  L.  Tab-r  to  make  the  trip  with 
me,  being  anxious  to  have  his  pornological  knowledge.  With 
the  idea  of  making  the  personal  expense  less,  I  addressed  a 
letter  to  the  division  passenger  agent  of  the  Li.  &  N.  railroad, 
stating  the  object  of  the  trip  and  asking  the  company  for 
passes  over  their  road,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  a  report  would 
benefit  the  fruit  business,  and  incidentally  the  company.  I 
received  a  prompt  answer  from  Mr.  Lurt<>n,  the  division  pas¬ 
senger  agent  ot  the  L.  &  N.  company,  with  passes  over  their 
line  in  Florida  (204  miles)  doth  ways,  good  to  stop  at  any 
and  all  stations,  for  Mr.  Taber  and  myself.  Owing  to  sick¬ 
ness  in  Mr.  Taber’s  family,  the  trip  was  not  made.  But  the 
action  of  the  company  deserves  this  acknowledgment. 

A  GOOD  RAILROAD  SERVICE. 

In  this  connection  I  will  digress  to  state  that  for  several 
years  I  have  shipped  fruit  by  the  L.  &  N.  railway,  my  orchard 
being  on  their  line,  and  the  only  road  I  ship  over  in  Florida, 
and  I  have  invariably  received  good  attention  and  fair  treat¬ 
ment  from  officers  and  employes.  Last  year  I  shipped  seve¬ 
ral  carloads  and  numerous  smaller  shipments,  and  while  I 
think  the  charges  entirely  too  much,  the  service  was  first- 
class.  Ventilated  cars  were  promply  furnished  and  promptly 
taken  away  when  loaded,  and,  better  still,  promptly  delivered 
at  destination.  Through  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Saltmarsh,  the 
division  superintendent,  I  knew  where  my  cars  were,  from 
point  to  point,  when  I  asked  for  it. 

TRANSPORTATION  CHARGES. 

I  say  I  think  the  charges  too  much.  I  suppose  we  would 
think  that  if  they  were  much  less.  Bat  let  us  be  just,  if  pos¬ 
sible.  The  fault  of  excessive  freight  rates  does  not  lie  at  the 
door  of  the  railroad  officials  that  we  come  in  contict  with. 
They  are  simply  trying  (and  failing  often)  to  make  expenses 
and  pay  interest  on  invested  capital  and  water  added  by 
grace  of  legislative  bodies.  We  have  trird  Railioad  Com¬ 
missions,  National  and  State,  and  failed.  What  next? 

Some  gentlemen  of  this  Society  may  think  ail  of  this  out 
of  place  in  a  report  on  peaches  and  plums,  but  I  am  trying  to 
produce  fruit  in  Chicago,  New  York,  and  wnere  my  custom¬ 
ers  are,  and  I  find  transportation  a  very  considerable  part  of 
the  work. 

SUITABLE  VARIETIES. 

The  greatest  difficulty  about  successful  peach  and  plum 


46 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  TIIE 


culture  is  varieties  suitable  lor  the  locality.  That  is  import¬ 
ant  information  that  Experiment  Stations  should  promptly 
furnish,  but  they  do  not.  For  an  illustration,  the  earliest  va¬ 
riety  of  peach  we  know  of  is  the  Peen-to.  In  the  center  of  the 
Peninsula  and  South  that  peach  may  be  a  s access,  but  it  is 
entirely  worthless  in  Northern  Florida,  the  reason  being  that 
it  blooms  too  early  for  any  section  that  has  late  frosts. 

TIME  OF  BLOOMING. 

I  have  been  forced  to  consider  a  feature  of  peach  culture 
that  I  have  never  found  in  any  book  or  catalogue,  namely,. 
When  does  it  bloom  ?  It  is  a  question  I  have  never  se  en  an¬ 
swered  by  any  one  trying  to  sell  trees.  It  is  a  far  more  im¬ 
portant  question  than  when  it  ripens  its  fruit,  and  it  is  one 
that  I  recommend  all  intending  planters  of  peach  tre  es  to 
have  answered  before  they  purchase.  If  the  variety  blooms 
before  the  time  that  you  may  reasonably  expect  the  last  cold 
spell  in  your  locality,  do  not  touch  it.  It  will  shorten  your 
life,  and  worry  what  you  do  have,  to  see,  year  after  year, 
your  peach  trees  become  loaded  with  young  peaches,  only  to 
be  made  mush  of  by  a  late  cold  spell.  If  some  of  my  nursery 
friends,  or  catalogue  fiends,  had  given  me  information  on 
this  point  when  I  commenced  planting  trees,  some  nine  years 
since,  it  would  have  saved  me  thousands  of  dollars  and  much 
vexation  of  spirit ;  and  not  only  myself,  but  my  poor,  suffer¬ 
ing  neighbors,  as  they  followed  in  my  footsteps  and  set  out 
acres  of  crazy  ttees  that  do  not,  sleep  until  spring  comes. 

LATE  BLOOMING  DESIRABLE. 

A  peculiar  thing  I  have  discovered  only  by  experience  is 
that  it  is  not  necessary  to  look  for  a  variety  that  blooms 
early  to  get  early  peaches. 

WALDO  AND  ALEXANDER  COMPARED. 

Take  the  Waldo  and  the  Alexander,  and  this  year’s  ex¬ 
perience:  The  Waldo  commenced  to  bloom  3d  to  5th  of  Feb¬ 
ruary,  at  the  time  of  the  late  cold  snap,  March  27th,  the  fruit 
was  nearly  half  grown;  all  lost.  The  Alexander  had  not 
opened  any  bloom  March  27th,  and  is  about  in  full  bloom 
tu-day,  April  7th.  Now  if  the  Waldo  had  not  lost  its  fruit,, 
it  and  the  Alexander  would  have  matured  their  fruit  at  the 
same  time,  about  the  last  of  May.  Each  will  sell  the  same  in 
market.  With  this  very  great  disadvantage  of  early  bloom¬ 
ing,  the  Waldo  and  all  seedlings  of  the  Peen-to,  have  one  ad¬ 
vantage  over  any  Persian  variety  that  I  have  tried,  and  that 
is,  the  Chinese  are  decidedly  the  best  woodmakers.  But  all 
that  beautiful  wood  is  nothing,  if  those  varieties  put  on  fruit 
each  year  only  to  be  frozen  by  the  late  cold. 

FOUR  BEST  VARIETIES  FOR  WEST  FLORIDA. 

If  I  wanted  to  set  out  ten  acres  in  peaches  now,  I  would* 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


47 


put  in  two  acres  Jesse  Kerr,  two  acres  Alexander,  two  acres 
General  Lee,  and  four  acres  Elberta. 

As  a  money  producer,  there  is  no  peach  so  far  tried  in  West 
Florida  equal  to  the  Elberta.  It  ripens  July  5th  to  20th. 
The  earlier  varieties  occasionally  get  very  fancy  prices,  but 
there  is  none  of  them  that  have  the  quantity  or  quality  of  the 
Elberta,  and  it  can  be  got  to  the  most  distant  market  in  good 
condition.  There  may  be  many  other  varieties,  even  of  the 
oldest,  that  are  as  good,  or  better  than  those  mentioned,  but 
these  we  have  found  by  experience  to  be  good. 

Good  authority  asserts  that  the  Persian  varieties  will  not 
do  well  in  Eastern  and  South  Florida.  I  would  very  much 
like  to  see  them  fairly  tried  on  the  clay  hills  of  the  central 
peninsula — say  in  Marion,  Sumter  and  Polk  counties. 

PLUM  CULTURE. 

Of  plum  culture  our  experience  in  the  western  portion  of 
the  State  is  not  sufficient  to  warrant  any  fixed  opinions  as  to 
which  is  the  best  varieties.  All  that  we  are  testing  ot  the 
old,  and  the  Japan  or  Chinese  varLtie*,  are  good  wood- 
makers.  The  best  of  the  orientals  so  far  as  we  have  gone,  is 
the  Burbank  or  Abundance,  or  bosh,  if  they  are  distinct 
varieties  as  many  claim. 

NECESSITY  FOR  SPRAYING. 

Of  one  thing  I  am  satisfied  about  plum  culture,  it  cannot 
be  made  a  success  without  careful,  continuous  and  regular 
spraying.  Insect  life  appears  to  luxuriate  on  the  plum.  In 
addition  to  the  regular  lot  there  has  appeared  with  us  one,  if 
not  two  new  varieties  of  scale  insect,  and  the  plums  appear 
to  suffer  most,  though  they  are  attacking  the  peaches  as  well. 

I  conclude  that  the  future  of  plum  culture — and  possibly 
peach  culture— dep  nds  on  the  efficiency  and  cost  of  spraying. 

It  pays  well  to  raise  good  peaches.  It  is  possible  to  get 
from  $500  to  $700  per  acre  from  a  crop  from  trees  four  years 
old.  A  very  fair  return  may  bo  had  the  second  year  after 
planting  one-year-old  trees. 

FORCING  EARLY  GROWTH. 

Nothing  assures  good  trees  more  surely  than  forcing  all 
the  growth  possible  the  first  year.  I  consider  this  so  im¬ 
portant  that  I  think  trees  are  almost  worthless  that  have  not 
made  a  good  strong  growth  the  first  year.  No  after  work  or 
fertilizing  can  make  them  the  same  they  would  have  been  if 
properly  led  and  worked  the  first  year. 

Of  course,  the  first  year  or  two,  they  need  a  fertilizer  strong 
in  nitrogen.  I  suppose  the  cheapest  source  of  nitrogen  for  us 
is  cottonseed  meal. 

COTTONSEED  FOR  FERTILIZER. 

The  very  best  three  hundred  peach  trees  I  have  ever  seen  at 
4 


48 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


three-year-old  were  fertilized  the  first  and  second  years  with 
crushed  cottonseed  entirely.  The  trees  matured  a  very  large 
crop  of  fruit  the  third  year,  and  the  fruit  was  simply  per¬ 
fection.  I  was  astonished  at  the  perfection  of  all  of  the  fruit, 
as  the  trees  were  loaded  down  until  the  limbs  lay  on  the 
ground.  There  was  but  little,  if  any,  fertilizer  put  on  the 
third  year,  so  the  strength,  size  and  ability  of  the  trees  to 
matu-  e  a  very  large  crop  of  fine  fruit  was  from  the  feed  of  the 
first  and  second  years. 


Discussion  on  Peaches  and  Plums. 


G.  L.  Taber — In  his  paper  Col.  Harvey  conveys  the  im¬ 
pression  that  the  Burbank  and  Abundance  plums  are  very 
much  alike,  if  not  identical.  I  presume  he  intended  to  say 
that  the  Botan  and  Abundance  were  similar,  if  not  the  same. 
Botan  is  the  name  of  a  class  of  plums,  and  is  applied  rather 
indiscriminately  to  a  number  of  varieties. 

Mr.  Harvey — I  referred  to  the  Burbank  and  Abundance 
as  being  alike.  As  I  have  these  varieties  I  see  no  difference. 
I  got  my  Burbanks  from  Mr.  Taber,  and  my  Abundance  from 
another  source. 

Mr.  Taber— I  think  the  Colonel  will  find  upon  investiga¬ 
tion  that  he  received  more  Burbanks  under  the  name  Abun¬ 
dance,  and  1  think  upon  investigation  he  will  agree  wit  h  me 
that  the  two  varieties  are  quite  distinct,  differing  markedly 
both  in  fruit  and  foliage.  The  Abundance  was  first  sent  out 
as  the  Yellow  Fleshed  Botan,  by  which  name  it  is  still  com¬ 
monly  known.  Of  the  Japan  plums  in  my  orchard  I  esteem 
Burbai.ks  and  Abundance  as  two  ol  the  best  varieties. 

John  W.  Harding— I  would  like  to  ask  Mr.  Harvey  if  any 
of  the  peaches  referred  to  in  his  paper  are  free  stones? 

Mr.  Harvey—  Yes,  sir. 

W.  W.  Hawkins — I  would  like  to  ask  in  regard  to  plums. 
I  have  a  large  plum  tree  of  the  Kelsey  variety,  it  blooms 
fully  every  year  and  never  bears.  What  is  the  trouble  ? 

Mr.  Harvey — I  could  not  tell  you  what  the  trouble  is. 
The  species  you  mention,  the  Kelsey,  is  not  a  good  variety. 

J.  W.  Hendry — Have  you  given  any  attention  to  apricots  ? 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


49 


Mr.  Harvey — My  boys  have  grown  a  few  trees.  I  would 
like  to  say  to  those  gentlemen  who  live  in  Middle  Florida 
that  it  would  be  a  paying  investment  to  raise  the  Elberta 
peach..  It  would  be  the  best  money  crop  that  you  could  put 
in  the  ground.  It  will  ship  anywhere.  It  is  a  fine  peach  to 
ship  and  a  fine  peach  to  can,  and  a  fine  peach  altogether.  It 
is  the  superior  of  any  peach.  With  me  it  ripens  from  the  5th 
to  the  20th  of  July. 

0.  P.  Rooks — I  live  in  South  Florida  and  I  have  tried  the 
Elberta  and  it  has  universally  proved  a  failure.  We  must 
try  the  oriental  varieties  entirely.  There  is  a  variety  from 
Australia  that  is  wonderfully  prolific ;  it  is  called  the  blood 
peach,  but  as  to  the  Persian  type,  I  have  no  faith  in  them. 
They  have  never  made  a  success.  There  have  been  thous¬ 
ands  of  dollars  spent  in  planting  varieties  not  adapted  to  our 
soil  and  our  country.  It  is  a  mistake  for  this  Society  to  ap¬ 
point  a  committee  from  one  part  of  this  state  to  recommend  a 
list  of  peaches  to  be  planted  in  the  whole  state.  We  should 
follow  the  practice  of  the  Georgia  Horticultural  Society  and 
have  a  committee  for  each  section. 

Mr.  Taber — Mr.  Harvey  has  a  fine  peach  orchard.  Mr. 
Mellish  at  DeFuniak  has  fine  peaches.  There  are  lots  of 
peaches  in  the  western  country,  but  the  conditions  are  en¬ 
tirely  different  from  other  sections  of  the  state.  I  live  thirty 
miles  west  of  here  and  I  cannot  raise  the  same  peaches  that 
Mr.  Harvey  does.  The  Elberta  I  have  in  my  orchards,  but  I 
do  not  get  any  crops  from  them.  The  Alexander  is  a  fairly 
good  peach.  Its  only  value  is  on  account  of  its  earliness, 
which,  of  course,  is  a  great  item  in  a  commercial  way,  where 
it  succeeds,  but  we  cannot  raise  it  here  with  any  profit.  I 
cannot  explain  whv  this  is  so.  I  am  simply  stating  facts. 
Col.  Harvey  read  about  the  Waldo  being  destroyed  by  frost 
with  him  ;  with  me  it  is  one  of  the  most  reliable  of  the  early 
kinds.  At  Waldo,  a  few  miles  south  of  here,  they  get  crops 
of  this  variety  almost  every  year.  There  is  a  great  deal  to  be 
taken  into  consideration  in  peach  growing  in  Florida.  No 
man  can  make  a  list  of  peaches  suitable  to  the  entire  state  of 
Florida  unless  he  runs  through  quite  a  large  number  of  varie¬ 
ties,  and  those  varieties  will  be  differ°nt  for  the  different 
sections.  I  think  Col.  Harvey  should  have  explained  that 
the  Elberta  is  a  seedling  of  the  Chinese  cling  type.  There  is 
a  distinction  between  this  and  the  Persian  type.  Belonging 
to  this  Chinese  type  the  Elberta  is  suitable  to  a  section  of 
the  country  where  the  Persian  will  not  do.  1  have  said  be¬ 
fore  that  we  cannot  take  Col.  Harvey’s  list  of  varieties  and 
adopt  them  for  this  section.  The  people  should  understand 
that  they  must  get  the  varieties  suited  to  their  section. 


50 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


Mr.  Harvey — In  regard  to  this  committee  :  The  commit¬ 
tee  was  appointed  to  write  a  report  on  peaches  and  plums;. 
There  was  one  gentleman  from  Orlando  and  one  from  Glen- 
wood  appointed  with  myself.  As  I  have  said,  we  did  not 
meet ;  we  had  no  correspondence  and  I  have  not  seen  the 
gentlemen  yet.  If  we  had  got  together,  or  had  corresponded 
on  the  subject,  I  might  have  been  able  to  submit  ataore  sat¬ 
isfactory  report.  I  know  full  well  in  this  state  that  the 
varieties  that  will  do  lor  one  section  will  not  do  for  another, 
and  it  will  take  a  lot  of  information  and  investigation,  and  a 
committee  of  this  kind  should  have  a  correspondent  in  every 
section  of  the  slate  and  bring  the  mass  of  correspondence 
before  the  Association  to  give  satisfaction.  I  know  that  the 
finest  varieties  in  one  section  have  succeeded  indifferently  or 
failed  in  other  portions  of  the  state.  There  ought  to  be 
stretched  over  the  state  a  committee  to  correspond  with  every 
section  aud  get  the  different  kinds  that  are  suitable  to  the 
different  parts  of  the  country.  This  might  be  satisfactory  and 
useful  to  the  Society. 

W.  H.  H.  Holdridge — In  Alachua  county,  as  in  Baker 
county,  we  cannot  raise  the  variety  of  peaches  that  are  raised, 
in  West  Florida.  The  Chinese  type  of  peaches  will  do  noth¬ 
ing  with  me.  The  Waldo  and  the  Angel  are  all  looking 
beautifully  to  day,  and  at  least  three  years  out  of  four  I  get 
a  crop  of  Waldos  and  Angels  when  the  later  varieties  fail. 

A.  H.  Carey— My  experience  has  been  a  pretty  extensive 
one.  I  have  lor  years  lost  money  in  peach  culture  and  I  would 
dislike  to  see  people  go  into  this  business  without  a  full 
knowledge  of  what  they  are  doing  and  what  fertilizers,  etc., 
are  needed. 

Prof.  P.  FI.  Rolfs — I  would  like  to  ask  Col.  Harvey  in  re¬ 
gard  to  curculio.  Does  that  bother  you? 

Mr.  Harvey — It  does  not  affect  any  of  our  peaches  if  we 
have  active  trees.  They  affect  old  trees  and  eat  up  all  the 
fruit,  but  there  is  no  trouble  on  young  and  healthy  trees. 
The  young  peaches  seem  to  get  so  full  of  juice  that  the  cur¬ 
culio  does  not  like  to  bother  them. 

Prof.  Rolfs — Three  years  ago  that  seemed  to  be  the  con¬ 
dition  at  Lake  City,  but  last  year  the  peach  crop  was  almost 
a  total  failure.  It  is  quite  a  disease  in  our  portion  of  Florida. 
What  remedy  has  proved  most  effective  in  destroying  the 
curculio  ?  I  do  not  know  whether  our  people  have  any 
knowledge  on  this  subject. 

Mr.  Harvey — I  am  using  the  London  purple  for  this  pest- 
on  my  plum  trees,  and  I  am  meeting  with  success.  The  Buiv 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


51 


bank  is  comparatively  free  from  the  attack  of  curculio. 

Mr.  Taber — In  relation  to  the  curculio  :  We  have  it  and 
we  have  it  badly.  I  have  lost  an  entire  crop  from  this  pest 
and  it  is  a  hard  question  to  answer  what  is  the  best  remedy 
for  it.  There  are  solutions  of  arsenic  that  will  kill  it  if  you 
apply  them  often  enough,  but  it  is  a  great  deal  of  work,  and 
as  the  most  of  us  know,  we  have  at  times  to  neglect  these 
sprayings  when  we  know  they  might  be  profitable.  Perhaps 
the  best  method  is  to  spread  a  sheet  under  the  tree  and  jerk 
off*  the  curculio  by  hitting  the  tree  a  quick,  sharp  blow  with  a 
padded  wooden  mallet;  this  should  be  done  very  early  in  the 
morning  (before  sunrise,  if  possible),  as  at  this  time  in  the 
day  the  curculios  are  sluggish  and  relinquish  their  hold  read¬ 
ily.  The  sheet  can  be  drawn  over  a  frame  mounted  on 
wheels,  with  a  slot  in  the  frame  so  that  the  tree  can  be  jarred 
by  pushing  the  frame  against  it.  This  jarring  should  be  done 
every  few  days,  commencing  as  soon  as  the  blossoms  fall  and 
continuing  until  the  fruit  is  half  grown.  The  insects  and 
stung  fruit  should  be  burned.  Mr.  Anderson,  our  treasurer, 
has  charge  of  a  very  large  plum  orchard  in  New  York  state, 
and  he  tells  me  that  they  follow  this  method  of  jarring  suc¬ 
cessfully.  Duiing  the  early  part  of  the  season  the  operation 
is  repeated,  if  my  memory  serves  me,  as  often  as  twice  a 
week.  Of  course  this  is  a  matter  to  be  studied  up  by  a  man 
who  has  a  large  plum  orchard  and  he  must  take  into  consider¬ 
ation  the  question  as  to  whether  it  will  pay  him  to  do  it.  It 
is  a  very  serious  trouble.  The  Kelsey  is  one  of  the  Japanese 
plums  that  is  very  seriously  affected  by  this  pest.  The  Bur¬ 
bank  is  not  so  much  subject  to  the  curculio  as  the  Kelsey. 

C.  A.  Bacon— It  is  said  that  the  “early  bird  catches  the 
worm.”  My  experience  with  the  Kelsey  plum  is  that  hens 
are  the  best  remedy  for  the  curculio.  Let  the  hens  do  the 
work  for  you.  Go  out  and  shake  the  trees  and  let  the  hens 
pick  up  the  worms.  I  have  had  great  success  in  killing  the 
borer.  I  put  a  few  drops  of  kerosene  in  each  hole  and  that 
seems  to  destroy  them. 

T.  K.  Godbey — I  think  this  subject  of  peaches  and  plums 
is  a  serious  question.  I  might  say  a  lew  words  that  would 
interest  a  great  many.  As  you  all  understand,  I  have  been 
growing  peaches  and  plums  for  twelve  years  in  Florida  and  I 
have  made  it  a  success.  I  have  tried  all  the  Persian  varieties 
and  they  have  been  failures.  I  have  tried  the  Kelsey  plum, 
but  it  was  so  subject  to  the  curculio  that  I  have  cut  all  my 
Kelsey  trees  down.  I  find  that  the  Burbank  does  very  well. 
In  cultivating  peaches  I  find  that  they  require  an  abundance 
of  fertilizer.  I  must  say  that  my  best  trees  are  on  plum 
roots.  Occasionally  one  dies,  but  I  do  not  think  I  lose  any 


52 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OP  THE 


more  on  plum  roots  than  I  do  on  peach.  I  have  tried  dif¬ 
ferent  ways  of  exteminating  the  borer.  While  it  does  not 
kill  the  tree,  it  injures  it,  and  it  takes  more  fertilizer  to  keep 
up  the  tree  than  it  would  if  the  tree  were  free  from  this  insect. 
The  remedy  for  root  knot  is  to  mulch  the  ground  thoroughly 
and  then  leave  it  alone.  I  have  applied  potash  to  my  peach 
trees.  I  could  not  tell  where  I  applied  it  and  I  have  never 
been  able  to  tell  where  I  put  potash.  I  have  used  blood  and 
bone  or  cotton  seed  meal  and  bone.  I  can  buy  this  cheaper 
than  I  can  any  other  kind  of  fertilizer.  This  year  instead  of 
cotton  seed  meal  and  bone  I  bought  blood  and  bone  as  it 
furnishes  the  same  material,  and  because  I  could  buy  a 
pound  of  nitrogen  and  a  pound  of  phosphoric  acid  a  little 
cheaper  that  way  than  I  could  in  the  form  of  cotton  seed  meal 
and  bone.  That  is  the  way  I  buy  fertilizers,  and  I  always- 
look  at  the  price  and  the  analysis  when  I  am  buying. 


About  Pears. 


The  Committee  on  Apples  and  Pears  submitting  no  report, 
the  subject  of  Pears  was  discussed  as  follows: 

G.  W.  Mellish — Pears  are  doing  veiy  well  around  De  Fu- 
niak.  Our  greatest  enemy  is  the  blight;  that  is  about  the 
only  serious  enemy  we  have.  Pears  are  certainly  a  profitable 
fruit,  and  are  very  easy  to  raise.  The  bitter  blight  is  a  well 
known  disease  and  I  have  no  new  remedy  to  offer.  The  only 
remedy  I  know  of  is  to  cut  off  all  the  blighted  limbs  just  as 
soon  as  they  appear,  and  the  more  thoroughly  and  quickly 
they  are  cut  off  the  better.  I  have  seen  a  good  many  orchards 
that  have  been  neglected  and  they  keep  getting  worse  and 
worse.  Orchards  have  been  preserved  in  the  midst  of  other 
orchards  that  were  badly  diseased,  simply  by  cutting  off  the 
limbs. 

S.  S.  Harvey — I  believe  in  the  success  of  pear  culture  in* 
the  State  of  Florida.  I  believe  further,  that  at  the  present 
time  it  is  the  best  paying  crop  as  a  permanent  investment  that 
pan  be  raised  in  this  state.  In  my  own  neighborhood  there 
has  been  no  blight.  We  have  never  had  any  in  m}^  county 
that  I  know  of.  I  have  a  neighbor  that  has  an  orchard  nearly 
£S  large  as  mine,  who  came  from  California  with  the  idea  that 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


53 


he  could  make  more  money  in  Florida  than  he  could  in  Cali¬ 
fornia.  He  thinks  that  the  opportunity  we  have  to  get  fruit 
through  to  the  markets  in  from  two  to  four  days  gives  us  & 
great  advantage  over  California,  where  it  takes  from  five  to 
twelve  days  to  reach  markets.  I  had  a  talk  several  times 
with  him  over  the  matter  of  blight.  His  impression  is  that  we 
are  free  from  the  blight  from  the  fact  that  we  have  agreatdeal 
of  iron  and  sulphur  in  our  soil.  To  the  west  of  us  sixty  miles 
they  have  the  blight  but  we  do  not  have  it.  I  am  hnder  the 
constant  dread  of  its  attacking  us  in  the  future.  I  am  going 
to  meet  it,  and  with  this  idea  I  have  investigated  the  blight 
where  it  has  occurred  In  this  state  and  in  South  Georgia.  If 
a  man  will  attend  to  his  grove  immediately  after  it  is  attacked 
and  cut  out  that  portion  which  is  blighted  and  then  use  the 
Bordeaux  Mixture,  I  believe  his  orchard  will  not  be  damaged,. 
I  went  through  De  Funiak  last  June  and  I  looked  at  the 
groves,  and  where  I  found  the  blight  I  found  the  men  had  let 
it  take  its  course.  I  fou-id  good  groves  that  had  no  blight, 
but  they  had  been  carefully  attended  to.  Mr.  Dubose  has  a 
grove  of  pear  trees  that  was  reported  to  have  been  attacked 
severely,  although  attended  to  promptly  and  sprayed  with 
Bordeaux  Mixture.  I  looked  at  his  grove,  and  when  we  got 
within  fifty  yards  of  the  orchard  I  said:  “You  have  no  blight”. 
There  was  no  appearance  of  blight  whatever.  He  said:  “Wait 
a  little.”  We  then  proceeded  to  the  orchard  and  found  the 
ground  covered  all  over  with  ends  and  points  of  limbs  that  he 
had  cut  off  from  those  trees;  but  I  found  there  was  no  blight 
on  the  trees  and  there  was  a  good  lot  of  fruit  on  them.  From 
my  experience  and  observation  I  have  concluded  that  the 
blight  can  be  controlled  if  handled  properly.  I  have  seen 
orchards  that  were  nearly  destroyed  by  it,  both  in  this  state 
and  in  South  Georgia,  but  I  have  reached  the  conclusion  that 
if  the  proper  means  are  taken,  using  Bordeau  Mixture  and 
cutting  off  the  limbs,  the  blight  will  not  materially  affect  the 
success  of  pear  growing,  and  this  is  the  course  I  shall  adopt  if 
my  orchard  is  attacked. 

As  to  the  cultivation  of  pears,  I  think  the  best  trees  to  plant 
are  one  year  old.  I  believe  that  the  varieties  most  suited  to 
us  are  the  Le  Conte  and  Keiffer.  I  do  not  believe  in  high 
fertilization.  I  believe  the  peach  cannot  be  cultivated  too 
rapidly;  with  the  pear  this  is  not  the  best  plan.  A  small 
amount  is  sufficient  to  keep  it  active  in  growth,  and  that  is 
all  you  want.  Let  it  grow  so  that  in  eight  or  nine  years  it 
makes  a  good  tree.  I  will  give  you  the  positive  size  of  one  of 
my  trees.  A  few  days  ago  I  took  the  size  exactly.  It  is  one 
of  the  best  trees  on  my  place.  It  was  set  out  in  1875.  It  is 
now  thirty-one  and  a  half  feet  high;  I  measured  it  with  two 


54 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OP  THE 


1ashing*poles.  This  is  the  exact  measurement.  I  dropped  a 
plumb  opposite  the  outer  limb  and  measured  across  the  space 
and  it  measured  twenty-nine  feet.  The  circumference  of  the 
trunk  was  thirty-four  and  a  half  inches.  I  estimate  that  this 
tree  will  carry  twenty-five  barrels  of  fruit.  Last  year  I  had 
two  trees  that  were  so  heavily  laden  with  fruit  that  they  split 
to  the  ground  and  fell  flat.  I  have  heretofore  estimated  that 
an  orchard  should  average  ten  barrels  of  lrnit  to  the  tree  at 
ten  years  old.  I  have  written  some  articles  on  the  subject 
and  I  have  always  made  that  estimate.  I  believe  now  that  it 
would  be  possible  for  a  man  to  make  a  grove  of  Le  Conte 
pears  at  ten  years  old  average  twentyfive  barrels  to  the  tree. 
That  would  be  1,750  barrels  to  the  acre.  I  sold  my  crop  last 
year  in  Chicago  principally,  while  I  shipped  to  Nashville, 
Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis,  but  the  larger  portion  went  to  Chi¬ 
cago,  and  my  fruit  netted  me  $1.02  per  barrel.  These  are  the 
possibilities.  It  is  possible  for  a  man  to  raise  1,500  barrels 
on  an  acre  often  year  old  trees.  I  have  a  nice  grove,  and  it 
certainly  has  proved  successful.  Whether  it  will  continue  so 
or  not  is  a  question  ot  the  future. 

As  to  the  quality  of  the  Le  Conte  pear,  two  years  aso  I  was 
in  Chicago  and  I  spent  several  days  and  nights  on  the  fruit 
market  there.  I  found  at  that  time  a  great  prejudice  against 
the  Le  Conte  pear.  It  had,  prior  to  that  time,  gone  mainly  to 
the  eastern  cities;  Philadelphia,  Boston,  Baltimore  and  New 
York.  A  very  prominent  commission  naan  in  Chicago  said  to 
me  that  he  did  not  think  much  of  our  Le  Conte  peats.  I  did 
not  see  or  hear  from  him  again  until  last  spring,  when  I  de¬ 
cided  to  ship  his  house  my  fruit.  I  sent  him  a  carload  to  be¬ 
gin  with,  and  after  selling  that  carload  he  wrote  me  that  he 
had  revised  his  opinion  of  the  Le  Conte;  that  this  carload  had 
sold  better  than  any  other  pears  on  the  market  and  that  he 
believed  the  Le  Conte  the  best  early  market  pear.  The  Le 
Contes  brought  more  than  the  Bartlett  at  almost  every  sale; 
this  was  quite  encouraging.  With  my  experience  and  from 
what  I  have  seen,  I  have  reached  the  conclusion  that  there  is 
no  equal  to  the  Le  Conte  for  marketing. 

Gr.  P.  Healy — I  would  like  to  hear  from  Col.  Harvey  as  to 
his  method  of  gathering  the  fruit. 

Mr.  Harvey — I  use  cheap  ladders  in  gathering  my  pears. 
I  have  one  fifteen  feet  high,  one  twenty  feet  high,  and  one 
twenty-eight  feet,  with  others  even  higher.  I  put  two  ladders 
together  at  the  top,  tying  them  with  three-fourths  inch  rope. 
This  makes  a  step  ladder  of  two  single  ladders.  I  put  two 
men  on  the  ladders  and  they  go  up  in  the  trees.  They  carry 
with  them  a  sack  with  straps  over  the  shoulder,  such  as  is 
commonly  used  in  gathering  oranges.  These  sacks  are  made 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


55 


of  ordinary  gunny  cloth;  an  oat  sack  will  make  four  such 
picking  sacks.  1  discovered  after  a  little  experimenting  that 
it  was  a  bad  plan  to  let  the  ladders  get  over  into  the  trees. 
The  pickers  have  a  stick  with  a  hook  on  the  end  hanging  upon 
the  ladders,  and  to  get  the  fruit  at  the  ends  of  the  long  single 
limbs,  they  draw  the  limbs  gently  to  them  with  these  hooks. 
A  man  on  the  ground  takes  the  sacks  which  the  pickers  let 
down  and  lays  them  down  in  a  basket,  pouring  tliefn  out 
by  gently  lifting  the  sack  so  as  not  to  braise  the  Iruit.  The 
wagon  comes  round  through  the  orchard  and  carries  the  fruit 
to  the  packing  house. 

I  put  up  my  fruit  in  boxes  of  three  sizes,  large,  small  and 
medium.  I  papered  a  large  portion  last  year.  This  was  done 
by  girls  and  women.  I  used  a  paper  about  the  same  that  you 
would  use  to  cover  oranges  with.  I  pack  in  the  California 
boxes.  I  find  that  papering  the  fruit  in  a  box  of  pears  costs 
five  cents.  That  includes  labor  and  cost  of  paper.  I  put 
them  in  cars  at  my  depot,  piling  them  seven  tiers  deep.  This 
is  a  little  too  much  to  put  in  an  ordinary  car.  I  would  not  ad¬ 
vise  putting  in  more  than  600  boxes.  I  packed  most  of  mine 
800  to  the  car.  I  laid  the  boxes  in  the  car  endwise,  but  I 
leave  spaces  between  each  tier  ol  about  four  inches.  After  I 
lay  a  tier  I  get  strips  and  lay  them  across  each  tier.  I  so  pile 
up  to  the  top  and  ship  in  that  way.  I  think  it  would  be  well 
for  us  to  correspond  with  the  railroad  companies  and  request 
them  to  put  better  springs  under  their  ventilator  cars.  By 
this  means  they  would  save  us  thousands  of  dollars  worth  of 
fruit  in  the  season.  The  swinging  of  the  cars  is  very  hard  on 
the  fruit. 

G.  L.  Taber — What  is  the  weight  of  the  material  used  in 
making  your  boxes  ? 

Mr.  Harvey — It  is  very  light  material,  weighing  about  two 
pounds  to  the  box.  It  is  still  a  question  whether  it  pays  to 
paper  pears.  It  pays  though,  to  ship  in  smaller  packages.  I 
would  not  ship  my  pears  in  barrels,  although  I  have  been  re¬ 
quested  by  the  commission  men  to  do  it.  They  do  this  for 
this  reason:  The  retail  dealers  want  it  in  barrels  because  they 
get  more  fruit  at  a  given  price.  The  same  thing  applies  to  pa¬ 
pering.  The  fruit  dealer  does  not  want  it  papered.  If  it  is 
papered  he  gets  forty  pounds  of  fruit.  If  it  is  not  papered  he 
gets  forty-nine  pounds.  The  fruit  goes  in  better  condition 
when  papered;  the  chances  are  lor  better  arrival.  You  must 
consider  that  you  have  to  be  out  five  cents  for  labor  and  paper 
with  the  chances  of  your  fruit  going  to  market  in  prime  con¬ 
dition,  against  the  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  retail  dealers 
to  get  all  the  fruit  they  can  for  the  smallest  amount  of  money. 
Bruit  packed  in  small  packages,  in  a  neat  manner,  beautifully 


56 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


papered,  will  take  the  eye  of  the  purchasers.  They  will  say 
that  they  would  not  take  so  much  pains  unless  the  fruit  were 
good.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  fruit  is  packed  in  barrels  and 
shipped  to  the  northern  market,  it  is  more  likely  to  arrive  in 
bad  condition.  I  would  not  ship  my  pears  in  barrels  if  I 
knew  they  would  bring  me  as  much  with  less  trouble.  I  have 
a  sentiment  in  regard  to  it.  I  do  not  want  to  see  my  fruitgo 
that -way  to  the  market.  I  am  looking  to  the  future,  and  I  do 
not  believe  that  is  the  way  to  build  up  and  hold  a  fancy  trade. 

W.  H.  H.  Holdridge — What  does  the  railroad  charge  for 
the  weight  on  the  box  ? 

Mr.  Harvey — I  do  not  pay  by  the  box,  but  by  the  hundred 
pounds.  Here  is  an  account  of  sales  that  I  have  had  in  my 
pocket  for  the  purpose  of  showing  the  railroad  people.  This 
is  a  carload  of  812  boxes  of  pears  shipped  to  Chicago.  The 
freight  was  $250.55.  As  you  will  see,  that  is  just  about 
twenty-five  cents  per  box.  This  I  think  too  much.  This  car¬ 
load  sold  for  $1,096.65.  I  had  cars  containing  as  much  as. 
this  go  to  Chicago  for  $165. 

T.  J.  Stubbs — I  would  like  to  make  a  suggestion  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  Mr.  Harvey’s  statements.  He  advocated  Bordeaux 
Mixture  for  pear  blight,  but  I  would  advocate  a  trial  of  sul¬ 
phate  of  iron  instead  of  sulphate  of  copper.  We  have  experi 
mented  with  that  kind  of  mixture,  and  apparently  received  a 
great  deal  of  benefit.  We  expect  to  continue  with  it,  and  I 
would  like  to  have  other  trials  of  the  same  thing.  I  would 
ask  that  a  trial  be  made  with  the  sulphate  of  iron  instead  of 
sulphate  of  copper. 

Prof.  P.  If.  Bolfs — From  the  careful  experimenting  that  has 
been  going  on  in  Fiance,  and  by  the  Department  of  Agricul¬ 
ture,  the  conclusion  has  been  reached  that  the  Bordeaux  Mix¬ 
ture  is  the  proper  thing  and  not  the  sulphate  of  iron;  that  the 
copper  compound  is  much  more  efficacious  th>ui  the  iron  sul¬ 
phate.  It  is  much  preferable.  I  think  it  has  been  used  to  a 
considerable  extent  and  been  tested  by  a  great  many  persons, 
ao  we  can  no  longer  be  divided  as  to  that  and  as  to  the  treat¬ 
ment  of  the  pear  blight.  The  limbs  that  are  cut  off  should  be 
taken  from  the  orchaid  in*tead  of  being  left  there.  There  is 
a  liability  for  insects  to  fly  to  those  limbs  on  the  ground  and 
carry  the  bacteria  to  the  tree  again,  and  the  wind  would  be  li¬ 
able  to  do  the  same  thing.  It  would  be  well  to  be  careful 
that  those  blighted  limbs  are  destroyed  quickly.  In  regard  to 
pear  blight  in  West  Florida,  specimens  of  infected  trees  have 
been  sent  me  from  West  Florida.  I  think  what  Mr.  Harvey 
has  suggested  in  regard  to  the  blight  should  be  rigidly  car¬ 
ried  out,  and  the  disease  should  be  carefully  watched  to  pre¬ 
vent  its  development  in  districts  not  now  affected. 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


57 


Strawberries. 


Prepared  and  submitted  by  H.  E.  Stoddard,  of  Nassau.  Putnam 

county,  Chairman  Standing  Committee  on  Strawberries. 

The  strawberry  occupies  a  large  space  in  the  recollections 
of  our  childhood.  Memory  of  the  wide,  waving  meadow  is 
dear  to  us  for  thoughts  of  the  luscious,  red  berry  which  g»*ew 
so  abundantly  there.  The  “old  oaken  bucket  which  rose 
from  the  well”  refreshed,  but  the  tall,  green  grass  hid  and 
sheltered  a  rub}T  treasure  which  satisfied  our  souls. 

We  have  now  come  to  maturity.  Romance  has  gone  with 
the  passing  of  years  and  the  strawberry  is — what  is  was  not 
in  our  earlier  days— a  commercial  fact  as  well  as  an  almost 
universal  luxury.  To  consider  its  culture  as  an  article  of 
commerce  and  also  as  a  gratification  of  our  personal  taste  is 
the  object  of  this  report. 

We  will  first  specify  the  qualities  which  make  when  united 
the  perfected  strawberry  so  desirable  : 

It  must  be  sw<et. 

It  must  be  sour. 

It  must  be  bard. 

It  must  be  soft. 

Lastly,  it  mrst  possess  harmoniously  and  combine  all  those 
qualities  of  size,  color,  taste  and  aroma  characteristic  of  and 
belonging  to  the  strawberry  alone  The  apparent  contradic¬ 
tions  seem  to  prove  that  there  are  really  two  distinct  sides  of 
the  strawberry — the  commercial  berry  and  the  berry  of  the 
connoisseur.  I  do  not,  however,  think  this  entirely  true,  as 
most  of  these  qualities  may  and  do  unite  and  blend  in  one 
harmonious  whole.  The  meadow-grown  berry  of  my  child¬ 
hood  was  both  sweet  and  sour — in  color  a  brilliant  crimson — 
in  aroma  most  fragrant ;  yet  if  carried  a  thousand  miles  to 
market  it  would  get  there  covered  with  the  moss  of  ages. 

How  to  obtain  these  various  and  most  desirable  qualities 
to  the  exclusion  of  the  undesirable  is  to  a  great  extent  still 
unknown,  although  many  things  have  been  shown  by  ex¬ 
perience.  Location,  moisture  and  fertilization  are  prominent 
factors,  but  most  prominent  in  fertilization. 

We  will  first  consider  location.  The  natural  habits  of  the 
strawberry  seem  to  direct  us  to  choose  a  place  where  it  is 
readily  available  and  yet  not  permanently  wet  (as  in  that  case 


I 


58  SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 

the  berry  will  be  too  soft) — a  soil  rich  and  retentive  of  mois¬ 
ture  yet  easily  drained.  Here  let  me  say  that  a  soil  either 
naturally  fertile  or  made  so  by  judicious  fertilization  is  gen¬ 
erally  retentive  of  moisture.  To  that  extent  fertilization  will 
take  the  place  of  irrigation.  By  observing  this  principle  I 
believe  that  the  strawberry  can  be  grown  to  perfection  as  well 
on  high  pine  land  as  on  rich  hammock  or  flatwoods. 

Second,  moisture.  How  to  obtain  this  in  exceptionally  dry 
seasons  is  a  difficult  problem.  In  some  localities  sprinkling 
by  means  of  water  thrown  in  the  air  from  a  hose  does  not 
suit  the  case.  The  fall  of  water  even  a  fine  spray  has,  in  my 
own  experience,  had  an  injurious  effect  both  in  the  quality  and 
productiveness  of  the  plant.  This  may,  however,  be  from 
some  other  cause  which  my  experience  has  not  been  extensive 
enough  to  detect.  To  my  mind  an  effective  scheme  of  sub¬ 
irrigation  would  be  just  the  thing,  especially  upon  sandy 
land,  as  that  would  unite  the  advantages  of  moisture  and  per¬ 
fect  drainage. 

Moisture  can  also  be  conserved  by  mulching.  The  best 
article  for  this  purpose  is  clean  straw  covering  between  the 
rows  and  carefully  placed  under  the  plant  so  as  to  prevent 
both  leaves  and  fruit  from  touching  the  sand.  Where  clean 
straw,  either  oat  or  rye,  cannot  be  obtained,  wire  grass  raked 
when  dry  will  answer  quite  as  well.  This  is  an  excellent 
practice  in  any  case,  even  where  moisture  is  abundant,  and 
the  mulching  should  be  put  in  place  before  the  fruit  ripens 

As  to  fertilization,  which  I  deem  the  most  important  of  all, 
much  can  be  said.  Even  the  wisest  cannot  say  it  all.  We 
can  apply  chemicals  which  will  cause  the  plant  to  grow  and 
bear  fruit,  but  the  peculiar  aroma  which  gives  to  every  fruit 
its  own  individuality  we  cannot  place  in  the  soil.  Most  soils 
contain,  to  a  greater  or  lesser  extent,  the  acids  of  which  that 
flavor  is  composed,  but  the  tree  or  plant  must  compound  them 
in  its  own  laboratory.  One  thing,  however,  observation  has 
taught — that  the  most  healthy  and  normally  vigorous  plants 
and  trees  produc  e  the  most  highly  flavored  fruit.  To  that 
end  we  can  supply  those  elements  which  will  but  conduce  to 
that  result.  You  all  know  what  they  are — ammonia,  phos¬ 
phoric  acid  and  potash.  All  these  should  be  in  the  form  of 
sulphate  as  we  need  the  sulphuric  acid  to  make  our  berry 
sweet.  Almost  any  of  the  high  grade  fertilizers  will  be  found 
efficient.  My  own  preference  is  for  a  purely  chemical 
formula. 

Prepare  the  ground  by  thoroughly  pulverizing  it,  at  the 
same  time  mixing  in  as  much  fertilizer  as  your  conscience 
will  allow.  You  need  not  fear  putting  on  too  much  if 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


59 


thoroughly  mixed  with  the  soil  a  week  or  more  before  setting 
in  the  plants. 

As  to  the  proper  time  to  set  the  plants  opinion  vary.  Sep¬ 
tember  is  none  too  early  in  this  latitude  tor  the  market  berry  * 
October  is  not  too  late  for  home  use.  The  market  berry 
should  ripen  in  February  or  March ;  for  home  use  it  will  be 
richer  if  ripened  in  April  and  May. 

These  are  a  few  of  the  principles  observed  by  the  best  grow¬ 
ers,  and  they  will  need  modification  as  to  locality  and  soil. 
Each  must  study  and  experiment  for  himself. 

To  you  who  plant  for  gain  I  would  say  that  when  the  fruit 
first  shows  its  crimson  face,  pick  it  carefully  in  the  cool  of 
the  day,  pack  it  daintily  in  honest  measure,  carry  it  to  the 
station  without  a  jolt  and  bid  it  good  bye  with  joy  for  it  shall 
return  transformed  from  red  to  gold.  And  you,  housewife  or 
husband,  looking  not  to  pecuniary  harve  st — gather  when  fully 
ripe,  sprinkle  with  sugar  and  cover  with  cream,  and  as  you 
eat  let  memory  carry  you  again  to  the  scenes  of  your  youth — 
sit  once  more  in  the  porch  of  the  farm  house  under  the  hill — 
look  on  the  tall,  brown  gras*  in  the  meadow — think  of  the 
fruit  gathered  therefrom  in  the  long-gone  June  days — feel 
once  more  the  ecstacy  of  that  childish  appetite  and  then  thank 
God  that  He  created  the  strawberry  and  made  it  so  good. 


Variety  of  Oranges  and  Their  Derivation. 


Paper  read  by  E.  S.  Hubbard,  of  Federal  Point,  Putnam  county. 
Chairman  of  Standing  Committee  on  Nomenclature. 

For  several  years  I  have  given  considerable  time  and 
thought  to  study  of  the  derivation  of  the  citrus,  and  compar¬ 
ison  of  varieties  of  the  different  species  both  bv  field  study 
and  analysis  of  qualities  by  a  scale  of  points.  At  the  DeLand 
meeting  of  the  society  I  informally  brought  to  its  notice  a 
chart  that  gives  a  bird’s  eye  view  of  the  derivation  and  devel¬ 
opment  of  the  four  primary  species  and  their  crosses  or  vari¬ 
eties.  These  primary  species,  like  the  thornapple  of  temper¬ 
ate  climates,  still  grow  wild  in  the  East  Indies,  the  native 
home  of  all  the  citrus,  being  all  unedible,  and  are  the  fingered 
citron,  the  wild  lime,  the  citrus  trifoliata,  and  limonia  or  cit¬ 
rus  acidijsima. 


€0 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


The  sour  orange,  familiar  to  all,  is  a  representative  of  the 
lime  family,  though  a  hybrid  many  degrees  improved  over  its 
original  parent. 

Most  orange  growers  are  acquainted  with  the  fruit  of  the 
deciduous  citrus  trifoliata,  which  gives  the  musky  flavor  of 
fruit  and  hardy  habit  ot'  the  mandarin  family,  but  as  few  have 
seen  the  fruit  of  the  red  limonia,  which  is  the  parent  of  the 
shaddocks,  Tangerines  and  blood  oranges,  and  the  fingered 
citron,  which  has  given  the  sweet  edible  character  to  all  the 
citrus  fruits,  I  took  special  pains  while  attending  the  Colum¬ 
bian  Exposition,  to  find  specimens  in  the  East  Indian  exhibit, 
and  was  so  fortunate  as  to  secure  the  citron  and  limonia  of 
of  the  Siamese  Royal  Commissioner,  and  I  take  pleasure  in 
showing  these  specimens  to  the  society,  for  fortunately  they 
are  preserved  in  syrup,  and  retain  perfectly  their  form  and 
much  of  their  color.  The  fingered  citron,  you  will  observe,  is 
composed  of  loosely  adhering  lobes  or  segments  without  any 
central  core,  and  these  segments  are  almost  entirely  covered 
with  peel  and  contain  no  edible  juice.  They  are  only  used  in 
the  east  like  a  boquet  of  flowers,  for  the  sweet  odor  they 
exhale. 

This  citron  hybridizing  with,  and  breeding  up  from  the  lime 
has  developed  two  strains  of  fruit.  The  first  are  oranges, 
which  retain  the  form  of  the  lime  but  the  sweetness  of  the  cit¬ 
ron.  The  highest  bred  examples  we  have  are  the  navel  and 
early  oblong  oranges,  which  you  will  observe  in  a  general  way 
have  the  same  form  as  this  citron.  The  second  strain  is  the 
commercial  lime  and  lemon  family,  which  retains  the  modified 
acid  of  the  wild  lime,  but  the  color  and  oblong  form  of  the  cit- 
son.  This  citron,  progressively  crossing  with  the  citrus  tri¬ 
foliata,  has  developed  ilie  loose  segmented  mandarin  orange. 
And,  again,  the  citron  and  limonia  crosses  have  produced  the 
shaddocks  and  Malta  blood  oranges,  which  latter  especially, 
closely  copies  the  form  of  the  limonia.  It  must  not  be  under¬ 
stood  that  I  suppose  any  of  the  hybrids  we  have  to-day  as 
being  primary  crosses,  or  even  as  resembling  the  fruit  that 
would  result  from  an  equal  blending  of  the  qualities  of  any  of 
these  wild  primary  species,  for  the  tendency  of  hybrids  is  to 
produce  unedible  monstrosities,  and  it  is  only  the  careful  se¬ 
lection  and  cultivation  by  man  through  ages  of  time  of  the 
gradual  improving  varieties  which  have  crossed  and  inter¬ 
crossed  with  each  other,  that  has  given  us  the  well  nigh  per¬ 
fect  fruit  we  possess  to-day.  Therefore,  in  listing  oranges,  I 
follow  nanure’s  grand  divisions  and  make  but  four  varieties: 
The  citron  or  sweet  China,  the  lime  or  Portugal,  the  shaddock 
or  Malta  blood,  and  the  trifoliata  or  mandarin  oranges. 

As  preliminary  to  the  work  of  the  Cataloguing  Committee 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


61 


I  have,  un^er  these  four  varieties,  listed  some  fifty-five  sub¬ 
varieties  of  oranges  of  those  in  general  cultivation  having 
commercial  merit,  for  many  of  the  so-called  varieties  so  nearly 
resemble  each  other  that  an  expert  can  not  possibly  tell  them 
apart.  I  append  these  lists,  the  names  being  set  as  nearly  as 
possible  in  the  ordinary  sequence  of  edible  maturity. 

CITRON  OR  SWEET  CHINA  ORANGES. 

1,  Sweet  Seville  (Imperial);  2,  Early  Oblong;  3,  Melitensis 
Navel;  4, Washington  Navel;  5,  Whittaker;  6,  Nonpareil;  7, 
Parson  Brown;  8.  Centennial;  9,  Old  Vini;  10,  Dulcissima; 
11,  Circassian;  12,  Homosassa;  13,  May’s  Best. 

LIME  OR  PORTUGAL  ORANGES. 

1,  Acapulco;  2,  St.  Michaels;  3,  Double  Imperial  (Navel); 
4,  Dummitt;  5,  May’s  St.  Michaels;  6,  Prolific;  7,  Du  Roi;  8, 
Pineapple;  9,  Drake’s  Starr;  10,  Paper  Rind,  St.  Michaels; 
11,  Botelha;  12,  Beach’s  No.  5;  13,  Hart’s  Late. 

SHADDOCK  OR  MALTA  ORANGES. 

1,  Imperial  Blood;  2,  Boone’s  Early;  3,  Sanford’s  Sweet 
Blood;  4,  Amorv’s  Blood;  5,  Jaffa  Blood;  6,  Sauls’  Blood;  7, 
Ruby  (Du  Roi  Blood);  8,  Malta  Blood;  9,  Jaffa;  10,  Prata; 
11,  White;  12,  Mediterranean  Sweet;  13,  Malta  Egg;  14,  Star 
Calyx;  15,  St.  Michael’s  Blood;  19,  Majorca;  20,  Malta  Oval; 
21,  Valencia  Late. 

TRIFOLIATA  OR  MANDARIN  ORANGES. 

1,  Satsuma;  2,  Tangerona;  3,  Mandarin;  4,  Japan  Tanger¬ 
ine;  5,  Dancy’s  Tangerine;  6,  Cowgill’s  Tangerine;  7,  Cleo¬ 
patra;  8,  Travelers;  9,  Sprack;  10,  King. 

After  the  reading  of  the  above  Prof.  J.  H.  Webber  said:  I 
notice  Mr.  Hubbard  gives  possessive  names  of  the  different 
varieties.  One  of  the  rules  of  the  American  Pomological  So¬ 
ciety  is  that  we  should  not  use  possessive  names  in  naming 
fruits,  and  according  to  that  rule  Mr.  Boone  has  changed  the 
name  of  his  variety  to  Boone.  1  merely  make  this  as  a  sug¬ 
gestion. 

Replying,  Mr.  Hubbard  said:  In  listing  these  names  I 
have  given  them  as  they  are  listed  by  the  nurserymen.  In 
cataloguing  these  fruits  the  society  can  take  any  action  it 
chooses. 


62 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


Results  in  Crossing-  Navel  Oranges. 


Bv  Professor  H.  J.  Webber,  of  the  Sub  Tropical  Laboratory,  of  the 

U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Eustis,  Fla. 

In  our  work  on  the  orange  and  its  diseases  at  the  Sub- 
Tropical  Laboratory  our  attention  was  early  drawn  to  the  un¬ 
fruitfulness  of  the  navel  oranges  in  Florida.  The  various 
conflicting  opinions  of  orange  growers  relating  to  the  absence 
of  fuliy  developed  pollen  in  the  navel  flowers,  and  contrasted 
with  this  the  apparently  current  effect  of  navel  pollen  in  acci¬ 
dental  crosses,  lead  to  experiments  along  this  line.  The  ex¬ 
periments  are  by  no  means  concluded,  but  have  already 
yielded,  at  least  very  interesting  suggestions. 

It  has  been  suggested  by  some  that  the  unfruitfulness  of 
navel  orange  trees  in  Florida  was  to  be  attributed  to  the  ab¬ 
sence  of  fully  developed  pollen  in  the  navel  flowers.  In  Cali¬ 
fornia,  however,  it  is  asserted  that  the  navel  trees  bear  an 
abundance  of  fully  developed  pollen,  and  thus  their  fruit¬ 
fulness. 

Again  it  is  commonly  claimed  that  the  navel  oranges  pro¬ 
duced  occasionally  on  common  sweet  orange  trees,  and  Man¬ 
darin  trees  are  to  be  accounted  to  accidental  crosses  with 
pollen  from  navel  orange  trees. 

A  careful  examination  was  made  with  a  good  compound 
microscope,  of  many  anthers  of  navel  flowers,  from  both  Cali¬ 
fornia  and  Florida.  This  has  shown  that  perfect,  fully  de¬ 
veloped  pollen  is  seldom  if  ever  produced  in  navel  flowers. 
In  only  two  cases  was  any  pollen  found,  and  in  these  instances 
one  could  by  no  means  be  sure  that  it  had  attained  full  nor¬ 
mal  development.  It  is  thus  probable  that  the  isolated  cases 
of  navel  orange  fruits  on  the  common  sweet  orange  tree  will 
have  to  be  explained  in  some  other  manner.  I  will  not,  how¬ 
ever,  speak  of  this  point  at  present. 

Microscopic  studies  of  the  development  of  the  flower  and 
fruit  of  the  orange,  have  shown  that  navel  oranges  as  well  as 
the  common  sweet  orange,  grape  fruit,  sour  orange,  etc.,  form 
in  the  embryo  sac  more  than  one  embryo.  They  are  poly- 
embryonic.  Only  one  of  these  embryos  is  fecundated  and 
developed.  Frequently  some  of  the  others  develop,  but 
without  fecundation.  It  was  thus  suggested  to  me  that  prob¬ 
ably  the  development  of  these  unfecundated  embryos  might 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY.  63 

stimulate  the  fruit  to  development  even  if  pollination  did  not 
take  place.  I  thus  in  my  experimenting  opened  a  number  of 
navel  flowers  last  spring  and  summer  (1893)  before  the  pollen 
or  pistil  had  matured,  emasculated  them  (i.  e.  cut  off  the 
stamens — castrated)  and  immediately  drew  over  the  flowers 
thus  treated  firm  paper  or  close  cloth  bags,  and  tied  them 
around  the  branch  below  the  flowers,  so  that  all  insects  were 
excluded.  A  number  of  the  flowers  thus  treated,  matured 
fruits  which  were  to  all  appearances  perfectly  normal,  though 
developed  we  can  almost  positively  say  without  the  access  of 
pollen. 

Again  this  spring  (1894)  a  number  of  flowers  were  similarly 
treated  and  several  fruits  have  set  and  are  to  all  appearances 
developing  normally,  though  all  pollen  was  excluded,  and  thus 
there  was  no  fecundation. 

The  navel  fruits  developed  last  year  from  emasculated 
flowers  on  examina’  ion  were  all  found  to  be  perfectly  seedless 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  small  rudimentary  seeds.  Though 
my  experiments  have  not  yet  been  extensive  enough  to  be 
conclusive  it  yet  seems  from  the  results  obtained  that  the 
navel  fruits  possess  the  faculty  of  developing  without  the 
action  of  pollination  and  fecundation. 

In  my  experiments,  further,  a  number  of  navel  flowers  were 
crossed  with  pollen  from  various  other  varieties  of  Citrus 
fruits.  The  most  notable  feature  developed  in  this  series  of 
experiments  was  that  in  all  crossed  fruits  numerous  seeds 
were  produced,  while  in  the  fruits  produced  on  the  trees 
normally  very  few  seeds  were  formed,  and  in  almost  all  cases 
none.  This  commonly  seedless  character  of  the  nav.  1  fruits 
is,  as  every  one  knows,  the  feature  which  most  recommends 
this  variety  of  orange. 

In  every  case  where  navel  fruits  developed  from  crosses,  I 
early  marked,  near  by  on  the  same  tree  young  fruits  of  ap¬ 
parently  the  samm  age,  and  in  every  way  comparable  to  the 
crossed  fruits  other  than  that  the}'’  were  developed  without 
any  treatment  whatever,  as  they  always  naturally  do  in  the 
groves.  They  were  of  couise  entirely  open  and  may  have 
been  pollinated  by  insects  <  r  may  have  been  developed  with¬ 
out  pollination.  However,  this  may  have  been,  the  fact  re¬ 
mains  the  same  that  in  every  truit  thus  early  marked  as  checks 
for  comparison,  not  a  single  seed  was  found  developed  nor¬ 
mally.  In  two  or  three  instances  rudimentary  seeds  about 
two  millimetres  long  were  found. 

Many  of  the  fruits  from  the  same  trees,  developed  normally, 
were  examined  and  resulted  in  the  finding  of  but  few  fully 
developed  seeds.  Occasionally,  however,  in  Iruits  developed 
normally,  one  or  two  fully  matured,  plump  seeds  were  found. 

5 


64  SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 

All  orange  growers  are  familiar  with  the  fact  of  the  occasional 
occurrence  of  good  seeds  in  navel  fruits. 

My  experiments  were  principally  made  on  the  so-called 
Washington  and  Parson’s  navels. 

In  a  few  of  the  crossed  fruits,  for  instauce,  crossed  with 
pollen  of  grape  fruit,  the  seeds  were  much  longer  and  larger 
than  the  seeds  usually  developed  in  the  navel  or  common 
oranges. 

On  the  contrary  fruits  on  the  same  Parson’s  navel  tree 
crossed  with  pollen  from  St.  Michael’s  blood  orange  developed 
plump,  full  seeds  of  the  character  usually  occuring  in  St. 
Michael’s  blood  oranges.  Photographs  made  of  the  seeds  of 
different  crossed  Parson’s  navel  fruits  show  plainly  the  differ¬ 
ences  and  may  even  suggest  the  parent  from  which  the  pollen 
was  taken. 

The  practical  suggestion  to  be  derived  from  the  above  re¬ 
sults  is  that  we  should  not  take  means  to  secure  the  cross 
pollination  of  our  navel  trees,  hoping  thereby  to  secure  a  larger 
crop  of  fruit.  The  effect  of  the  cross  pollination  apparently 
being  the  production  of  seedy  fruits;  but  not  necessarily  more 
fruits.  These  are  merely  suggestions  and  may'  have  to  be 
modified  as  more  is  learned  of  the  subject. 


Experiments  In  Crossing*  Citrus  Fruits. 


By  Prof.  W.  T.  Swingle,  of  the  Sub-Tropical  Laboratory  of  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture,  Eustis,  Fla. 

I  should  like  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  work  of 
crossing  the  best  varieties  of  citrus  fruits  is  in  progress  at  the 
sub-tropical  laboratory. 

Our  first  crosses  were  made  in  March,  1893.  To  insure 
against  any  possibility  of  self-pollination,  the  flowers  were 
opened  forcibly  before  the  pollen  was  ripe,  and  all  the  authers 
were  carefully  cut  away.  Then,  to  protect  the  flower  against 
the  visits  of  insects,  it  was  inclosed  in  a  paper  or  close  woven 
cloth  bag.  This  insured  that  no  foreign  pollen  could  be  car¬ 
ried  to  the  stigma  by  bees  or  other  insects.  When  the  stigma 
became  moist  and  receptive,  pollen  from  some  other  variety 
was  applied,  and  the  bags  tied  on  again. 

Of  about  a  hundred  crosses  made,  only  nineteen  developed 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


65 


mature  fruit  this  winter.  The  seeds  from  these  fruits  will  be 
planted,  and  the  hybrid  plants  will  be  forced  into  bearing  as 
soon  as  possible.  It  is  of  advantage  to  have  a  number  of  seeds 
from  each  cross,  since  the  offspring  from  a  given  cross  are  not 
by  any  means  all  similar.  Often,  on  the  contrary,  they  are 
often  all  different,  combining  in  every  possible  way  the  quali¬ 
ties  of  the  parent  varieties. 

By  having  enough  crossed  plants  it  would  doubtless  be  pos¬ 
sible  to  obtain  any  desired  blending  of  the  qualities  of  two 
varieties.  By  crossing  the  hybrid  offspring  with  a  third  va¬ 
riety  or  with  another  cross  bred  sort,  the  possibilities  of  vari¬ 
ations  in  the  offspring  are  greatly  increased.  By  planting 
large  quantities  of  seed  from  such  multiple  crosses  there  is 
every  probability  that  entirely  new  sorts  will  be  obtained, 
some  of  great  value.  Aside  from  increased  variability  of 
cross-bred  plants,  there  is  much  more  chance  of  their  produc¬ 
ing  valuable  sports  than  with  ordinary  seedlings.  In  fact, 
sports  are  simply  enormous  variations,  and  are  more  often 
found  among  variable  plants  than  among  stable  ones.  It  might 
be  interesting  to  note  that  Luther  Burbank,  the  great  Cali¬ 
fornia  hybridizer,  depends  wholly  on  these  chance  sports  in 
originating  new  varieties  by  crossing. 

It  is  our  intention  to  cross  in  various  ways  all  the  best  va¬ 
rieties  of  citrus  fruits,  and  to  attempt  to  obtain  valuable  new 
sorts  in  all  these  ways.  Of  course  it  will  require  some  time 
to  obtain  results.  At  any  rate,  the  work  is  started  and  will 
be  pushed  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

1  have  with  me  a  few  of  the  crossed  fruits  that  you  are  wel¬ 
come  to  examine.  I  have  so  far  been  unable  to  detect  any  dif¬ 
ference  between  the  cross-pollinated  fruit  and  others  growing 
on  the  same  mother  tree. 


Discussion  On  Citrus  Fruits. 


C.  B.  Bacon— I  would  like  to  ask  Professor  Webber  what 
he  calls  the  St.  Michael’s  blood  orange.  We  have  a  St.  Mich¬ 
ael’s  orange  on  the  east  coast  that  is  almost  entirely  seedless, 
but  I  understand  that  in  the  interior  they  have  a  St.  Michael’s 
that  is  as  full  of  seed  as  any  other  orange. 

Prof.  Webber — I  am  not  informed  as  to  this.  Yerv  likely 


66 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


Mr.  Hubbard  can  give  you  a  better  answer. 

E.  S.  Hubbard — There  have  been  several  importations  of 
St.  Michael  oranges  and  they  are  nearly  all  different.  They 
have  a  peculiar  character  and  are  rather  acid. 

Mr.  Bacon — The  orange  that  we  call  St.  Michael’s  is  com- 
monly  oblong,  and  it  is  late  in  season,  say  February  or 
March.  It  is  red,  is  a  very  rich  fruit,  and  lias  very  few  or  no 
seeds. 

Mr.  Hubbard — You  have  what  is  commonly  called  the  St. 
Michael’s  Egg  orange. 

Mr.  Bacon — My  St.  Michael’s  have  as  few  seeds  as  many  of 
the  so-called  seedless  varieties.  Ju>t  here  I  want  to  ask  an 
other  question:  Is  there  a  seedless  pomelo  or  grape  fruit  ? 
I  have  seen  frequent  references  lately  to  a  seedless  grape  fruit, 
and  I  should  like  to  know  if  there  is  a  variety  which  has  no 
seeds. 

A.  G.  Avery — We  have  some  kinds  with  comparatively 
few  seeds.  I  do  not  think  there  is  a  variety  that  is  entirely 
seedbss. 

Prof.  W.  T.  Swingle— There  is  one  point  I  would  like  to 
mention:  While  at  the  World’s  Fair  last  summer  I  sf  ent 
some  time  trying  to  di-cover  the  exhibits  of  citrus  fruits,  and 
must  say  it  was  a  hard  search.  I  finally  found  them.  One  of 
the  finest  exhibits  was  made  by  the  government  of  Japan 
in  the  Educational  Building.  There  I  found  a  well  written 
catalogue  in  English,  on  the  varieties  grown  in  Japan.  Fif¬ 
teen  or  twenty  varieties  of  oranges  were  described.  These  or¬ 
anges  were  represente*!  by  models,  were  well  described  and 
showed  that  there  are  much  finer  oranges  in  Japan  than  we 
have  imparted  from  there.  1  hope  when  our  Importing  Soci¬ 
ety  is  formed  we  shall  get  hold  of  these  fine  fruiis  from  Japan. 


Diseases  and  Insects  of  Citrus. 


Paper  submitted  by  Wm.  A.  Marsh,  of  Orlando,  Orange  County, 
member  of  the  Committee  *  n  Diseases  and  Insects  ot  Citrus. 

In  approaching,  and  making  the  attempt  to  handle  this 
subject,  I  feel  rather  timid,  coming  as  I  do  before  the  veter¬ 
ans  of  citriculture.  But  I  hope  that  my  piper  may  be  the 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


67 


means  of  provoking  a  discussion  that  will  result  in  good.  In 
treating  the  subject  before  us,  I  shall  call  to  my  aid  a  special 
bulletin  of  the  Louisiana  State  Experiment  Station,  which 
treats  of  insects  injurious  and  beneficial  that  infest  the  citrus  in 
that  state,  Florida  and  California.  Every  grower  should  have 
this  work,  which  I  presume  may  be  obtained  by  addressing 
H.  C.  Newsom,  Commissioner  of  Agriculture,  Baton  Rouge. 

INSECTS. 

One  of  the  most  troublesome  of  which  is  the  Florida  red 
scale  (Aspdiotus  Ficus  Ashmead).  It  is  round,  ol  a  choco¬ 
late  color  with  a  red  spot  in  the  center,  a  little  less  than  a 
sixteenth  of  an  inch  in  diameter  They  breed  with  wonder¬ 
ful  rapidity  and  spread  over  a  grove  in  a  very  short  space  of 
time.  It  has  been  aptly  described  as  “the  most  devilish  of 
all  scale  insects,”  and  it  seems  to  come  in  a  night.  I  believe 
it  the  most  difficult  to  destroy.  The  adult  red  scale  seems 
almost  invulnerable,  and  the  best  time  to  fight  them  is  when 
hatching,  almost  anything  in  the  way  of  an  insecticide  will 
kill  them  at  this  time.  They  seem  to  be  most  active  about 
the  first  of  April  and  the  latter  part  of  August.  The  oyster 
shell  scale  ( Mytilaspis  Pomorum  Bouche)  seems  to  be  the 
most  common  in  Florida,  and  the  least  destructive.  I  have 
found  that  they  could  generally  be  disposed  of  by  giving  the 
tree  some  fertilizer.  Another,  the  barnacle  scale  ( Ceroplas - 
tes  Floridensis) ,  as  his  name  implies,  has  the  appearance  of  a 
barnacle,  is  white  with  a  slight  pinkish  tinge,  and  when 
crushed  exudes  a  liquid  that  has  the  appearance  of  blood. 
This  scale  is  most  otten  seen  on  young  trees,  and  may  be  easily 
destroyed  by  a  few  applications  of  soapsuds.  This  insect 
is  about  three  thirty  seconds  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  Aley- 
rodes  Citrifolii  is  a  scale  frequently  seen  on  the  leaves  and 
stems  of  our  trees,  and  appears  as  little  white  dots,  some¬ 
times  almost  completely  covering  the  leaves  and  small  twigs. 
This  insect  finally  hatches  into  a  small  white  fly  or  miller,  its 
wings  having  a  delicate  purplish  tinge.  It  is  often  very 
troublesome,  and  wherever  smut  fungus  is  found  this  scale 
generally  accompanies  it.  Smut  fungus  has  the  appe  irance 
of  soot,  and  a  tree  affected  looks  as  though  it  had  been  liber¬ 
ally  dusted  with  soot. 

No  doubt  many  of  you  have  noticed  numbers  of  your 
.oranges,  otherwise  good,  with  a  little  hole  eaten  through  the 
oil  cells  to  the  white  portion  of  the  peel.  I  found  the  little 
villain  that  does  the  work.  There  will  be  seen  a  little  pointed 
, cocoon,  yery  ragged  in  appearance,  attached  to  the  orange, 
and  has  for  its  inhabitant  a  small  black  worm.  What  form 
..of  miller  or  fly  it  hatches  into  I  do  not  know.  The  cocoons 


68 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


may  be  seen  sticking  to  the  leaves,  and  even  to  the  sides  of 
buildings  and  fences  in  the  fall. 

Now  is  the  time  when  we  are  most  troubled  with  the 
orange  aphis.  This  little  insect  varies  in  color  from  light 
green  to  black.  They  live  on  the  juices  of  the  young  leaves, 
but  do  not  occur  in  sufficient  numbers  to  do  any  great 
damage. 

One  of  the  worst  enemies  of  the  orange  is  the  “orange 
dog,”  an  ugly,  disgusting,  hairless  caterpillar,  which,  when 
touched,  protrudes  two  red  horns  and  emits  a  terrible  odor. 
They  feed  on  the  young  leaves,  and  it  is  wonderful  the 
amount  of  foliage  one  of  them  will  consume.  They  do  great 
injury  to  young  trees.  The  butterfly  of  this  ugly  larva  is 
very  beautiful,  the  wings  above  are  crossed  with  yellow 
spots,  while  below  they  are  yellow  with  black  veins.  On  the 
tail-like  projection  of  each  hind  wing  is  an  eye-like  spot  of 
yellow,  while  near  the  inner  angle  of  the  same  wing  is  another 
spot  of  red  and  blue.  The  female  deposits  her  eggs  on  the 
most  tender  leaves  of  the  tree-  these  hatch  in  a  few  days. 
The  larval  condition  is  passed  in  from  ten  to  fifteen  days,, 
when  the  pupa  state  is  entered,  where  it  remains  during  the 
summer  months.  Six  or  seven  broods  may  be  hatched  in  one 
season,  so  it  is  well  f  <r  the  orange  grower  to  look  to  his 
young  trees. 

THE  RUST-MITE. 

This  minute  insect,  which  is  invisible  to  the  naked  eye,  is  a 
great  source  of  annoyance  to  the  orange  grower,  and  causes  a 
loss  of  thousands  of  dollars  each  year  to  the  growers.  The 
rust-mite  is  only  1,200th  part  of  an  inch  long.  The  eggs  are 
deposited  singly  or  in  clusters  over  the  leaves  and  hatch  in 
four  or  five  days.  In  about  ten  days  they  shed  their  skins, 
and  reach  the  adult  condition,  which  differs  from  the  young 
in  being  a  little  darker.  It  is  during  the  hot,  moist  weather 
in  summer  when  they  become  most  abundant;  cool  or  dry 
weather  checks  them.  On  examination  of  a  single  leaf  in¬ 
fested  with  them  Mr.  Hubbard  estimates  the  number  of  mites 
and  eggs  at  75,000.  These  little  creatures  are  able  to  travel 
about  twelve  feet  per  hour,  so  they  are  able  to  cover  a  good 
deal  of  space  in  a  short  time.  The  result  of  the  little  fellows’ 
work  is  not  altogether  bad,  for  our  rusty  fruit  will  carry  a 
good  deal  better  than  the  bright,  and  late  in  the  season  there 
is  not  much  difference  in  price.  The  russet  fruit  holds  its 
juices  better  than  the  bright.  Almost  any  of  the  insecticides 
now  in  use  will  destroy  the  rust-mite,  but  the  trees  must  have 
several  applications  for  they  work  the  year  round,  as  their 
food  is  the  oil  in  the  rind  of  the  orange  and  other  citrus. 

In  some  portions  of  the  state  the  white  fly  is  causing  a 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


69 


great  deal  of  trouble  this  spring.  These  are  some  of  our  en¬ 
emies,  but  we  have  some  friends  in  the  insect  world.  One,  I 
would  like  to  find  the  name  for;  it  looks  like  a  little  tuft  of 
down  on  legs,  and  is  very  active  in  destroying  scale. 

Then  there  is  the  little  beetle,  known  as  the  lady-bird;  the 
one  most  common  is  black  with  a  red  dot  on  each  wing;  an¬ 
other,  not  so  common,  is  orange  colored  or  red.  The  larva  of 
these  insects  may  be  seen  on  dead  twigs,  or  pine  straw  that 
has  become  lodged  in  the  orange  trees,  and  may  be  seen 
crawling  about  over  the  leaves.  It  looks  like  a  little  black  or 
yellowish  hairy  worm,  furnished  with  legs,  and  is  often  killed 
hy  persons  who  do  not  know  them,  thinking  they  are  an  in¬ 
jurious  insect  of  some  sort.  These  little  friends  destroy  great 
numbers  of  scale  insects.  One  bad  thing  about  our  spraying- 
is  that  we  destroy  these  friends  along  with  our  enemies,  and 
it  is  a  question  if  we  do  not  lose  in  the  end. 

DISEASES. 

Mai  di  goma ,  or  foot-rot  is  a  disease  of  the  orange  that  ha& 
and  is  causing  more  destruction  in  seedling  groves  than  any 
disease  known  to  the  orange.  It  seems  to  be  almost  as  much 
a  mystery  as  ever,  and  no  one  that  I  know  of  has  yet  ventured 
to  say  what  the  cause  of  it  is.  I  have  noticed  that  it  seems 
to  be  most  prevalent  after  a  freeze.  After  the  freeze  of  1886 
there  was  a  regular  epidemic  of  foot-rot.  That  would  seem  to 
indicate  a  defective  circulation  of  sap,  would  it  not  ?  We  all 
have  our  theories  in  regard  to  it,  and  mine  is  this:  That  at 
the  time  of  a  freeze  the  sap  vessels  or  veins  are  contracted  or 
dried  down,  and  when  the  warm  weather  comes  after  the  cold 
the  roots  commence  forcing  sap  into  the  trees  again*  and  the 
vessels  not  being  able  to  receive  the  amount  furnished  them, 
burst  through  the  bark  in  boils  or  sores.  These  sores  often 
appear  six  feet  from  the  ground,  and  even  more,  although  the 
trees  are  most  generally  affected  at  the  collar,  and  the  main 
root  just  below  the  surface.  The  best  means  for  stopping  it 
seems  to  be  by  cutting  away  the  diseased  portions  of  t  he  bark 
and  exposing  roots  for  a  distance  of  two  feet  around  the 
trunk.  That  would  indicate  that  in  setting  a  grove  or  replac¬ 
ing  trees  it  would  be  a  good  idea  to  plant  on  slight  ridges  or 
mounds,  as  the  soil  tends  to  work  to  the  trees  all  the  time,  and 
if  we  do  not  set  them  in  this  manner,  in  a  few  years  we  are 
apt  to  find  our  trees  in  slight  hollows.  I  should  think  the  best 
way  to  avoid  the  trouble  would  be  to  use  sour  or  bitter-sweet 
stock.  The  sour  stock  rarely  has  foot-rot,  while  the  bitter¬ 
sweet  has  the  reputation  of  having  never  had  a  case  of  it.  I 
have  seen  trees  budded  on  sour  stock  standing  with  every 
sweet  tree  around  affected,  and  yet  the  trees  budded  on  sour 
were  perfectly  healthy.  The  disease  may  be  readily  distin- 


70 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


guished  by  a  novice;  where  the  gum  exudes  the  bark  com¬ 
mences  to  die.  Sometimes  the  discharge  has  a  frothy  appear¬ 
ance  and  a  disagreeable  odor. 

Die-back  is  another  disease  that  causes  a  good  deal  of  loss 
to  the  orange  grower;  it  is  most  noticeable  in  the  fall  when 
the  wood  is  ripening.  It  appears  in  hard  brown  scabs  or  blis¬ 
ters  on  the  smaller  limbs  and  twigs;  the  scabs  also  are  seen 
on  the  fruit.  The  disease  spreads  to  the  larger  limbs  and 
finally  kills  the  tree  unless  measures  are  taken  to  stop  it.  It  is 
■caused  by  (well  now  I  tremble  for  my  reputation)  too  much 
plow  and  harrow  for  the  most  part,  and  can  be  caused  by  too 
much  ammonia,  but  ammonia  has  to  take  the  cussing  for  the 
whole  family.  If  you  do  not  “worry  the  soil”  too  much,  it 
will  take  a  tremendous  amount  of  ammonia  to  give  a  tree  the 
•die-back.  I  tried  it.  I  took  a  small  tree  for  my  experiment. 
The  tree  was  about  eight  feet  high  and  six  feet  through  the 
top.  I  gave  the  tree  two  wheelbarrow  loads  of  fresh  stable 
manure,  twenty- eight  pounds  of  bright  C.  S.  meal  and  eight 
pounds  of  blood  and  bone,  all  within  one  year,  and  I  succeeded 
in  giving  the  tree  the  die-back,  but  only  slightly.  It  all 
passed  away  the  next  season,  and  has  never  shown  since.  The 
trees  were  only  plowed  once,  and  I  hoed  once  during  the  year. 
I  would  suggest  to  those  troubled  with  die-back,  that  they 
use  the  mowing  machine  more  and  the  plow  less,  but  do  not 
stop  fertilizing  entirely,  as  some  do.  No  cast-iron  rule  can 
be  laid  down,  as  there  are  hardly  two  groves  on  the  same  kind 
of  soil.  I  think  that  the  growers  as  a  general  thing  cultivate 
too  much  and  feed  too  little.  * 

I  have  just  received  a  letter  from  a  friend  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  state,  complaining  that  the  white-fly  is  working  sad 
havoc  with  their  groves,  some  nearly  ruiued  by  it.  I  would 
suggest  that  from  two  to  four  pounds  of  sulphur  be  scattered 
around  the  tree  or  thrown  into  the  branches,  as  you  please; 
leave  on  the  surface.  The  fumes  will  kill  the  fly,  young  scale 
and  rust-mite;  at  least,  that  has  been  my  experience. 

Hoping  that  I  have  not  proved  too  tedious,  and  my  effort 
not  altogether  in  vain,  I  am,  yours  for  the  advancement  of  our 
■society  and  all  it  implies. 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


71 


Sulphur  Solution — Blight— Lemon  Scab. 


fveport  by  Prof.  W.  T.  Swingle,  of  Sub-Tropical  Laboratory,  Division 
of  Vegetable  Pathology,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture, 
Eustis,  Fla.,  Chairman  Standing  Committee  on  Diseases  and 
Insects  of  Citrus. 

Prof.  Swingle — I  have  been  too  much  engaged  in  field  work 
to  present  to  you  to-day  a  written  report.  Of  course,  the  sub¬ 
ject  is  a  broad  one.  I  will  proceed  for  the  first  part  to  con¬ 
sider  insects.  I  am  not  especially  occupied  with  this  subject 
at  Eustis,  nor  is  Prof.  Webber.  I  have,  however,  something 
of  interest  to  report  regarding  the  insect  enemies  of  citrus 
plants,  that  is,  in  regard  to  the  solution  which  is  used  to  kill 
the  rust  mite  and  the  red  spider.  I  found  yesterday  afternoon, 
after  quite  a  number  of  tests,  a  new  method  of  preparing  a 
sulphur  spray.  I  wish  to  show  you  how  to  make  this  sulphur 
compound.  I  take  it  for  granted  that  the  members  under¬ 
stand  what  sulphur  spray  is  used  for.  It  is  a  cure  for  rust 
mite  and  is  very  valuable  in  fighting  spotted  mite  (red  spider). 
The  following  is  the  recipe  for  making  this  solution: 

Thirty  pounds  of  pulverized  sulphur  (good  quality),  twelve 
^quarts  of  water,  then  mix;  add  twenty  to  thirty-two  pounds 
of  caustic  soda  (twenty  pounds  of  ninety-eight  per  cent,  or 
thirty-three  pounds  of  sixty  per  cent.),  then  mix. 

After  mixing  the  sulphur  and  water  the  caustic  soda  is 
placed  in  the  same  vessel  and  the  whole  mixed  well.  A  re¬ 
action  takes  place,  the  mixture  becoming  hot,  turning  brown 
and  finally  becoming  liquid.  This  liquid  should  be  diluted  to 
twenty  gallons  of  water  and  kept  in  tight  barrels  ready  to 
dilute  for  u^e.  Caustic  soda  can  be  obtained  from  Eimer  & 
Amend,  207  to  211  Third  avenue,  or  Geo.  B.  Forrester,  169 
Front  street,  New  York  City.  I  simply  give  these  names 
because  I  happen  to  know  that  they  sell  the  caustic  soda. 
They  do  not  sell  less  than  700  pounds.  Seventy  per  cent, 
potash  costs  about  $3.95  per  hundred;  ninety-eight  per 
cent,  about  $5.30  to  $5.50.  It  is  cheaper  to  buy  the  ninety- 
eight  per  cent,  soda  at  these  prices.  It  is  in  powder  form, 
like  flour.  A  great  many  dealers  have  a  low  grade  on  hand. 
It  would  not  be  advisable  to  use  this. 

PROCEEDS  TO  MIX  THE  SOLUTION. 

You  will  notice  that  a  small  quantity  of  water  is  used 


72 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


When  you  first  make  the  solution  it  will  seem  incredible  that 
such  a  small  quantity  of  water  would  suffice.  It  makes  a  very 
stiff  paste,  and  it  must  be  a  stiff  paste  or  it  will  not  work.  It 
is  also  essential  that  the  flour  of  sulphur  be  stirred  well  with 
the  water.  The  caustic  soda  can  now  be  stirred  in  with  this 
sulphur  paste.  This  can  be  done  in  wooden  vessels.  It  is 
not  necessary  to  have  metallic  vessel?  ;  in  tact  it  is  better  not 
to  use  metals  since  they  are  attacked  by  the  sulphides  formed. 
This  solution  can  be  made  up  in  the  field  in  a  barrel.  The 
right  quantity  of  caustic  soda  can  be  weighed  out  and  put  in 
a  glass  jar,  with  a  tight  fitting  cork,  and  you  can  make  the 
solution  as  you  wish  to  use  it.  It  will  keep  if  protected  from 
the  air.  This  is  a  concentrated  sulphur  solution.  I  will  state 
that  the  cost  of  sulphur  is  about  1-J  cents  f.  o.  b.  New  York 
City.  I  cannot  state  exactly  though,  but  this  is  about  the 
figure.  It  can  probably  be  obtained  of  some  good  dealer  in 
Jacksonville  at  2  cents  f.  o.  b. 

L.  Montgomery — I  beg  to  state  that  it  can  be  bought  for 
$22  a  ton  f.  o.  b.  New  York  City. 

Prof.  Swingle — After  the  reaction  has  taken  place,  dilute 
the  liquid  to  twenty  gallons.  The  cost  per  gallon  of  this 
made  up  solution  will  be  about  5  to  7  cents.  The  same  thing 
can,  of  course,  be  made  with  potash  if  it  is  so  desired.  Caus¬ 
tic  soda  will  do  the  same  as  potash.  It  might  pay  to  use 
potash  instead  of  caustic  soda,  but  at  present  the  cheapest 
sulphur  spray  that  can  be  made  is  with  the  caustic  soda.  The 
same  proportion  of  caustic  potash  is  to  be  used  as  of  caustic 
soda.  I  will  experiment  further  with  this  and  will  publish 
the  results  in  full  in  all  Florida  papers.  The  sulphur  solu¬ 
tion  will  be  of  great  benefit  in  fighting  the  enemies  of  the 
orange.  I  would  not  advise  the  use  of  more  than  one  gallon 
to  filty  gallons  of  water  for  anything.  It  is  probable  that 
from  one  to  two  quarts  to  fifty  gallons  will  be  required  to  kill 
the  rust  mite.  For  the  red  spider  I  would  use  from  two  to 
four  quarts  to  fifty  gallons. 

E.  Bean — I  have  a  copy  of  Miller  &  McMaster’s  patent 
covering  this  property  of  dissolving  sulphur  by  the  use  of 
caustic  soda.  The  Professor  can  read  that  portion  relating  tO' 
the  sulphur  solution. 

(Prof.  Swingle  then  read  paper  submitted  by  Mr.  Bean 
which  was  on  the  subject  of  Miller  &  McMaster’s  patent). 

Prof.  Swingle — From  the  part  of  the  patent  that  I  have 
read  I  cannot  see  that  there  is  any  infringement  on  Miller  & 
McMaster’s  patent.  I  prepared  my  solution  a  few  days  ago 
and  I  am  sure  I  have  never  before  seen  a  copy  of  the  patent  I 
have  just  read.  I  doubt  if  my  solution  can  be  patented.  It 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY.  T3 

is  really  not  a  sulphur  solution,  but  a  solution  of  sodium  sul¬ 
phide,  but  I  hope  to  work  on  it  further  and  give  the  members 
of  the  Society  the  advantage  of  whatever  discoveries  I  may 
make. 

There  are  a  few  other  points  I  wish  to  report  on  relating  to 
the  work  in  progress  at  the  Sub-Tropical  Laboratory,  on  the 
diseases  of  citrus  fruits. 

BLIGHT. 

First — In  regard  to  the  orange  blight:  I  have  been  before 
the  Society  for  three  years  telling  a  continued  story  about 
blight  and  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  the  discussion  will  have  to 
be  continued  longer.  Prof.  Webber  and  myself  have  been  ex¬ 
perimenting  at  the  Sub-Tropical  Laboratory  at  Eustis  in  a 
number  ol  different  ways,  but  we  are  surprised  at  the  extreme 
slowness  in  which  these  experiments  show  results.  Having 
made  for  two  years  careful  examination  of  the  blight  of  the 
orange,  we  have  been  unable  as  yet  to  find  any  cause  which 
could  produce  this  disease,  but  every  experiment  we  make 
strengthens  the  view  that  the  disease  is  contagious.  It  has 
been  found  almost  uniformly  that  extirpation  of  the  first  few 
cases  in  the  grove  is  the  best  way  to  prevent  the  spread  of 
the  malady.  We  have  in  progress  experiments  to  prove 
whether  this  disease  is  contagious.  The  blight  very  often 
spreads  from  adjacent  trees.  It  is  still  unsettled  whether  the 
disease  can  be  conveyed  from  the  top  of  one  tree  to  another. 
We  have  taken  buds  from  blighted  trees  and  inserted  these 
buds  into  healthy  trees — into  the  top  and  into  the  roots  and 
we  will  watch  with  interest  the  progress  ot  this  experiment. 
We  will  report  on  all  of  these  experiments  later.  I  would 
urge  all  those  who  have  only  a  few  affected  trees  to  take  them 
out  and  burn  them.  There  is  little  doubt  in  my  mind  but 
that  trees  contract  blight  from  one  another.  To  growers  who 
have  large  numbers  of  trees  affected,  such  a  measure  might 
seem  to  be  severe  and  I  would  suggest  to  such  that  some  of 
the  more  vigorous  trees  might  be  grafted  to  quick  bearing 
varieties.  This,  however,  I  would  only  urge  in  cases  of  long 
standing.  Those  trees  that  are  burned  should  be  burned  on 
the  spot  and  not  dragged  through  the  grove. 

Mr.  Peck — Over  what  region  of  the  state  does  blight  ex¬ 
tend  ? 

Prof.  Swingle — I  have  seen  it  all  over  the  state. 

FOOT  ROT. 

Upon  the  foot  rot  we  have  done  so  far  only  a  limited 
amount  of  work,  but  we  have  at  last  found  a  region  where  we 


74 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


can  try  remedies  and  we  hope  to  report  the  result  of  these  ex¬ 
periments  later. 

LEMON  SCAB. 

”  I  have  since  the  1st  of  February  given  my  almost  undivided 
attention  to  this  disease,  and  wish  to  thank  Mr.  Sampson  and 
Mr.  Buffum  for  their  efforts  to  aid  me.  I  have  found  the 
disease  to  be  caused  by  a  very  minute  fungus.  The  disease 
proves  to  be  exceedingly  difficult  to  combat  since  the  young 
fruits  can  be  infected  for  at  least  two  months.  I  have  no 
doubt  we  will  finally  be  able  to  overcome  the  disease.  We 
have  found  the  copper  sprays  to  be  the  best  remedies.  I  have 
found  the  Bordeaux  Mixture  very  good.  I  expect  to  get  out 
a  bulletin  from  Washington  on  this  Bordeaux  Mixture  and  a 
copy  will  be  forwarded  to  each  member,  and  also  the  report 
on  treating  the  lemon  scab  when  it  is  published.  Prof.  Web¬ 
ber  will  report  later  on  his  experiments  with  die-back. 

J.  H.  Wright — It  has  been  my  experience  in  using  Bor¬ 
deaux  Mixture  that  it  is  a  preventive  more  than  a  cure. 


The  “  White  Fly  ”  And  “  Sooty  Mould.” 


Verbal  repoit  by  Pior,  H.  J.  Webber,  of  the  Sub-Tropical  Laboratory 
the  United  S'ates  Department  ot'  Agriculure,  Eustis,  Fia.,  made 
in  compliance  with  the  special  request  ot  the  Society,  preferred  at 
its  last  met  ting. 

In  fighting  insect  and  fungus  pests  it  is  first  necessary  that 
we  know  something  of  their  life  history,  growth,  transfor¬ 
mations,  habits,  etc.,  that  we  may  more  intelligently  combat 
them. 

The  Sooty  Mould  is  a  saprophytic  fungus,  deriving  its  nour¬ 
ishment,  not  directly  from  the  orange,  as  is  sometimes  sup¬ 
posed,  but  from  sugary  excretions  exuded  by  certain  insects, 
which  it  always  follows. 

In  Florida  Sooty  Mould  only  becomes  serious  when  it  fol¬ 
lows  the  White  Fly,  aleyrodes  citric  and  it  is  with  its  treat¬ 
ment  in  this  connection  that  we  are  concerned 

The  logical  way,  and  apparently  the  only  effective  way  to 
treat  this  disease  is  to  destroy  the  insect  pest  which  the  fun¬ 
gus  follows.  As  soon  as  the  insects  are  removed  and  the  sup- 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


75; 


ply  of  honeydew.  upon  which  the  Sooty  Mould  lives,  is* 
stopped,  the  mould  will  disappear  without  other  special  treat¬ 
ment. 

The  White  Fly  passes  the  winter  in  the  mature  larval  or 
pupa  stage,  and  begins  to  hatch  out  into  the  mature  stage 
(Imago)  about  the  middle  of  March.  This  year,  1894,  I  first, 
noticed  them  beginning  to  appear  on  the  13th  of  March.  The 
eggs  from  the  fall  br.  od  of  flies  hatch  about  the  middle  or  last 
of  October.  So  from  the  middle  of  November  till  March,  is. 
one  of  the  long  periods  when  the  disease  may  best  be  treated. 

Each  fly  lays  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  eggs.  These  re¬ 
quire  about  three  weeks  for  their  development  before  they 
hatch  out  into  the  larval  stage.  Thus  the  eggs  from  the  March 
and  April  brood  do  not  begin  to  hatch  until  the  middle  of 
April,  and  continue,  hatching  till  the  middle  ot  May.  The 
larvae  from  thes^  eggs  continue  their  development  till  about 
the  middle  of  June  or  first  of  July,  when  the  mature  flies 
hatch  out  again,  and  begin  laving  eggs  for  the  next  broody 
which  hatches  out  from  the  middle  of  September  to  the  first 
of  October. 

This  September  brood  of  flies,  the  third  brood,  is  the  last  of 
the  season;  the  eggs  they  lay  hatch  out  into  the  larval  stage 
about  the  middle  or  last  of  October,  and  this  stage  continues, 
through  the  winter  as  described  above. 

Considerable  question  yet  remains  as  to  the  effect  of  the  va¬ 
rious  insecticides  on  the  eggs,  and  while  this  doubt  exisis  it 
is  best  to  arrange  the  times  of  spraying  so  that  we  do  not. 
spray  till  the  eggs  are  all,  or  almost  all  hatched  out  into  the 
larval  stage.  As  there  are  three  periods  in  ihe  year  when  the 
insects  are  in  this  stage,  there  are  thus  three  periods  when  one 
may  profitably  spray  for  the  pest.  One  must  judge  when  to 
spray  by  the  condition  of  the  insect,  being  sure  they  are  in 
the  larval  or  pupa  stages.  In  general,  this  condition  is  reached 
about  three  weeks  or  a  month  after  the  mature  fl  es  are  no¬ 
ticed  to  be  most  abundant. 

While  many  remedies  have  been  tried  and  experimented 
with  for  this  pest,  none  have  been  found  up  to  the  beginning 
of  this  year  which  had  pioved  satisfactory.  In  our  experi¬ 
ments  with  this  pest  this  season,  we  have  tried  every  spray 
which  promised  success,  applied  in  various  ways.  We  have? 
tried  to  make  our  tests  thorough,  and  believe  we  have  suc¬ 
ceeded  in  demonstrating  the  effectiveness  of  certain  standard 
spra}Ts,  beyond  question. 

In  California,  fumigation  with  hydrocyanic  acid  gas  is  be¬ 
ing  used  with  great  success  against  various  scale  insects.  So 
successful  is  it,  indeed,  that  some  claim  it  to  mark  a  new  era 
in  the  treatment  o;f  sueh.  diseases..  We^for  this  reason,  made 


76 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


quite  thorough  fumigation  tests  on  the  White  Fly  with  very 
excellent  results.  The  treatment  was  made  about  the  middle 
of  February  of  this  year  (1894)  and  was  so  successful  that  it 
was  only  by  careful  search  (in  treatments  with  certain 
strengths  of  material)  that  one  could  find  a  living  insect. 

Fumigation  is  accomplished  b}7-  passing  over  the  tree  a  tent 
of  some  closely  woven  material  (eight-ounce  ducking,  lor  in¬ 
stance)  which  has  been  oiled  and  painted  black,  if  the  treat¬ 
ment  is  to  be  made  by  daylight.  After  the  tent  has  been 
placed  over  the  tree  the  edges  are  held  down  by  a  few  shovel¬ 
fuls  of  earth  thrown  on  here  and  there.  The  operator  now 
places  under  the  tent  in  an  earthen  or  glass  jar,  the  material 
for  generating  the  gas.  For  this  purpose  crude  potassium  cy¬ 
anide,  commercial  sulphuric  acid  and  water  are  used  in  vary¬ 
ing  quantities,  according  to  the  size  of  the  tree.  A  tree  six¬ 
teen  feet  high,  and  having  a  spread  of  twelve  feet  will  require 
about  eight  ounces  of  potassium  cyanide,  eight  fluid  ounces  of 
sulphuric  acid  and  sixteen  fluid  ounces  of  water.  The  water 
and  sulphuric  acid  are  placed  together  in  the  earthen  vessel 
and  placed  by  the  operator  under  the  tent.  The  potassium 
C}7anide  is  then  dropped  in,  and  the  operator  quickly  with¬ 
draws  from  the  tent,  closes  the  opening,  and  allows  the  treat¬ 
ment  to  continue  for  thirty  to  forty  minutes.  The  tent  is  then 
removed  and  the  operation  is  complete.  To  work  this  method 
economical!}7-,  from  four  to  six  tents  must  be  used  in  order  to 
keep  the  laborers  busy  during  the  delay,  while  the  gas  is 
acting. 

Careful  descriptions  of  the  methods  for  fumigation  are  given 
in  the  various  bulletins  and  reports  of  the  Division  of  Entom¬ 
ology  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture.  The 
latest  of  these  are:  The  Gas  Treatment  for  Red  Scale,  Bul¬ 
letin  23,  Division  of  Entomology;  Hydrocyanic  Acid  Gas  as 
an  Insecticide,  Insect  life,  volume  VI.,  (1893)  page  176;  and 
A  Hew  Fumigator  for  Scale  Insects,  Insect  Life,  valume  V., 
page  328.  The  above  articles  were  prepared  by  Dr.  W.  D  Co- 
quillette,  the  originator  of  the  gas  method  of  treating  insects. 

Prof.  A.  H.  Morgan,  of  the  Louisiana  Agricultural  Experi¬ 
ment  Station,  Baton  Rouge,  has  given  a  plain  account  of  the 
methods  of  fumigation  in  a  special  bulletin:  On  the  Orange 
and  other  Citrus  Fruits. 

The  details  of  application  would  require  too  much  time  for 
their  explanation,  to  consider  further  here.  We  can  say  pos¬ 
itively,  however,  that  this  method  of  treatment  is  veiy  effect¬ 
ive.  All  of  you  have  sprayed  trees  and  know  how  hard  it  is 
to  reach  all  portions  of  the  tree,  and  in  treating  such  a  pest  as 
this,  every  insect  must  be  covered  by  the  spray  to  be  killed. 
Many  thus  escape,  no  matter  how  thorough  we  spray.  After 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


putting  twenty-five  gallons  of  spray  On  a  tree  twenty-five  feet 
high,  I  have  yet  found  hundreds  of  leaves  un  wet  on  the  under 
surface  of  the  leaves  where,  in  this  case,  they  must  be  wet  if 
the  spray  is  to  be  effective,  as  the  larva  and  pupa  of  the  fly 
limit  themselves  almost  exclusively  to  the  under  surface.  The 
gas  treatment,  however,  overcomes  this  difficulty,  as  the  gas 
will  penetrate  to  all  portions  where  the  air  can  reach,  to  every 
leaf  under  overhanging  portions  of  bark,  etc.  Itis  the  nature 
of  this  method  which  makes  it  so  effective  in  a  single  treat¬ 
ment. 

In  fumigation,  some  care  must  be  exercised,  as  the  potas¬ 
sium  cyanide  and  hydrocyanic  cas  fumes  are  poisonous.  In 
actual  work,  however,  there  is  almost  no  danger  if  judgment 
is  exercised.  0 

Of  the  various  sprays  experimented  with,  kerosene  emulsion 
is  the  one  which  has  been  most  widely  recommended  as  an 
effective  spray  for  this  pest.  Our  experiments  show  kerosene 
emuMon  to  be  fairly  effective,  killing  a  large  number  of  the 
insects,  but  that  is  by  no  means  so  effective  as  the  so-called 
rosin  washes.  The  rosin  washes  are  also  much  cheaper  than 
the  kerosene  emulsion,  and  are  easier  prepared  if  one  follows 
the  method  we  now  use  in  its  preparation. 

Rosin  wash,  according  to  the  formula  usually  given,  is  pre¬ 
pared  by  using  70  per  cent,  caustic  soda,  and  requires  several 
hours  (from  two  to  three),  boiling.  This  long  boiling  has 
been  a  feature  against  the  wash,  preventing  use.  I  have  found 
that  by  using  the  98  per  cent,  caustic  soda  one  may  shorten 
the  time  of  boiling  with  apparently  as  good  results.  Our  form¬ 
ula  and  method  oi  preparation  is  as  follows: 


Rosin . 20  lbs. 

Caustic,  soda,  98  per  cent . 4f  lbs. 

Fisli  oil . 8  pints, 

Water  to  ma<e . 150  gals. 


Directions  for  preparing  wash — Place  rosin,  caustic  soda 
and  fiffi  oil  in  a  large  kettle  and  pour  over  them  about  fifteen 
gallons  of  water.  Boil  this  mixture  till  the  rosin  is  thor¬ 
oughly  dissolved.  Pour  into  spray  tank  and  dilute  to  150 
gallons  (this  requires  adding  about  135  gallons  more  water). 
Apply  on  plants  in  rather  a  coarse  spray.  The  material  after 
boiling  may  be  diluted  while  warm  as  well  as  after  it  cools, 
but  if  allowed  to  cool,  a  fine  precipitate  of  soap  forms,  and  this 
must  be  stirred  up  on  diluting  it,  so  as  to  be  thorougly  dis¬ 
solved. 

This  spray  may  be  preserved  in  a  concentrated  form  for 
some  time  before  using  if  desired. 

When  the  material  is  removed  from  the  fire  after  boiling, 
pour  in  sufficient  water  to  make  up  for  that  which  has  evapo- 


78 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


rated  in  the  boiling,  making  exactly  fifteen  gallons.  This  is 
now  preserved  in  this  strength.  As  it  cools  a  copious  fine 
precipitate  forms  which  gradually  settles  to  the  bottom  of  the 
receptacle  which  contains  the  preparation.  When  it  is  de¬ 
sired  to  use  the  spray,  stir  the  preparation  thoroughly  to  uni¬ 
formly  mix  this  precipitate,  then  measure  out  and  dilute  in 
the  proportions  of  one  part  of  the  preparation  to  nine  parts  of 
water. 

The  secret  of  the  failures  that  have  resulted  from  using  the 
rosin  wash  spray,  have  been  from  using  poor  materials.  I 
would  recommend  that  the  98  per  cent,  caustic  soda  be  used 
in  preparing  the  wash,  as  •  by  so  doing  we  may,  as  shown 
above,  very  much  shorten  the  lime  necessary  to  prepare  the 
wash,  and  thus  cheapen  it. 

This  rosin  wash  would  more  properly  be  called  a  rosin  soap, 
as  a  double  soap  is  formed  in  its  preparation,  a  rosin  soap  andf 
a  fish  oil  soap.  If  we  reduce  the  amount  of  water  which  we 
add  in  boiling  the  material,  we  have  a  nearly  solid  soap  formed 
of  about  the  consistency  of  the  common  soft  soap  manufact¬ 
ured  by  housewives.  The  material  could  be  used  in  this  form* 
but  requires  rather  too  much  stirring  to  dissolve  it,  to  render 
this  method  of  preparation  practical. 

Rosin  can  be  purchased  in  Jacksonville  at  from  $1  to  $1.50 
per  barrel  of  275  pounds. 

Crude  fish  oil  can  be  purchased  in  New  York  or  Philadel¬ 
phia  for  from  thirty  to  forty  cents  per  gallon. 

Ninety-eight  per  cent,  caustic  soda  can  be  purchased  in 
New  York  or  Philadelphia  for  from  to  5^  cents  per  pound. 

The  cost  of  making  the  wash  would  thus  be  as  follows: 


20  pounds  rosin,  at  per  pound . 10c. 

3  pints  fish  oil  at  5c  (40c  per  gallon) . 15 

4  |  lbs.  98per  cent,  caustic  soda,  at  5jc . .  ..22 

Cos'  for  50  gal  ons . . . 47c. 


The  wash  as  prepared  to  put  on  the  trees  would  thus  cost 
approximately  one-third  cents  per  gallon. 

The  wash  is  easily  handled,  runs  through  the  pump  easy,, 
spreads  on  the  leaves  well  and  is  very  effective. 

An  equivalent  amount  of  caustic  potash  could  probably  be 
used  in  place  of  the  caustic  soda,  but  I  have  not  yet  had  an 
opportunity  to  try  this.  If  it  should  prove  successful,  how¬ 
ever,  as  I  mistrust  it  will,  even  considering  the  value  of  the- 
fertilizer  thus  added  to-  the  field,  the  spray  will  not  be  mate¬ 
rially  lessened  in  cost. 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


79 


Discussion  on  Citrus  Insects  and  Insecticides. 


C.  F.  A.  Bielby — I  would  like  to  ask  Prof.  Weber  if  he 
has  given  the  whole  formula  for  the  rosin  wash? 

Prof.  Webber — Yes,  I  have  given  the  whole  formula  which 
in  our  tests  with  different  strengths  we  found  could  be  re¬ 
duced  to  150  gallons  and  yet  be  very  effective  for  the  White 
fly,  and  will  probably  also  prove  effective  for  the  six-spotted 
mite,  scale  insects  and  plant  lice. 

Lyman  Phelps — Have  you  tried  it  on  the  Black  scale? 

Prof.  Webber — It  has  been  tried  on  the  Black  scale  in  Cal¬ 
ifornia,  I  believe,  but  I  have  had  no  opportunity  to  make 
such  tests. 

Mr.  Phelps — I  would  say  that  Prof.  Mead  and  I  tried  it 
last  year  on  the  Black  scale  and  it  did  not  work. 

Prof.  Webber — I  was  not  aware  that  the  Black  scale  oc¬ 
curred  in  Florida. 

Mr.  Phelps — We  have  had  it  at  Orlando  and  Oviedo. 

Prof.  Webber — I  have  not  observed  it  in  Florida  yei. 

Mr.  Bielby — I  would  like  to  ask  the  Professor  if  I  have  the 
formula  correct,  as  follows:  Twenty  pounds  of  rosin,  4  2-7 
pounds  of  caustic  soda  (98  per  cent.),  and  3  pinis  of  fish  oil. 
Put  in  a  kettle  with  15  gallons  of  water  and  boil  until  the 
rosin  is  thoroughly  dissolved;  then  dilute  with  cold  water.  Is 
this  com  ci? 

Prof.  Webber — Yes,  that  is  correct.  I  would  like  to  add 
further  that-  the  Red  scale  ( Aspidiotus  Ficus),  which  is  prob¬ 
ably  the  worst,  scale  pest  ot  the  orange  in  Florida,  other  than 
the  White  fly,  may  probably  be  controlled  by  the  rosin 
washes.  The  soap  or  wash  when  made  will  keep  for  an  indef¬ 
inite  period.  The  samples  exhibited  here  today  were  pre¬ 
pared  last  Saturday,  and  are  as  good  now  as  then,  and  will  be 
as  good  a  year  hence. 

A.  L.  Duncan  — I  wish  to  say  that  I  have  us.  d  i  his  rosin 
and  fish  oil  wash  for  about  three  years  extensively.  The  form¬ 
ula  came  to  me  from  California,  and  I  have  tried  it  at  all  sea¬ 
sons  of  the  year.  I  have  been  preparing  it  just  the  way  the 
Professor  gives,  excepting  that  I  use  pounds  of  rosin  and 
6 


'80 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


2J  pounds  of  soda.  I  also  use  the  Starr  Ball  Potash,  or  the 
Sterling  Ball  Potash,  from  which  I  get  equally  as  good  re¬ 
sults.  It  takes  a  little  longer  to  boil  it.  I  always  put  it  in 
the  tank  hot.  I  use  a  150-gallon  tank.  It  is  the  most  effect¬ 
ive  remedy  we  ever  had  for  scale.  I  tried  it  on  the  ladj^-bug, 
immersing  the  bug  in  the  solution,  and  it  would  afterward  fly 
away.  I  tried  it  on  the  grasshopper,  also,  but  they  were  not 
injured  by  it.  The  effect  on  the  Round  scale  is  that  it  turns 
black  and  drops  off  in  a  few  days.  It  is  better  than  kerosene 
emulsion.  It  covers  the  tree  over,  but  the  rain  finally  washes 
it  off.  It  takes  me  quite  a  liule  time,  however,  to  prepare 
this  wash. 

Prof.  Webber — What  did  you  dilute  it  with;  warm  water? 

Mr.  Duncan — >  es,  sir. 

Prof.  Webber — Afier  you  have  the  material  mixed  up, 
what  is  the  proportion  of  dilution  that  you  use? 

Mr.  Duncan — The  same  as  yours.  I  use  a  little  less  of  the 
rosin. 

Prof.  Webber — Do  you  merely  dilute  one  part  to  one  part, 
as  in  the  formula  generally  given? 

Mr.  Duncan — I  put  in  about  five  gallons  of  the  preparation 
to  make  fifty  gallons  of  spray. 

Prof.  Webber — One  of  the  points  I  make  in  regard  to  my 
method  of  preparing  the  wash  is  that  in  using  98  per  cent, 
caustic  soda  one  can  prepare  it  with  so  short  a  boiling  and 
then  dilute  it  more  times  than  in  the  usual  formula,  that  is, 
one  part  to  nine. 

Mr.  Duncan — There  is  one  thing  y3u  all  ought  to  know. 
It  would  not  be  well  to  apply  the  spray  when  the  fruit  is 
young,  as  it  will  neutralize  tne  acid.  I  once  had  an  experi¬ 
ence  of  this  kind.  I  followed  the  advice  of  a  California 
writer.  The  acid  of  the  fruit  was  completely  neutralized. 
We  did  not  know  until  the  fruit  was  matured  what  was  the 
matter,  or  what  caused  it.  We  found  out  that  it  was  this 
spray.  Do  not  put  the  spray  on  at  this  time  of  the  year,  and 
not  until  the  fruit  is  of  considerable  size.  About  June  is  the 
proper  time,  I  think. 

Prof.  Webber — In  spraying  for  the  White  fly  }7ou  would 
necessarily  make  the  first  applications  before  the  fruit  comes 
on.  You  should  make  your  first  applications  probably  in 
January  or  February.  The  second  period  of  spraying  comes 
from  about  the  middle  of  May  to  the  middle  of  June.  This 
spraying  could  be  delayed  until  the  fruit  had  become  quite 
large.  In  treating  other  scale  insects  you  can  change  the 
time.  I  was  not,  however,  aware  that  any  injury  of  this  sort 
was  produced  by  the  rosin  washes. 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


81 


C.  A.  Bacon — Would  it  not  be  more  effective  to  spray  im¬ 
mediately  afier  the  flies  disappear  when  the  scale  is  more 
tender?  Would  they  not  be  more  tender  after  the  laying  of 
the  egg? 

Prof.  Webber — I  would  wait  until  the  eggs  are  hatched. 
The  eggs  are  protected  by  a  coating  which  it  is  hard  to  pen¬ 
etrate. 

Mr.  Bielby — I  would  like  to  ask  the  Professor  if  he  has 
any  reason  to  suppose  that  the  injury  to  the  quality  of  the 
fruit  which  Mr.  Duncan  speaks  of  was  due  to  this  wash? 

Prof.  Webber — I  have  not  before  heard  of  such  injury  bp- 
in  g  produced  by  washes  of  this  kind. 

Mr.  Bielby — Have  you  ever  heard  that  they  hurt  the  qual¬ 
ity  of  the  orange? 

Prof.  Webber — I  have  not,  but  such  things  do  not  always 
get  into  print.  One  of  the  main  reasons  for  which  the  rosin 
wash  is  recommended  is  that  it  will  kill  scales  much  better 
when  they  are  attached  to  the  fruits  than  other  insecticides, 
especially  kerosene  emulsion.  This  would  indicate  that  they 
are  at  least  not  known  to  produce  injury  to  the  fruits. 

H.  VV.  Marsh — I  would  like  to  sayr  that  Mr.  J.  E.  Wilbur, 
of  South  Lake  Weir,  and  Mr.  Tilson,  of  Orange  Bend,  have 
told  me  that  they  are  using  Thrip  juice,  and  that  they  hnve 
shipped  their  fruit  a  month  earlier  than  usual,  which  they  at¬ 
tribute  to  the  effects  of  Thrip  juic«.  This  was  reported  by 
two  different  men,  who  had  no  connection  with  each  other  at 
all. 

Some  one  asked  Prof.  Webber  what  effect  Thrip  juice  had 
on  the  scale. 

Prof.  Webber — I  have  not  tried  it  on  any  scale  insect  ex¬ 
cept  the  White  fly.  Here  it  did  not  give  satisfactory  results, 
and  cannot  be  recommended. 

A.  D.  Moore — I  met  a  gentleman  on  the  train  who  told  me 
that  he  had  eradicated  the  White  fly  with  Thrip  juice. 

Mr.  Warren — I  tried  Thrip  juice  three  years  ago  and 
found  that  it  killed  the  White  fly.  Last  year  they  came  in 
great  numbers  a  second  time.  I  tried  Thrip  juice  again  and 
the  first  application  finished  them  all. 

L.  Montgomery — When  the  oranges  matured  were  they 
full  of  acid? 

Mr.  Warren — Yes,  every  one  that  tasted  them  said  they 
were  exceedingly  nice  and  sweet. 

Mr.  Duncan — I  have  a  word  to  say  about  bi-sulphate  of 
soda.  I  know  two  men  that  used  this  stuff  on  their  trees  and 


82 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


their  oranges  were  worthless.  One  of  them,  Mr.  Hoyt,  gave 
me  a  sample  of  his  oranges,  and  there  was  no  acid  in  them  at 
all.  1  take  the  position  that  bi-sulphate  of  soda  will  neutral¬ 
ize  the  acid  in  the  fruit. 

Edward  Winter — The  spreading  of  diseases  and  insects- 
of  the  citrus  is  a  matter  of  such  serious  importance  that  it 
seems  to  me  we  should  make  some  effort  to  prevent  it.  I  have 
recently  seen  nursery  stock  badly  infested,  if  we  can  take 
steps  to  prevent  such  pests  being  disseminated  I  think  we 
should  do  it. 

Mr.  Bacon — It  cannot  be  done.  It  is  impracticable.  These- 
troubles  are  spread  in  many  ways  we  cannot  reach  or  control. 
Take  the  smut  for  instance;  it  thrives  anywhere,  it  will  even- 
grow  on  potatoes.  Five  years  ago  I  discovered  it  <  n  the 
palmetto  trees  about  my  place.  It  spread  quite  rapidly,  but 
for  a  year  I  did  not  see  any  on  my  bearing  orange  trees,. 
Then  I  began  to  see  a  little  on  my  large  trees,  and  the  third 
year  1  began  to  get  worried.  The  tiees  bloomed  well,  but 
dropped  their  fruit,  dead  limbs  began  to  appear,  a  great 
many  leaves  dropped  off;  in  the  fall  you  coul  1  see  through 
Mandarin  trees  that  formerly  you  could  not  thrust  your  arm 
into.  The  fourth  year  I  got  a  spraying  outfit  and  went  to1 
work.  I  used  a  lime  and  sulphur  solution,  the  recipe  can  be 
obtained  from  the  Farmer  and  Fruit  Grower. 

Mr.  Duncan — A  good  deal  of  the  smut  found  upon  orange 
and  other  trees  is  not  produced  by,  or  rather  does  not  follow 
the  White  fly.  We  had  smut  on  orange  trees  before  we  ever 
heard  of  the  White  fly.  This  smut  is  easily  destroyed  by  the 
rosin  wash. 

G.  P.  Healy — Some  time  since  I  supposed  I  had  the  White 
fly.  I  was  discouraged.  The  grove  seemed  in  a  bad  fix,  and 
the  fruit  was  getting  very  black.  Ab  >ut  that  time  Prof. 
Webber  arrived.  We  examined  the  trees  and  in  my  case  the 
sooty  mould  was  found  to  be  following  the  wax  srale  instead 
of  the  White  fly.  It  was  a  bad  case,  but  I  used  Thrip  juice 
and  cleaned  almost  all  the  smut  off  the  trees.  The  owner  of 
one  grove  we  visited  while  Prof.  Webber  was  at  my  place 
said  he  had  had  the  smut  (but  not  following  the  White  fly) 
and  had  gotten  rid  of  it  by  the  use  of  tobacco  juice.  At 
another  place  we  found  the  sooty  mould  following  the  White 
fly*  and  the  owner  assured  us  that  he  had  not  succeeded  in 
finding  anything  that  was  effective  in  destroying  it. 

Prof.  Webber — In  reg  trd  to  tobacco  juice:  The  trees 
Maj.  Healy  and  I  saw  did  seem  to  be  effected  by  the  tobacco 
juice,  but  to  what  extent  it  had  been  effective  as  a  remedy  for 
the  sooty  mould  could  not  be  determined.  I  tried  tobacco- 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


83 


juice  in  Tour  different  strengths  on  the  White  fly,  in  my 
experiments  at  Gainesville.  The  solution  is  apparently  im¬ 
practicable,  as  it  kills  only  about  15  per  cent,  of  the  larvae  or 
pupa  of  the  fly.  Continuing  in  reply  to  the  question  of  a 
member :  I  consider  the  rosin  wash  or  rosin  soap,  discussed 
in  my  remarks  on  the  subject,  as  probably  the  best  remedy 
for  the  White  fly.  I  learn  from  inquiry  that  this  pest  appar- 
vently  first  became  serious  at  Panasoffkee.  It  appeared  there 
^some  seventeen  or  eighteen  years  ago. 

H.  B.  Stephens — I  have  a  grove  at  Panasoflkee,  started 
about  five  years  ago.  Shortly  afterward  the  White  fly  ap¬ 
peared.  I  did  not  know  what  it  was  at  first,  but  found  later 
That  it  was  the  White  fly,  and  that  it  was  the  worst  enemy  we 
thad.  They  spread  very  easily  ;  the  trains  undoubtedly  carry 
Them  from  one  section  to  another.  Last  year  we  commenced 
operations  against  the  White  fly.  We  burned  tobacco,  sul¬ 
phur  and  Dalmation  powder  under  the  trees,  confining  the 
fumes  by  a  tnnt  over  the  trees,  but  did  not  find  this  effective, 
rand  confined  ourselves  to  tobacco  juice  and  sulphur  solution. 
In  the  fall  there  was  no  smut  on  the  fruit,  and  I  felt  that  I 
had  accomplished  something.  This  spring  Prof.  Webber 
came  through  and  examined  the  trees  and  he  said  he  did  not 
find  any  living  insects  on  them. 

Mr.  Duncan — How  to  destroy  the  White  fly  is  what  we  all 
want  to  know.  This  rosin  wash  acts  like  a  varnish  and  will 
be  more  lasting  than  anything  else.  Sulphur  solution  will 
dry  and  wash  ofi  the  tree,  but  the  rosin  wash  will  last  two  or 
three  weeks  unless  t  he  rains  are  very  heavy.  I  think  the 
rosin  wash  is  the  best  for  the  White  fly. 

Mr.  Bacon — I  think,  myself,  that  the  rosin  wash  is  the 
most  effective  of  the  two  ;  but  the  sulphur  and  lime  solution 
does  not  wash  off  immediately.  You  can  smell  the  sulphur 
Tor  months  after  an  application. 

Geo.  R.  Fairbanks  — I  wish  to  say  something  about  insect 
pests.  1  came  to  Florida  fifty  years  ago.  The  orange  trees 
had  been  previously  cut  to  the  ground  by  the  cold.  They 
had  grown  up  rapidly  from  the  roots  and  about  the  time  they 
came  into  bearing  again  I  was  at  St.  Augustine.  At  this 
time  the  scale  insect  appeared.  It  was  said  to  have  been 
brought  in  upon  trees  imported  from  Italy.  In  the  course  of 
five  years  it  had  attacked  every  tree  at  St.  Augustine  and 
along  the  St.  Johns  river.  The  trees  looked  as  if  a  fire  had 
gone  through  them,  and  everybody  said  there  was  no  use  try¬ 
ing  to  do  anything  with  them.  They  left  them  alone.  In  a 
■few  years,  from  some  cause  or  other,  the  insects  disappeared 
.and  orange  culture  revived.  It  was  said  that  the  insect  had 


84 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


been  introduced  from  Nice.  Application  was  made  though 
the  State  Department  for  information  regarding  it.  It  was 
found  that  they  did  not  know  anything  about  it  in  Italy. 
Finally  an  old  man  was  found  who  had  some  knowledge  of  it ; 
and  an  old  book  was  also  found  (which  l>ook  I  have)  which 
treated  of  this  pest  as  it  had  appeared  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Nice,  and  went  on  to  say  that  all  the  oranges  were  blighted 
and  going  to  destruction  and  proposed  certain  remedies. 
The  fact  I  wish  to  call  attention  to  is  that  this  pest  once  so 
much  feared  at  Nice  is  no  longer  known  as  a  serious  enemy 
there.  This  pest,  so  prevalent  here  fifty  years  ago,  which  we 
have  had  since  1842  and  which  we  know  now  in  a  modified 
degree,  has  not  proved  a  serious  obsticle  to  the  development 
of  our  orange  industry.  In  view  of  these  facts,  I  do  not  think 
we  need  fear  that  our  orange  industry  is  going  to  perish,  or 
even  suffer  serious  injury  from  the  ravages  of  these  enemies 
of  more  recent  introduction  which  have  been  referred  to. 


Truck  Farming. 


Paper  prepared  b/  J.  A.  M<  ore,  of  PeusacoH,  Escambia  county,  Chair¬ 
man  Committee  on  Vegetables,  and  read  by  the  Secretary. 

The  raising  of  vegetables  for  family  use  only,  as  practiced 
by  our  forefathers  in  their  little  gardens  laid  out  in  squares 
to  be  dug  and  cultivated  exclusively  by  hand,  is  a  thing  of 
the  past,  and  in  its  stead  we  have  the  broad  acres  of  the  truck 
farmer,  tilled  with  the  most  approved  labor  saving  imple¬ 
ments.  Wheel  hoes  for  hand  use,  scarifiers,  cultivators  and 
harrows  for  horse;  the  seeds  and  commercial  fertilizers  are 
applied  with  similar  apparatus.  Thus  equipped,  the  truck 
farmer  takes  rank  among  the  most  prosperous  of  our  citizens. 

The  raising  of  vegetables  for  the  northern  and  western  mar¬ 
ket  <  is  becoming  one  of  the  leading  industries  of  our  state,  and 
is  largely  increasing  each  year,  and  a  few  years  will  find  our 
state  almost  one  entire  vegetable  garden,  sending  out  solid 
trains  where  now  we  send  single  cars. 

Our  friends  in  the  southern  part  of  our  state  are  particu¬ 
larly  favored  by  having  a  climate  during  the  winter  months 
to  be  found  nowhere  else  in  the  United  States,  where  the  ten- 
derest  vegetables,  like  the  tomato,  egg  plant,  beans,  cucum- 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY.  85 

bers,  etc.,  grow  to  the  greatest  perfection  and  bring  big 
prices. 

I  saw  only  a  few  days  ago  account  sales  for  thirty  crates 
beans  shipped  from  Bartow  to  a  Chicago  commission  mer¬ 
chant  that  sold  for  $128,  or  an  average  of  $4.2t  per  crate;  it  is 
true  the  railroads  or  express  company  charged  $30  for 
freights.  The  commission  man  charged  $12  for  selling  them, 
$10  perhaps  covered  all  the  other  expenses.  You  will  see  the 
shipper  netted,  with  all  this  enormous  expense,  $2.50  per 
crate.  Of  course  this  is  an  extra  price,  indeed  it  is,  but  it 
shows  that  there  are  people  that  will  eat  beans  it  matter  not 
what  they  cost,  and  if  that  shipper  had  had  1,000  crates  to 
ship  the  day  he  shipped  those,  there  still  would  have  been 
nearly  2,000,000  people  in  Chicago  that  had  no  beans  for  din¬ 
ner  that  day.  I  mention  this  to  show  you  that  there  is  no' 
possible  chance  of  ever  overstocking  the  hungry  snow-bound 
cities  of  the  north  with  fresh  vegetables  during  the  winter 
months. 

Almost  every  kind  of  vegetable  is  grown  in  our  matchless 
climate,  but  for  shipment  to  northern  markets,  cabbage,  pota¬ 
toes,  Bermuda  onions,  tomatoes,  beans,  peas,  egg  plants, 
squashes,  and  cucumbers  form  the  bulk  of  the  shipments  in 
some  localities.  Cauliflower  and  celery  are  very  successfully 
grown,  and  will  in  a  few  years  be  leading  articles;  and  nearly 
always  bring  good  prices.  The  best  time  to  plant  the  different 
kinds  of  vegetables  must  be  determined  by  the  locality  and 
surrounding  circumstances.  It  would  be  lolly  for  the  grower 
of  West  Florida  to  plant  his  tomatoes,  egg  plants  and  beans 
in  December  or  January;  if  it  be  done  during  a  cessation  of 
extreme  cold,  the  return  of  winter  weather  or  an  unreasonable 
frost  may  in  a  single  night  destroy  the  labor  of  many  weeks 
(as  it  has  done  in  the  past  few  weeks).  In  West  Florida  we 
generally  plant  our  cabbige,  peas,  beets,  turnips,  onions,  let¬ 
tuce  and  all  hardy  vegetables  from  August  15  to  December  1. 
Potatoes  in  January  and  February.  Right  here  I  want  to- 
dispel  the  idea  of  not  saving  our  own  seed  potatoes;,  thou¬ 
sands  of  dollars  are  sent  out  of  our  state  everv  vear  for  seed 

V  1/ 

when  we  allow  the  best  seed  we  can  possibly  get  to  rot  in  our 
fields.  If  we  let  our  potatoes  get  thoroughly  ripe,  dig  them  in  a 
dry  time,  remove  them  immediately  and  out  in  a  cool,  dry  place* 
(under  the  house  is  a  good  place)  they  will  keep  perfectly 
sound.  About  the  15th  of  August  bed  them  like  you  would 
sweet  potatoes  (I  mean  the  small  one  about  the  size  of  a  wal¬ 
nut).  Keep  the  bed  moist  and  partly  shaded  for  ten  or  twelve 
days  when  they  will  be  nicely  sprouted,  have  your  land  ready 
and  plant  the  whole  potato.  If  the  seasons  are  good  by  the 
1st  of  November  you  will  have  a  good  crop  ot  potatoes.  These 


86 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


potatoes  raised  in  the  fall  are  the  very  best  seed  that  can  be 
planted  the  following  spring.  They  are  earlier,  more  produc¬ 
tive  and  are  superior  in  every  respect. 

The  potato  and  cabbage,  like  most  all  vegetable  crops,  re¬ 
quire  the  very  best  culture,  and  the  soil  can  hardly  be  made 
too  rich.  The  late  Peter  Henderson  said  to  grow  any  kind  of 
vegetable  crops  successfully,  “you  must  use  the  right  kind  of 
fertilizer,  and  to  put  on  the  land  just  twice  as  much  as  you 
thought  it  needed,  then  put  on  as  much  more  and  you  would 
have  just  about  half  enough,”  if  this  applied  to  New  York 
soil,  I  will  leave  the  growers  of  Florida  to  be  their  own 
judges. 


Discussion  on  Vegetables. 


'K  H.  Gaitskill — I  think  Mr.  Moore  is  correct  in  saying 
that  beans  pay  handsomely  at  times;  for  instance,  one  of  my 
neighbors  had  a  nice  crop  last  year  ready  to  pick  when  the 
frost  took  them  all  off.  I  live  in  a  section  of  the  country 
where  we  grow  lots  of  vegetables,  and  I  think  I  can  say  that 
they  are  profitable  one  year  with  another,  as  much  so  as  any 
crops  grown  in  Florida  except  pineapples;  we  cannot  quite 
equal  Captain  Richards’  300  per  cent,  a  year.  (See  Pine¬ 
apples,  page  35.)  Last  year  we  made  some  money  out  of 
cabbage.  This  year  we  sell  them  at  40  cents  a  box,  and  that 
does  not  pay  us  much.  We  ship  seven  or  eight  carloads  a 
day.  We  have  some  little  trouble  with  cabbage  this  year 
that  is  new  to  us.  I  think  it  is  a  little  like  the  red  spider  on 
the  pineapples.  This  trouble  seems  to  be  between  the  leaves 
and  the  ground;  the  stalk  seems  to  rot.  So  far  we  do  not 
know  what  it  is.  No  great  damage  has  resulted,  though.’  I 
cannot  say  anything  particularly  about  vegetables  unless 
some  man  wants  to  know  something  of  the  country  and  what 
we  do  there.  I  can  give  more  satisfaction  by  answering  ques¬ 
tions.  It  is  an  everyday  business  with  us,  and  we  do  noi  see 
many  points  to  talk  on.  We  grow  all  kinds  of  vegetables, 
and  ship  plenty  of  them.  We  make  lots  of  tomatoes.  We 
get  good  money  for  these.  We  have  one  drawback.  One  of 
my  neighbors  had  twenty  acres  in  cabbage  last  year.  He 
shipped  4,000  crates,  and  the  railroads  got  out  of  those  4,000 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


87 


crates  just  $160  an  acre.  He  would  be  willing  to  sell  his 
land  for  less  money  than  that,  and  we  have  this  drawback  to 
contend  with.  While  I  think  vegetable  growing,  with  the 
proper  men  to  grow  them,  is  profitable,  I  do  not  think  the 
indiscriminate  growing  of  vegetables  is  advisable. 

C.  A.  Bacon — How  does  Mr.  Gaitskill  fertilize,  and  what 
does  he  use?  I  suppose  he  uses  any  fertilizer  he  cau  get. 
What  is  the  state  of  the  soil?  One  of  my  neighbors  remarked 
to  me  the  other  day:  “I  am  sorry  we  cannot  use  stable  man¬ 
ure.”  I  used  it  but  it  killed  my  plants.  The  manure  did  not 
kill  the  plants,  but  the  worms  in  it  did.  I  do  not  under¬ 
stand  how  to  apply  it  to  orange  trees,  and  1  cannot  use  it  on 
vegetables,  on  strawberries  or  onions.  I  would  like  to  know 
how  to  use  it.  I  want  to  keep  stock,  and  I  want  to  save 
every  cent  I  can.  I  think  the  manure  should  pay  for  one 
half  of  the  feed,  but  I  cannot  use  it. 

Mr.  Gaitskill — That  is  rather  a  new  idea  that  you  cannot 
use  stable  manure.  I  have  a  small  kitchen  garden  something 
larger  than  this  room.  I  have  three  horses;  I  feed  them  well, 
and  I  put  all  the  manure  in  that  garden.  I  never  had  the 
trouble  you  speak  of.  I  used  good  quantities  of  potash 
along  with  the  manure,  and  that  may  have  had  something  to 
do  with  it.  As  to  the  fertilizers  we  use.  We  use  all  sorts  of 
fertilizers;  some  use  cotton-seed  meal  only  for  tomatoes, 
and  various  kinds  of  fertilizers  for  various  crops;  some 
use  one  brand  and  some  use  others.  As  to  what  is  best, 
I  cannot  say. 

In  regard  to  Mr.  Moore’s  report  on  potatoes;  I  have  pota¬ 
toes  all  the  year  round.  I  cover  them  about  a  foot  deep 
with  straw,  and  when  they  mature  I  go  and  dig' them.  I  do 
not  find  anv  trouble  with  them.  I  do  not  even  take  the 
trouble  to  dig  them,  but  let  them  stay  in  the  ground  until  I 
am  ready  for  them.  1  use  stable  manure  on  potatoes  and  on¬ 
ions  successfully;  at  the  same  time,  as  I  say,  I  use  lots  of 
potash,  too,  and  use  -some  phosphoric  acid  in  the  shape  of 
dissolved  bone.  I  have  more  trouble  with  moles  than  with 
anything  else;  they  follow  after  an  application  of  cotton-seed 
meal,  but  I  do  not  use  much  cotton-seed  meal. 

Question— How  do  you  get  rid  of  the  worms? 

Mr.  Gaitskill— I  don’t  try  to  get  rid  of  them.  I  try  to 
get  enough  feed  in  the  ground  for  the  worms  and  the  plants, 
too.  I  find  the  best  thing  to  do  is  to  feed  the  worms. 

Mr.  Bacon — How  do  you  apply  the  stable  manure;  for  in¬ 
stance,  to  cabbage,  Irish  potatoes  and  general  garden  truck? 

Mr.  Gaiaskill— Before  the  ground  is  broken  up  for  the 
crop  I  distribute  it  and  plow  it  under,  The  ground  is  not 


88 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


ready  for  planting,  though,  until  the  manure  has  rotted. 
When  the  manure  has  rotted  then  it  is  ready  for  the  vege¬ 
tables.  I  think  potash  can  be  used  at  any  time;  as  to  the 
quantity,  as  Mr.  Moore  said,  apply  “about  twice  as  much  as 
you  think  you  should  put  on,  then  you  have  half  enough. n 
In  planting  vegetables,  I  think  you  can  put  from  300  to  400 
pounds  of  potash  to  the  acre  to  advantage;  I  use  potash  in 
the  form  of  sulphate.  I  do  not  use  muriate  on  vegetables,  es¬ 
pecially  tomatoes.  I  have  but  little  truck  growing  compara¬ 
tively,  and  most  of  the  potash  I  get  is  for  orange  trees. 

0.  P.  Rooks — What  kind  of  straw  do  you  use? 

Mr.  Gaitskill — The  straw  I  use  on  my  potatoes  is  refuse 

hay.  I  make  plenty  of  crab  grass  hay  and  use  the  refuse 

from  the  stacks  in  mv  horse  lot.  1  do  not  know  that  it  is 

»/ 

any  better  than  pine  straw.  I  do  not  live  in  a  pine  straw 
country.  It  is  immeteriai  whether  you  cover  the  straw  with 
dirt  or  not.  I  threw  mv  stable  manure  over  the  ground  two 
inches  thick,  had  my  seed  ready,  put  my  potatoes  in  the  fur¬ 
rows  and  just  turned  the  ground  over.  I  plow  very  shallow. 
I  do  not  plant  them  more  than  one  and  one-half  inches  in  the. 
ground.  I  am  trying  to  get  along  without  much  work. 

Mr.  Rooks — Mr.  Gaitskill  says  the  only  trouble  he  has  is 
with  moles.  I  understand  the  moles  live  on  the  worms  in  the 
manure. 

Mr.  Bacon — There  are  some  points  in  regard  to  the  use  of 
stable  manure  that  I  would  like  to  know.  In  the  first  place, 
can  we  throw  stable  manure  on  top  of  the  ground  and  not 
lose  one-half  or  two-thirds  ,of  its  benefit?  Will  it  not  pass  off 
in  the  air?  If  we  bury  it  under  the  ground,  and  it  is  lull  of 
worms,  will  not  the  ground  be  full  of  moles?  Fow  the  ques¬ 
tion  is,  how  can  we  use  stable  manure?  If  we  throw  it  on  top 
of  the  ground  the  moles  do  not  trouble  us,  but  it  is  dissi¬ 
pated;  if  we  bury  it,  the  moles  and  worms  trouble  us.  We  do 
not  get  much  benefit  from  stable  manure  on  top  of  the  ground 
unless  we  are  certain  of  putting  it  on  when  we  know  we  are 
going  to  have  a  heavy  rain.  The  grubs  destroy  my  vege¬ 
tables,  and  for  the  last  year  I  have  quit  using  the  stable 
manure  tor  that  purpose;  the  radishes  and  cabbage  were  all 
cut  up  by  the  grubs. 

Lyman  Phelps — There  is  good  enough  sulphate  of  mag¬ 
nesia  in  sulphate  of  potash  to  fix  the  ammonia  in  stable  man¬ 
ure  so  that  there  is  no  waste;  neither  can  the  grubs  find  good 
living  there.  Moles  will  not  find  good  living  there,  and  noth¬ 
ing  will  stay  where  it  cannot  find  good  living. 

H.  G.  Hastings — Stable  manure  lias  in  every  case  been? 
used  with  sulphate  of  potash  round  my  place,  fn  regard  to 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


89 


raising  Irish  potatoes:  There  are  people  who  make  mistaken 
every  year  about  planting,  selecting  and  raising  potatoes. 
They  will  buy  northern-grown  potatoes  and  plant  those  in 
the  fall,  and  the  result  is  that  three-fourths  of  the  potatoes 
will  rot  in  the  ground.  The  one  way  to  make  a  successful 
crop  is  to  save  the  seed  from  the  spring  before.  Another 
thing  I  wish  to  remark  in  regard  to  Mr.  Moore’s  paper,  that 
is,  his  statement  of  prices  on  beans.  When  this  society  sends 
out  reports  they  should  be  made  on  a  reasonable  basis.  That 
report  would  make  a  newcomer  think  that  all  beans  sold  for 
that  price.  We  know  that  this  is  not  so.  Beans  under  proper 
circumstances  will  pay  a  reasonable  profit  on  the  invest¬ 
ment,  but  I  say  again  that  we  must  send  out  reports  on  a 
reasonable  basis. 

Lyman  Phelps — There  is  one  point  that  should  be  clearly 
understood.  We  are  talking  as  though  the  whole  of  Florida 
is  one  distinct  climate,  while  we  have  four  distinct  climates, 
and  if  we  can  get  things  so  arranged  that  we  can  get  reports 
from  one  section  and  then  another,  it  can  be  understood  bet¬ 
ter.  It  is  not  clear  to  everyone  now.  We  should  have  dif¬ 
ferent  reports  from  different  climates.  The  time  for  planting 
Irish  potatoes  varies  from  two  to  six  months  in  different 
parts  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Hastings — Have  the  tomatoes  been  affected  by  blight 
this  season  as  much  as  last? 

Prof.  P.  H.  Rolfs — Black  rot  affected  them  more  than  any¬ 
thing  else.  It  has  been  a  great  deal  worse  than  at  present. 
The  vegetable  grub  is  in  Florida  this  year  to  the  extent  that 
it  was  last,  but  this  is  a  little  earlier  than  the  bad  reports 
were  brought  out  last  year.  There  was  very  little  blight  in 
Polk  county.  The  blight  is  not  so  bad  this  year  as  it  was 
last;  we  can  say  that  as  a  whole. 

Mr.  Healy — The  use  of  stable  manure  on  vegetables  has 
been  one  of  the  most  expensive  as  a  fertilizer  that  I  could 
use.  A  ton  of  stable  manure  at  its  best  is  probably  worth  on 
the  land  $2;  that  is  its  outside  value.  Its  distribution  is  very 
expensive,  and  its  action  in  cultivation  is  very  bad,  and  it  is 
*  difficult  to  cultivate  small  vegetables  where  you  u?e  stable 
manure.  Commercial  fertilizers  are  more  easily  applied,  and 
I  will  stick  to  them. 

Gf.  H.  Wright — There  is  no  value  to  stable  manure  accord¬ 
ing  to  Mr.  Healy.  I  have  been  using  stable  manure  and  I  am 
growing  two  good  crops  a  year.  I  take  my  ground  and  cover 
it  over  two  or  three  inches  with  stable  manure,  make  a  fur¬ 
row  and  put  my  potatoes  in  it.  The  stable  manure  goes  on  a 
soil  of  fine  sand  on  which  I  nise  my  potatoes,  and  I  then 


90 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


cover  the  potatoes  with  pine  straw.  There  are  six  inches  of 
it  over  the  top  of  the  ground.  I  do  not  plant  until  the  1st  of 
February,  and  about  the  1st  of  April  I  put  on  about  200 
pounds  of  sulphate  potash  to  the  acre.  When  my  potatoes 
are  ready  to  dig  I  rake  off  the  straw,  and  in  gathering  the 
potatoes  I  leave  the  small  ones  under  the  ground;  the  large 
potatoes  are  taken  from  the  ground.  I  then  spread  my  straw 
as  evenly  as  I  can,  and  my  second  crop  is  planted.  That 
makes  my  fall  crop  of  potatoes,  and  if  any  fertilizer  gives 
better  results  than  my  stable  manure  I  would  like  to  know 
how  it  is  done.  I  consider  stable  manure  as  one  of  the  most 
valuable  fertilizers  we  have.  There  are  a  great  many  things 
in  stable  manure  which  are  very  valuable  to  the  soil  of  Flor¬ 
ida.  I  get  from  my  pine  straw  a  great  deal  of  potash,  I 
think,  and  I  find  it  valuable.  As  for  the  worms,  I  am  not 
troubled  by  them  at  all.  I  get  rid  of  those  by  putting  on 
/finely  powdered  tobacco  stems. 

Mr.  Montgomery — In  regard  to  straw  for  Irish  potatoes: 
We  find  almost  any  kind  of  straw — pine  straw,  or  any  kind 
of  litter  tramped  up  a  little  so  as  to  break  it  up — put  on  Irish 
potatoes  will  do.  We  have  used  broom  sedge  more  than  any¬ 
thing  else,  but  we  have  used  pine  straw.  No  fertilizer  is 
better  than  manure  for  oranges. 


!  he  Best  Lawn  Grass  For  Florida. 


H.  A.  Stoddard— I  want  to  ask  a  question  before  the  liext 
report  is  taken  up.  I  am  very  desirous  of  raising  a  lawn. 
Some  recommend  one  kind  of  grass  and  some  recommend 
another.  I  want  to  know  if  there  is  anyone  present  who  is 
using  Bermuda  grass  ? 

G.  P.  Healy — If  there  is  irrigation  I  do  not  see  how  any¬ 
one  can  make  a  more  beautiful  lawn  than  with  Bermuda  grass. 
I  have  used  Bermuda  grass  for  this  purpose  ever  since  I  had 
it.  With  irrigation  it  makes  a  beautiful  lawn.  There  is 
not  a  time  in  the  year  when  it  is  not  green.  The  only  trouble 
I  ever  had  with  Bermuda  grass  was  when  it  had  gone  through 
an  unusually  hot  summer,  but  with  a  good  coating  of  fertilizer 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY.  91 

and  plenty  of  water,  any  man  can  have  a  beautiful  lawn  witln 
Bermuda  grass. 

Replying  to  questions  Mr.  Healy  continued 

I  have  found  cotton  seed  meal  to  be  the  best  fertilizer  for 
this  grass  that  I  have  ever  used.  Any  complete  fertilizer  is* 
as  good.  The  use  of  cotton  seed  meal  and  wood  ashes  applied 
together  would  not  do.  I  generally  make  one  application  of 
cotton  seed  meal  in  the  spring  of  the  year  and  later  in  the- 
season  I  give  a  coating  of  wood  ashes.  I  have  never  used 
potash.  I  have  got  good  result*  from  cotton  seed  meal  and 
wood  ashes.  I  put  a  heavy  two-horse  harrow  al  over  my 
lawn  late  in  the  fall.  It  mak  s  it  lumpy  for  a  few  days,  but 
it  does  certainly  add  to  the  growth  of  it  for  the  balance  of  the 
year.  If  you  have  irrigation  you  will  not  need  this. 

Edward  Winter — Have  you  ever  tried  nitrate  of  soda? 

Mr.  Healy — No.  I  think  you  get  in  the  cotton  seed  meal 
all  the  potash  and  ammonia  you  need. 

Mr.  Stoddard — Do  you  have  any  trouble  in  keeping  Ber¬ 
muda  grass  from  spreading  ?  I  do  not  want  it  spreading,  all 
over  tne  place. 

Mr.  Healy — I  will  answer  the  gentleman  that  I  could  not 
get  the  grass  to  spread  enough.  I  think,  though,  I  would  be- 
very  careful  it  I  had  a  kitchen  garden  n»  ar  my  lawn.  You 
should  not  use  the  same  plo  w  on  your  kitchen  garden  that 
you  use  on  your  lawn.  If  you  u*e  the  Bermuda  grass  for 
mulching,  of  c  >urse  it  might  spread,  I  know  tint  it  can  bn 
carried  in  stable  manure.  1  am  sati>fied  that  Bermuda  grass 
can  be  carried  in  stable  ma  >ure,  for  I  have  had  it  in  my  sweet 
potato  patch.  I  have  found  this  grass  there  when  I  could 
not  account  for  it  in  any  other  way  except  fr  om  the  use  of 
stable  manure.  It  is  possible  that  the  seed  might  be  dropped 
therein  some  way.  From  my  experience  it  can  be  carried  in¬ 
stable  manure.  In  a  sweet  potato  patch  it  is  not  likely  to 
spread.  Bermuda  grass  wants  fertilizer  and  a  good  deal  of  it. 
I  give  my  grass  plenty  of  fertilizer. 

Gk  L.  Taber — I  think  Mr.  Healy  has  some  very  good 
ground  to  grow  Bermuda  grass  upon.  It  will  grow  upon 
almost  any  soil.  It  is  very  hard  to  keep  out  of  ground  where 
there  is  any  chance  for  it  to  grow.  I  am  a  little  under  the 
impression  that  in  a  few  years  a  good  many  of  us  like  the 
Major  will  want  more  of  it.  I  think  it  is  a  good  thing  where 
you  want  it. 

A.  H.  Carey — If  you  allow  your  horse  to  graze  on  Ber¬ 
muda  grass  and  you  take  that  hoise  anywhere  else  on  your 
place,  you  will  find  the  grass  will  grow. 

S,  H.  Gaitskill— I  have  seen  in  this  Society  muck  men,. 


92 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


fertilizer  men  and  stable  manure  men.  but  this  is  the  first 
time  that  I  have  heard  men  say  that  Bermuda  grass  would  not 
grow.  In  our  county  there  is  no  fertilizer  needed  to  make 
the  grass  grow.  It  is  a  fertilizer  of  itself  and  fertilizes  itself. 
We  do  not  need  any  outside  htlp.  We  cannot  get  rid  ot  the 
grass  when  we  want  to.  It  is  a  singular  thing  to  me  that  a 
man  will  say  that  this  grass  needs  fertilizer  or  anything  else. 
Itjgrows  without  any  aid  in  the  world.  It  grows  all  over  an 
ash  pile.  Now,  can  anyone  tell  me  how  to  kill  it  when  I 
want  to  kill  it. 

H.  W.  Marsh — I  have  seen  Bermuda  grass  come  out  of  a 
five-foot  p -st  hole.  If  you  want  it  lor  a  lawn  you  have  to 
fertilize.  It  is  very  difficult  to  kill  it  out,  but  it  would  not 
make  a  pretty  lawn  without  fertilizer. 

Mr.  Healy — It  is  not  a  question  of  its  growing.  It  is  a 
question  of  its  getting  green  and  beautiful.  It  will  grow  on 
my  lawn  without  cultivation,  but  it  will  not  be  a  thing  of 
beauty.  I  have  to  use  fertilizers  to  produce  the  good  effects. 

F.  D.  Waite— I  have  a  little  spot  in  my  yard,  probably 
fifteen  feet  square.  For  two  years  I  have  been  trying  to  get 
my  lawn  to  cover  that  patch,  but  I  have  been  unsuccessful. 

Prof.  P.  H.  Rolfs — I  would  like  to  ask  about  the  Texas 
blue  grass.  I  have  seen  very  fine  lawns  of  that.  Is  this 
peculiar  to  our  section  (Columbia  county).  I  have  seen  two 
plats  that  were  high  and  dry  that  produced  a  good  crop  of 
Blue  grass.  Etas  any  one  had  experience  with  this  grass  ? 

G.  W.  Mellish — I  have  planted  Texas  Blue  grass.  During 
this  last  spring  I  fertilized  it  and  it  came  up  and  is  spreading 
more  than  I  had  any  idea  that  it  would.  I  have  strong  hopes 
that  it  is  going  to  seed  and  I  am  certaiu  of  getting  a  lawn 
now.  I  do  not  know  that  it  would  grow  from  seeds,  but  I 
know  that  it  will  grow  from  roots.  I  have  no  trouble  to  get 
rid  of  it  when  I  want. 

Prof.  Rolfs — The  advantage  of  Texas  grass  over  Bermuda 
grass  is  that  it  is  easily  got  rid  of. 

W.  M.  Bennett — I  was  about  to  suggest  a  mode  for  confin¬ 
ing  Bermuda  grass  to  reasonable  limits,  but  after  hearing  the 
testimony  I  feel  a  little  diffident  about  giving  my  experience. 
I  have  Bermuda  grass  on  my  place.  I  took  some  planks  and 
set  them  on  edge  and  confined  the  grass  in  that  way.  I 
buried  the  planks  about  one  and  one-half  inches  in  the  ground. 
The  most  important  matter  for  our  consideration  is  how  deep 
the  grass  grows.  We  can  watch  it  above  ground,  but  we  can¬ 
not  below  ground.  How  far  will  it  grow  under  ground?  To 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


93 


exterminate  Bermuda  grass  it  is  necessary  to  get  under  it. 
Hoeing  will  not  do  it  and  what  will  ? 

Mr.  Healy — I  would  like  to  say  in  regard  to  the  depth  that 
it  runs:  I  have  dug  Bermuda  grass  four  feet  deep  and  could 
not  see  that  I  was  getting  near  the  bottom  of  it.  I  have  dug 
holes  six  feet  deep  and  still  found  the  Bermuda  grass  roots, 
and  they  were  still  going  down.  .  You  cannot  tell  how  deep 
they  grow.  The  deeper  they  do  go  the  better  fertilizer  they 
are. 

Prof.  Rolfs — Do  you  contemplate  going  to  China?  If  so 
you  can  find  the  roots. 

Mr.  Carey — In  reference  to  Bermuda  grass:  If  those  who 
have  lawns  of  this  grass  will  use  a  highly  ammoniated  fer¬ 
tilizer  and  have  water  and  keep  it  nicely  mown,  they  will  have 
no  difficulty. 

Mr.  Mellish — In  attempting  to  exterminate  this  grass  has 
anyone  ever  tried  a  heavy  application  of  salt? 

Mr.  Gattskill — I  have  tried  heavy  application  of  salt  and 
of  potash  without  avail.  I  was  a  little  afraid  to  put  the  salt 
on  for  fear  I  should  kill  everything  else  I  had. 

J.  T.  Stubbs — I  have  applied  salt  and  boiling  water  and  hot 
ashes  and  destroyed  the  Bermuda  grass  on  the  surface,  but  it 
came  up  again.  I  do  not  think  there  could  be  salt  enough  to 
destroy  the  Bermuda  grass  without  destroying  the  land. 
Heavy  applications  of  salt  will  destroy  the  land. 

Mr.  Stoddard — No  one  has  spoken  of  Louisiana  grass. 

Prof.  Rolfs— Louisiana  grass  requires  moist  soil,  where 
it  grows  thick  it  becomes  a  carpet  grass,  but  on  rich  land  it 
will  make  stems. 

Thomas  E.  Richards— I  have  Bermuda  grass  on  my  place 
and  I  have  no  difficulty  in  keeping  it  in  check,  because  I  have 
some  St.  Augustine  grass  growing  alongside  of  it ;  it  will  not 
run  through  this  St.  Augustine  grass. 

Mr.  Stoddard — I  have  some  St.  Augustine  grass,  but  have 
trouble  in  keeping  it  growing.  I  do  not  know  but  it  would 
answer  the  purpose  Mr.  Richards  mentions. 


94 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE. 


Injurious  Insects. 


Paper  read  by  Prof.  P.  H.  Rolfs,  of  the  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station,  Lake  City,  Columbia  county,  Chairman  of  Standing 
Committee  on  Entomology. 

After  receiving  the  notice  from  your  honorable  ex-secretary, 
Mr.  Hart,  much  thought  was  put  on  just  what  the  nature  of 
the  report  on  entomology  should  be.  After  the  field  had  been 
carefully  considered  it  became  clear  that  I  would  not  be  serv¬ 
ing  the  Florida  State  Horticultural  Society  nor  the  state  to 
the  best  of  my  ability,  by  bringing  here  correctly  named  spec¬ 
imens  and  fine  stereopticon  views  to  illustrate  important  in¬ 
sects  under  discussion,  nor  by  presenting  some  new  device  or 
insecticide  for  slaying  our  insect  enemies  by  the  thousands^ 
Ladies  and  gentlemen — This  way  of  treating  the  subject  has 
been  in  vogue  since  the  organization  of  the  society;  the 
speeches  have  been  good;  often  considerable  time  had  been 
spent  in  their  preparation.  These  discussions  have  been  con¬ 
fined  to  insect  enemies  that  were  in  the  state.  Let  me  pre¬ 
sent  to  you  three  insects  that  we  have  not,  and  one  that  has 
barely  put  his  foot  on  Florida  soil. 

THE  OLIVE  POLLINIA. 

The  olive  industry  is  just  beginning  to  attract  some  atten¬ 
tion  in  this  state.  Much  has  been  written  and  said  of  it  in 
California.  New  and  promising  varieties  have  been  intro¬ 
duced  from  Europe.  Recently  it  has  been  discovered  that 
with  this  importation  from  Italy  there  has  been  brought  in 
also  the  olive  pollinia,  pollinia  costae  targ.  This  scale  insect 
so  closely  resembles  the  bark  that  it  will  not  be  detected  or¬ 
dinarily.  It  is  particularly  dangerous  in  that  the  usual  washes 
or  insecticides  do  not  destroy  it.  In  passing  I  may  mention 
that  there  are  several  other  insects  in  Europeon  the  olive  that 
have  not  yet  found  their  way  to  America.  The  polliniajis  a 
serious  pest  even  m  Europe,  where  labor  is  cheap  and  its^ene- 
mies  present  to  checkmate  it. 

THE  GYPSY  MOTH. 

( Ocnena  Dispar .) 

This  most  destructive  pest  was  brought  to  this  country  by 
Mr.  L.  Trouvelot,  now  of  Paris.  Mr.  Trouvelot  was  at  the 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY.  95 

time  experimenting  at  Medford,  Mass.,  with  native  worms  in 
raising  silk.  He  brought  a  cluster  of  gypsy  moth  eggs  from 
France,  and  accidentally  lost  them.  The  larvae  did  not  at¬ 
tract  especial  attention,  so  no  effort  was  made  to  stamp  them 
out  in  the  beginning.  Whenever  noticed  they  were  thought 
to  be  simply  canker  worms,  tent  caterpillars  or  some  other 
native  and  less  destructive  moth.  It  has  now  spread  through 
29  cities  and  towns  of  Eastern  Massachusetts.  The  territory 
is  bounded  by  a  line  beginning  a  few  miles  south  of  Boston, 
running  west  three  counties,  then  two  counties  north,  and  then 
in  a  northeasterly  direction  to  Manchester.  It  is  more  or  less 
thickly  disseminated  throughout  this  area.  In  places  where 
it  is  abundant  the  fields  are  simply  devastated.  There  is- 
scarcly  a  plant  that  is  sacred  to  its  abnoimal  appetite.  In  1890 
the  legislature  approprioted  $50,000  toward  its  destruction. 
In  1891  $50,000  more  was  appropriated,  and  in  1892  the  sum 
had  to  be  raised  to  $75,000.  First  the  work  was  handed  over 
to  excellent  men  who  had  no  entomological  training;  later  it 
it  was  put  in  the  hands  of  scientific  entomologists,  but  the 
gypsy  moth,  she  is  still  there. 

Much  good  has  been  done;  the  pest  has  been  kept  from 
spreading  by  strict  laws  and  patrolmen  constantly  watching 
the  border.  Ladies  and  gentlemen — How  very  easy  would  it 
be  for  some  good  friend  of  yours  living  in  the  infested  dis¬ 
trict  to  send  >ou  a  few  grape  cuttings  that  might  have  been 
secreted  under  their  loose  bark  or  in  the  sphagnum  about 
them,  a  half-dozen  of  these  eggs  that  are  about  the  size  of 
mustard  seed  ?  Or  perchance  be  sent  in  with  a  few  choice 
roses.  You  see  any  one  might  be  perfectly  innocent  and  yet 
cause  the  loss  of  thousands  of  dollars  worth  of  property. 

THE  FLUTED  SCALE. 

Those  who  were  present  at  the  Pensacola  meeting,  remem¬ 
ber  the  stereopticon  slide  illustrating  the  life  history  of  the 
fluted  scale  ( leery  puischasi).  This  will  be  found  on  pages 
149,  150  and  15 1,  Proceedings  Sixth  Annual  Meeting  of  the 
Florida  State  Horticultural  Society.  Let  us  look  at  the 
rapidity  with  which  this  insect  spreads.  In  1885  Mr.  Cook, 
at  Sacramento,  noticed  that  this  insect  covered  a  spice  of 
about  three  by  four  inches  on  an  acacia  tree.  In  less  than  two 
years  it  had  spread  over  an  area  of  12,800  square  feet,  or  more 
than  a  quarter  of  an  acre;  at  the  same  rate  in  two  more  years 
it  would  have  spread  overmuch  more  than  an  entire  township. 
Curious  as  it  m>iy  seem,  this  insect  was  imported  on  an  aca¬ 
cia,  a  plant  belonging  to  an  entirely  different  family  than 
the  orange.  This  pest  is  such  an  omniverous  feeder  that  when 
once  established  it  simply  permeates  all  the  vegetation,  and 
7 


96 


ftSVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


the  orange  suffers  most  severely.  The  date  of  importation  is 
1871.  It  was  1882  before  any  strong  efforts  were  made  to 
eradicate  it,  and  it  was  1890  before  it  was  finally  gotten  under 
control.  The  local  horticultural  -societies  worked  hard;  the 
county  horticultural  societies  aided  all  they  could;  the  State 
Horticultural  Society  went  to  the  legislature;  the  legislature 
appropriated  money  and  passed  laws;  congress  made  special 
appropriations,  and  for  a  while  it  looked  like  the  world  against 
the  fluted  scale.  It  is  now  under  control,  but  it  took  more 
money  tuan  any  legislative  body  ever  gave  to  the  orange  indus¬ 
try  of  Florida.  It  is  not  our  good  j  udgment  that  ha*  kept  it  out 
of  Florida,  but  rather  the  strict  quarantine  of  California.  If 
it  were  to  be  imported  to  several  places  in  Florida,  I  predict 
that  it  would  defy  all  lertdizers,  insecticides,  and  all  gases;  it 
would  take  up  its  abode  in  our  hammocks  and  bay  heads  on 
the  bay  trees  and  other  evergreens,  making  them  a  constant 
source  of  infection.  They  would  be  a  scourge,  the  like  of 
which  has  never  visited  our  balmy  state. 

SAN  JOSE  SCALE. 

( A&pidiotus  pertiiciosus  com.) 

This  very  pernicious  scale  was  imported  from  Chili,  and, 
therefore,  an  imported  enemy.  It  has  been  called  the  San 
Jose  scale,  because  it  was  destructive  in  the  ban  Jose  country, 
and  t  he  first  work  was  done  against  it  in  that  va  ley.  In  spite  of 
all  efforts,  time  consumed  and  money  spent  with  a  view  of 
destroying  it,  there  is  still  a  respectable  amount  of  the  infection 
left  there;  sufficient  within  a  few  years  to  infect  Maryland, 
Virginia,  New  Mexico  and  Florida.  We  are  threatened.  In 
California  it  has  defied  thewcounty  horticultural  societies,  the 
state  horticultural  societies,  the  legislature  and  the  United 
States  Division  of  Entomology  to  dislodge  it.  Like  the  fabled 
hydra  of  old,  it  springs  up  out  of  its  own  ashes.  While  you 
are  cutting  it  to  pieces  in  California  the  chips  fall  in  New 
Mexico,  in  Maryland,  in  Virginia  and  Florida.  Ladies  and 
gentlemen — If  this  pest  is  allowed  to  be  disseminated  through¬ 
out  Northern  Florida,  who  will  in  1904  represent  the  Florida 
State  Horticultural  Society  from  that  section  ? 

Mr.  President,  you  will  pardon  me  if  I  digress  from  the  en¬ 
tomological  on  so  important  a  question. 

SERAH. 

At  the  Pensacola  meeting  Prof.  Swingle  called  the  atten¬ 
tion  of  the  society  to  the  fact  that  there  existed  in  Java  a 
bacterial  disease  of  sugar  cane.  That  there  has  been  a  stand¬ 
ing  offer  tor  four  years  of  $5,000  to  anyone  devising  a  prac¬ 
tical  plan  for  overcoming  this  disease.  The  Professor  also 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY.  9T 

called  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  importation  of  a  single 
inch  of  such  a  diseased  cane  could,  under  the  proper  circum¬ 
stances,  hopelessly  ruin  the  sugar  industry  of  Florida. 

PEACH  ROSETTE. 

In  the  same  speech  attention  was  called  to  the  existence  of 
peach  rosette  in  Georgia,  just  across  our  border  line.  I  will 
not  go  into  the  description  of  this  disease;  suffice  it  to  say 
that  it  is  only  a  question  of  four  or  five  months’  time  from  the 
attack  until  the  trees  are  only  good  for  fire  wood.  But  the 
worst  of  the  whole  matter  is  that  a  portion,  ever  so  small  when 
carried  from  a  diseased  to  a  healthy  tree,  can  produce  the 
disease  in  the  healthy  one.  Thus  the  unsuspecting  fruit 
grower  may,  on  the  blade  of  his  pruning  hook  or  grafting 
knife,  carry  the  disease  to  any  or  all  the  trees  in  his  orchard, 
from  one  diseased  tree.  This  disease  is  not  in  Florida  as  far 
as  I  am  able  to  learn. 

THE  CALINORNIA  VINE  DISEASE. 

In  Orange  county,  California,  seven  years  ago  there  was 
10,000  acres  of  vines.  The  land  sold  for  $300  to  $500  per 
acre;  last  year  the  same  land  would  not  bring  more  than  $T5 
to  $200  per  acre.  The  loss  as  a  result  of  this  vine  disease  is 
•estimated  at  not  less  than  $3,000,000.  this  the  lowest  estimate. 
This  single  disease  has  rendered  worthless  for  vine  culture, 
20,000  acres  or  more.  The  cause,  introduction  and  cure  are 
all  unknown.  There  is  no  doubt  that  our  soil,  climate  and 
temperature  will  permit  this  disease  to  be  propagated. 

POURRIDIE. 

(Dematophora  necatrix.) 

Let  me  speak  of  another  vine  disease  that  we  may  expect 
almost  any  time;  this  is  known  in  France  as  pourridie.  It  is 
caused  by  a  fungus,  dematophora  necatrix.  This  has  lately 
been  introduced  into  Australia  in  a  bundle  of  grape  cuttings. 
It  is  not  present  in  Florida,  but  the  climatic  conditions  are 
perfect  for  its  propagation. 

MANGO  BLIGHT. 

Mr.  President — I  have  one  more  case  to  offer.  There  has 
been  lately,  i.  e.,  within  the  last  three  or  four  years,  intro¬ 
duced  a  blight  of  the  mango  blossoms.  As  far  as  my  obser¬ 
vations  goes,  it  exists  only  in  a  limited  area,  and  could  be 
easily  subjugated  or  entirely  destroyed. 

We  are  in  imminent  danger  of  all  the  diseases  discussed  in 
this  paper.  But  these  are  not  all  that  threaten  our  prosperity 


98  SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 

T,wo  of  them  are  already  within  our  borders;  the  others  may 
be  to-morrow.  Your  neighbor  may  to-day  import  the  San 
Jose  scale,  and  you  may  know  that  it  is  the  dreaded  insect,, 
but  what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it  ?  You  may  kill  such* 
as  cross  to  your  premises,  but  you  have  no  right  to  enter  his 
field  to  destroy  the  source  of  infection.  This  brings  to  mind! 
the  case  in  Sacramento.  In  1885  the  city  trustees  appropri¬ 
ated  $200  to  exterminate  the  fluted  scale  within  the  city  lirm 
its;  this  was  done  excepting  within  certain  premises  where* 
trespassing  was  forbidden.  This  open  source  of  contagion  had 
to  be  endured  until  the  legislature  made  it  lawful  to  enter 
these  premises. 

Let  us  take  a  brief  review  of  these  troubles.  The  olive  pol- 
linia  is  a  native  of  semi-tropical  Europe;  the  gypsy  moth,  of 
France;  the  fluted  scale,  of  Australia;  the  San  Jose  scale,  of 
Chili;  the  serah,  bacterial  disease  of  sugar  cane,  of  Java;  pour- 
ridie,  vine  disease  of  France,  is  now  in  Australia;  the  Cali¬ 
fornia  vine  disease,  of  California;  the  peach  and  plum  rosette,, 
present  in  the  southern  part  of  Georgia. 

The  olive  pollinia  was  brought  to  California  on  the  olive,, 
by  whom,  not  known.  The  fluted  scale  brought  to  California 
by  private  enterprise.  The  gypsy  moth  brought  to  Massa¬ 
chusetts  by  a  foreigner.  The  San  Jose  scale  in  same  way  as 
fluted  scale.  Pourridie  taken  to  Australia  in  a  bunch  of  grape 
cuttings.  Mango  blight,  not  known.  Serah,  of  sugar  cane, 
peach  rosette  and  California  vine  disease,  still  in  the  place  of 
original  discovery,  and  let’s  keep  them  there. 

In  looking  over  the  diseases  you  will  see  that  the  great  ma¬ 
jority  have  been  introduced  by  carelessness  of  private  enter¬ 
prise.  It  is  a  rare  thing  that  a  nurseryman  or  dealer  allows- 
anything  of  this  kind  to  be  disseminated. 

Can  anything  be  done  to  remedy  this?  Yes!  What? 
First,  prevent  the  introduction;  seeond,  stamp  out  any  spo¬ 
radic  case.  Massachusetts  is  preventing  the  gypsy  moth  from 
spreading  and  is  thinning  out  its  numbers  in  the  infested  re¬ 
gions,  although  it  infests  thousands  of  acres.  Iowa  has  cleared 
her  fields  of  Canada  thistle  without  costing  the  state  anything. 
California  has,  on  account  of  her  carelessness,  a  herculean* 
task  to  peiform;  if  she  perseveres  success  will  crown  her  ban¬ 
ner.  Florida  is  peculiarly  free  from  disease.  i  know  of  no 
other  one  state  so  free  from  disease.  If  you  will  look 
at  ihe  map  you  will  see  that  there  is  only  one  source  from 
which  natural  infection  can  take  place;  that  is  from  the  north. 
The  severest  diseases  of  temperate  United  States  do  notflour- 
it-h  in  semi-tropical  Florida,  so  there  is  only  a  limited  number 
to  be  contracted  from  that  source.  The  Australian,  Chinese, 
Japanese  and  Western  South  American  plants  have  been  first- 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


99 


brought  to  California,  and  have  there  gone  through  a  season 
of  cleansing,  and  then  sent  to  Florida. 

Now  it  is  very  dear  from  what  other  states  have  done,  that 
ithe  artificial  source  of  infection  is  under  control  if  we  only 
think  so. 

Mr.  President,  as  the  best  manner  in  which  this  could  be 
reached,  let  it  be  suggested  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to 
dook  into  the  laws  of  the  different  states  and  countries  if  pos¬ 
sible,  and  bring  out  their  defects  and  excellencies,  and  report 
them  with  recommendations  to  this  society  at  the  next  annual 
meeting. 


Discussion  on  Injurious  Insects. 

v  '  i 


G.  P.  Healy — I  would  like  to  ask  Prof.  Rolfs  if  there  is 
danger  of  importation  of  Gypsy  moths  on  apples  and  pota¬ 
toes? 

Prof.  Rolfs — There  is  not  a  great  deal  of  danger  of  im¬ 
portation  on  the  fruit.  They  secrete  their  eggs  on  bark  and 
trees.  There  is  more  danger  of  importing  it  with  packed 
fruit.  They  will  lay  their  eggs  in  straw.  In  potatoes  there 
is  very  little  danger  at  all,  but  we  should  be  very  careful  of 
this  moth  because  it  is  a  destructive  enemy.  . 

Mr.  Healy — I  understand,  then,  there  would  be  danger  in 
buying  seed  from  Gypsy  moth  districts. 

Prof.  Rolfs — Yes,  sir;  in  the  packing  there  would  be  dan¬ 
ger. 

G.  W.  Mellish,  Vice-President  (presiding) — I  would  like 
to  hear  from  some  of  the  other  members. 

Prof.  Rolfs — I  would  like  to  say  that  our  chairman  is  fa- 
imiliar  with  a  very  serious  pest  in  his  district,  that  is,  the 
,San  Jose  scale,  and  I  am  sure  the  Horticultural  Society 
<would  like  to  hear  what  is  being  done  to  exterminate  the 
scale.  . 

Mr.  Mellish— I  am  not  very  familiar  with  the  scale  men¬ 
tioned.  I  was  not  aware  that  such  a  scale  was  in  existence 
.until  Prof.  Rolfs  came  into  my  neighborhood.  We  knew 
ithat  some  trees  were  dying,  and  it  was  a  year  or  two  before 


100  SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 

.  ■  *.  .  •••  -  .-w  .  •  f*  .'V  ~ 

we  knew  what  was  the  matter.  I  do  not  know  much  about  it; 
all  I  do  know  is  that  it  is  a  very  destructive  pest.  I  dp  pot 
know  that  I  can  give  any  information  on  the  subject.  I  re¬ 
ceived  notice  a  short  time  since  that  the  Department  of  Agri~ 
culture  would  issue  a  bulletin  on  that  subject,  and  it  would 
be  well  for  anyone  interested  in  fruits  of  any  kind  to  secure 
that  bulletin  so  that  they  might  know  the  pest  when  they 
saw  it.  The  sooner  it  is  killed  the  better. 

Prof.  Rolfs — When  the  scale  is  abundant  it  causes  the 
tree  to  look  whiter  than  usual,  though  you  would  not  notice 
it  ten  feet  away.  A  badly  infested  tree  may  be  recognized 
at  a  considerable  distance;  appearances  are  like  that  of  a 
starved  tree,  often  only  a  branch  or  half  of  the  tree  is  at¬ 
tacked,  then  the  appearance  is  quite  striking.  If  the  tree  is 
only  slightly  infested  it  is  quite  difficult  to  discover.  When 
the  scale  is  abundant  the  bark  is  completely  covered  with  it. 
Some  one  has  said  that  they  pile  on  six  deep,  and  this  seems 
almost  literally  true  in  bad  cases.  There  are  a  number  of 
scale  insects  that  resemble  this  one,  but  this  is  the  most  de¬ 
structive  one  on  our  deciduous  fruits.  It  is  so  small  that  it 
requires  close  looking  to  make  it  out.  When  full  grown,  it  is 
circular  in  outline  with  a  dark  prominence  in  the  center. 
These  points  may  be  seen  by  the  use  of  a  hand  lens,  or  ordi¬ 
nary  magnifying  glass.  It  breeds  continuously  throughout 
the  warm  weather.  The  females  being  wingless  prevents  it 
from  spreading  except  in  the  larval  state.  Birds,  horses  or 
mules  while  plowing,  or  the  owner  himself  while  working  his 
orchard  may  carry  the  young  insects  from  tree  to  tree.  The 
young,  or  active,  insects  are  scarcely  discernible  with  the  un¬ 
aided  eye.  Their  color  is  a  honey  yellow.  We  should  do  all 
we  could  to  stamp  out  this  scale,  for  it  is  very  destructive 
and  will  soon  spread  to  other  portions  of  our  state. 

Mr.  Healy — I  would  like  to  have  a  description  of  the 
scale  from  Prof.  Rolfs. 

Prof.  Rolfs — When  the  scale  is  abundant  it  causes  the 
tree  to  look  whiter.  You  would  not  notice  it  ten  feet  away,, 
but  when  you  get  close  and  hold  it  up  by  the  end  you  will 
notice  it  is  a  little,  round,  whitish  scale.  You  will  find  that 
it  is  nearly  circular,  and  on  the  top  it  has  a  little  prominence, 
a  very  peculiar  form  that  belongs  to  that  class  of  scales. 
There  are  two  or  three  scales  that  resemble  it,  but  the  little 
prominence  is  peculiar  to  it.  They  pile  right  on  top  of  the 
tree  right  over  one  another.  The  leaves  are  starved  to  death. 
They  simply  look  as  if  the  tree  did  not  have  fertilizer 
enough.  You  will  say  that  it  got  struck  by  the  cold  or  that 
you  had  not  enough  fertilizei;  pf  the  right  kind.  It  is  hard  to> 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


101 


tell  what  is  the  matter  with  the  tree.  It  is  very  readily  over- 
looked.  It  has  no  particular  season  for  breeding.  You  will 
find  young  and  half-grown  ones  all  the  year  round  as  long  as 
the  weather  is  warm  enough.  They  may  be  dormant  for  a 
few  weeks  in  cold  weather.  We  should  try  to  stamp  it  out, 
for  it  is  very  destructive  and  it  will  spread. 

Mr.  Healy — Does  it  attack  the  leaves  ? 

Prof.  Rolfs — I  have  never  seen  it  on  the  leaves.  It  usually 
attacks  the  young  branches.  My  work  with  it  has  been  just 
after  the  leaves  have  come  on  the  tree.  I  would  not  say  that 
it  does  not  attack  the  leaves,  but  the  especial  damage  is  done 
to  the  limbs  of  the  peach,  the  pear  and  the  various  forms  of 
plum  it  attacks.  It  has  not  been  known  to  hurt  a  citrus 
tree.  It  does  not  like  the  citrus. 

Mr.  Healy — Have  you  ever  seen  it  on  the  pecan  or  Japan¬ 
ese  chestnut? 

Prof.  Rolfs — I  know  of  no  case  that  has  been  reported  on 
those  trees.  I  will  say  that  on  these  trees  there  is  a  scale 
belonging  to  the  same  genus,  but  it  is  a  larger  insect. 

Mr.  Healy — I  heard  a  gentleman  say  to-day  that  he  had 
Japanese  chestnuts  and  that  they  made  a  perfect  shell,  but  in 
the  shell  of  the  nut  there  was  nothing  but  a  little  mould. 
That  was  all  he  could  get.  Now  I  got  perfect  fruit  from  my 
trees.  Is  there  any  insect  that  will  cause  that  ? 

Prof.  Rolfs — What  are  the  conditions?  Is  it  a  tree  stand* 
ing  off  by  itself? 

Mr.  Healy — Mr.  Brown  will  tell  us  about  this. 

A.  H.  Brown — I  have  a  row  of  these  trees.  I  think  there 
are  ten  or  a  dozen  in  a  row.  They  are  set  in  the  center  of  a 
young  grove,  and  receive  the  same  cultivation  that  the  or¬ 
anges  do. 

Prof.  Rolfs — I  asked  this  question  because,  as  is  well 
known  to  horticulturists,  the  pistilate  and  stamenate  flower* 
of  the  chestnut  are  borne  on  separate  trees,  and  if  you  happen 
to  get  a  grove  of  trees  that  produce  only  pistilate  flowers, 
there  will  be  burrs  without  fruit.  I  have  seen  this  happen  with 
the  wild  chestnut. 

Mr.  Brown — Where  is  the  stock  secured  from  which  the 
Japanese  chestnuts  are  grown  ? 

Mr.  Rolfs — I  am  not  familiar  with  this.  Mr.  Taber  may 
be  able  to  tell  us. 

G.  L.  Taber — The  Japanese  chestnut  is  generally  sent  out 
as  a  seedling.  There  have  been  a  good  many  grafting  trees 
sent  out  and  they  were  good,  but  the  seedlings  generally  pro¬ 
duce  nothing.  The  nuts  are  generally  about  the  same.  As 


102 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


to  the  stock  upon  which  we  have  grafted  the  horse  chestnut, 
the  American  horse  chestnut  will  grow  upon  the  chincopin, 
but  I  think  the  horse  chestnut  is  most  generally  used  as  a 
stock  when  the  chestnuts  are  grafted,  but  any  chestnut  can  be 
used  as  a  stock.  As  to  whether  Mr.  Brown’s  trees  are  grafted 
or  seedlings,  I  do  not  know  that  that  w  ould  make  any  differ¬ 
ence.  If  the  trees  were  grafted  it  would  depend  on  the  kind 
of  trees  from  which  they  were  grafted.  I  have  some  seed¬ 
lings  that  have  produced  well.  For  the  first  year  or  two 
there  were  a  good  many  nuts,  like  Mr.  Brown  mentions. 
There  was  no  kernel  in  the  nut.  For  the  last  few  years  we 
have  had  good  fruit. 

Mr.  Brown — Did  they  not  form  a  perfect  shell  ? 

Mr.  Taber — They  did. 

J.  T.  Stubbs— I  would  like  to  make  a  motion  for  the  ap¬ 
pointment  of  a  committee  on  legislation.  I  would  ask  that  a, 
-committee  be  appointed  to  look  into  the  legislation  against 
the  importation  of  vegetable  insects.  This  morning  we  have 
heard  a  good  deal  about  trouble  with  diseases  and  insects, 
a,nd  the  evidence  is  that  most  of  them  have  been  imported  into 
the  United  States.  Some  states  have  a  quarantine  law  against 
the  importation  of  these  insects.  It  may  be  necessary  that 
we  have  legislation  on  that  subject  to  make  us  safer.  I  would 
ask  that  a  committee  on  legislation  be  appointed. 

Mr.  Healy — If  I  understand  you,  it  is  a  committee  to  in¬ 
vestigate  and  report  upon  legislation  for  the  purpose  of  re¬ 
stricting  the  importation  of  diseases  and  insects. 

Mr.  Stubbs — Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  Mellish— Would  it  not  be  well  to  limit  the  duties  of 
that  committee  ? 

Mr.  Stubbs — Their  duties  would  be  limited,  being  confined 
to  the  investigation  of  legislation  on  the  importation  of  dis¬ 
ease  and  insects. 

Prof.  Rolfs — In  the  paper  that  I  presented  to  the  society 
I  mentioned  the  fact  that  we  have  a  number  of  states  in  this 
country  that  have  passed  such  laws.  Some  of  those  laws  are 
good  and  some  are  not  good.  The  idea  I  had  in  mind  in  pre¬ 
senting  this  report  was  that  we  might  appoint  a  committ  e  to 
ascertain  what  laws  on  this  subject  are  in  force  elsewhere  and 
what  effect  they  had;  to  consider  the  advisability  of  the  adop¬ 
tion  of  restrictive  laws  in  this  state;  possibly  to  recommend 
something  of  this  kind  in  this  state;  at  least  to  bring  the  sub¬ 
ject  belore  the  society  in  shape  to  be  discussed  intelligently. 

Motion  carried. 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY.  103 


Fertilizing  Orange  Groves. 


IPrepared  and  read  by  Benj.  N.  Bruit,  of  Huntington,  Putnam  county, 
member  Standing  Committee  on  Fertilizers. 

My  experience  with  fertilizers  has  been  with  their  use  in 
orange  groves  onty.  I  can  give  but  little  positive  information 
and  shall  confine  myself  to  a  few  suggestions,  hoping  to  pro¬ 
voke  discussion  and  elicit  information  from  the  members 
present. 

Io  is  generally  accepted  that  the  three  principal  elements 
required  in  a  fertilizer  are  potash,  phosphoric  acid  and  nitrogen. 

What  we  want  is  to  obtain  these  elements,  either  separately 
or  mixed,  at  the  lowest  market  price  and  in  the  best  form. 

What  is  the  best  form  of  each  of  these  elements,  and  what 
is  the  best  combination? 

It  is  commonly  believed  that  sulphate  of  potash  is  the  best 
form  in  which  to  apply  potash  to  orange  trees.  Has  it  been 
proved  by  exhaustive  experiments  ? 

We  get  phosphoric  acid  from  various  sources  and  in  various 
forms.  Which  is  the  best  ? 

The  question  of  nitrogen  is  still  more  important.  It  is 
probable  that  the  health  of  our  trees  and  the  quality  of  our 
fruit  is  affected  by  the  quantity  and  form  of  nitrogen  which 
we  apply  more  than  by  either  of  the  other  elements.  What 
is  the  best  form  ? 

From  my  own  observation  I  venture  the  opinion  that  nitro¬ 
gen  applied  in  crude  waste  animal  materials  is  detrimental  to 
the  quality  of  the  fruit  if  not  to  the  health  of  the  trees. 

If  we  resort  to  pure  chemicals  what  shall  we  use  ? 

It  seems  to  be  established  beyond  question  that  we  can 
grow  a  large  part  of  the  required  nitrogen,  in  our  younger 
groves  at  least. 

The  beggar-weed  and  cow-pea  undoubtedly  gather  free 
nitrogen  from  the  air  and  store  it  in  both  their  tops  and  roots 

While  I  believe  most  fertilizer  manufacturers  are  honest, 
under  present  conditions  we  are  at  their  mercy.  Our  fertilizer 
law  does  not  give  us  adequate  protection. 

There  is  a  solution  of  the  problem  which  can  be  brought 


104 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OP  THE 


.  .  t  • 

about  by  our  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  or  by  some 
public-spirited  citizen  of  means. 

That  is,  by  making  comparative  tests  in  the  grove  for  a 
number  of  years  in  succession  of  different  formulas. 

When  we  have  decided  upon  the  best  formula  and  the  best 
sources  from  which  to  obtain  the  needed  constituents  we  can 
go  to  the  manufacturers  and  ask  them  to  compete  for  our 
patronage.  We  shall  need  no  elaborate  law  to  protect  us. 

Will  not  the  method  of  fertilizing  and  cultivating  our 
groves  go  as  far,  ultimately,  in  deciding  the  question  of  profit 
in  orange  growing  as  the  method  of  marketing  ? 


Fertilizers  and  Fertilizing  Materials. 


Prepared  and  read  by  E.  O  Painter,  of  DeLand,  Volusia  county,  at 
the  special  request  of  the  Society. 

The  question  of  proper  fertilization  is  one  of  great  impor¬ 
tance  to  the  orange  grower  and  truck  raiser  of  Florida,  for  in 
no  state  of  the  Union  is  there  more  need  of  it.  There  is  but 
a  very  small  area  within  our  borders  but  that  requires  artificial 
fertilizing  of  some  kind  or  other,  it  therefore  behooves  the 
farmer  and  fruit  grower  to  study  well  this  question  of  fertili¬ 
zation  so  that  he  can  apply  his  manures  in  a  manner  that  will 
give  him  an  abundant  crop  and  at  the  same  time  have  none,  if 
any,  to  go  to  waste.  It  has  not  been  many  years  since  com¬ 
mercial  fertilizers  were  unknown  to  the  majority  of  the  tillers, 
of  the  soil. 

They  had  no  need  to  study  agricultural  chemistry  for  they 
had  but  to  prepare  the  land,  plant  the  seed  and  an  abundant 
crop  could  be  harvested  without  the  application  of  artificial 
fertilizers  in  any  way.  This  practice  has,  as  you  all  know,, 
impoverished  the  most  fertile  fields  and  where  once  the 
vegetable  life  would  spring  up  and  reach  out  its  branches 
and  hold  out  its  leaves  to  be  kissed  by  the  sun  and  be 
washed  by  the  dews  and  rain  from  heaven,  now  refuse  to 
grow  unless  properly  fed  by  the  hand  of  man.  A  continu¬ 
ous  draught,  so  to  speak,  has  been  made  on  the  bank  of 
plant  food  and  unless  liberal  deposits  are  returned  it  will 
not  be  long  before  bankruptcy  and  starvation  will  not  only 


FLORIDA  STAIR  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIRTY.  105 

stare  the  plants  in  the  face  ,but  the  “tiller”  will  have  to 
seek  other  vocations  or  succumb  to  the  inevitable. 

“Necessity  is  the  mother  of  invention.  ”  So  when  the  soils 
began  to  fail  to  give  lorth  abundant  crops,  man  began  to 
study  the  laws  of  nature  and  he  soon  discovered  wherein  the 
trouble  lay  and  began  at  once  to  supply  the  needed  plant 
foods. 

Thus  commercial  fertilizers  were  invented  and  placed  on  the 
market.  They  were  received  with  a  good  deal  of  incredulity 
by  the  husbandman  who  in  his  ignorance  of  chemistry  could 
not  understand  how  an  inorganic  substance  could  be  converted 
into  living  matter.  Necessity,  however,  compelled  him  to  try 
it  and  to-day  there  are  thousands  and  thousands  of  tons  of 
chemicals  annually  used  to  increase  the  productiveness  of  the 
soil,  and  the  increase  is  going  to  be  just  in  that  proportion  to 
which  the  farmers  and  fruit  growers  are  educated  to  their 
proper  use.  I  do  not  mean  that  they  should  study  to  be 
chemists  but  they  should  understand  the  sources  of  .various 
plant  foods  and  their  effects  upon  different  plant  life.  I  have 
tried  to  study  it  from  this  standpoint  as  it  is  the  practical 
work  that  finally  tells.  The  chemist  can  tell  us  that  an 
orange  tree  contains  certain  per  cents,  of  water,  sugar,  potash* 
phosphoric  acid,  etc.,  and  we  may  have  all  of  these  at  our 
hand,  but  without  the  aid  of  dame  nature  we  could  not  pro¬ 
duce  a  single  fruit,  but  we  can,  with  the  aid  of  the  chemist 
and  the  help  of  dame  nature,  grow  trees  that  will  give  an 
abundant  yield  by  supplying  the  necessary  plant  food  which 
can  be  worked  over  by  the  trees  and  given  back  in  the  shape 
of  “golden  apples.” 

I  hope  you  will  not  think  that  I  atn  a  chemist,  for  what  I 
know  about  chemistry  is  so  small  alongside  of  what  I  do  not 
know,  that  a  “drop  in  the  bucket”  would  be  no  comparison. 
As  stated  aboye,  I  have  tried  to  study  this  question  from  a 
practical  standpoint,  and  if  any  of  the  information  given  proves 
of  value  to  even  one  person  I  shall  feel  repaid  for  my  trouble. 
I  do  hope,  however,  that  it  may  be  the  means  of  food  lor 
thought  which  will  lead  the  growers  to  better  understand  the 
the  use  of  agricultural  chemicals. 

One  of  the  most  plentiful  elements  of  plant  food  is  nitrogen, 
yet  it  is  the  most  costly,  owing  to  man’s  inability  to  trap  it 
and  get  it  into  shape  to  handle  without  great  expense.  It  com¬ 
poses  about  four-fifths  of  the  air  we  breathe  and  enters  into 
the  formation  of  all  animal  and  plant  life.  Without  ammonia 
it  would  be  impossible  to  grow  anything.  Your  soil  might 
contain  an  abundance  of  potash  in  the  most  available  form, 
the  phosphoric  acid  might  be  there  served  up  in  the  most  ap¬ 
petizing  form  for  plants,  yet  without  ammonia  there  to  start 


106 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


and  to  stimulate,  the  plants  would  never  unfold  a  leaf. 

SULPHATE  OF  AMMONIA 

is  one  of  the  best  forms  of  ammonia,  and  one  which  contains 
the  greatest  per  cent,  of  nitrogen  of  any  substance  we  use  as 
a  fertilizer.  It  is  a  by-product  from  the  manufacture  of  gas 
and  coke,  also  from  burning  bones.  The  ammonia  is  liberated 
from  the  coal  or  bones  by  combustion,  but  before  it  reaches 
the  outside  atmosphere  it  is  caught  with  the  aid  of  sulphuric 
acid  and  held  in  the  form  of  a  salt.  Thus  an  acid  and  an  al¬ 
kali,  either  of  which  would  take  the  skin  from  your  hands, 
are  rendered  a  neutral  substance  and  can  be  handled  and  stored 
with  impunity.  When  applied  to  the  soil  in  a  limited  quantity 
its  effect  can  be  quickly  seen,  as  it  is  ready  to  be  taken  up  by 
the  plant  as  soon  as  it  comes  in  contact  with  the  moist  earth  or 
is  wet  by  rain  or  dews.  Some  chemists  contend  thst  it  changes 
to  nitric  acid  before  the  plants  use  it,  while  others  claim  that 
it  is  taken  up  as  it  is.  I  do  not  claim  to  understand  how  na¬ 
ture  effects  these  changes,  but  I  do  know  that  there  is  nothing 
that  will  kill  vegetable  life  more  quickly  than  an  overdose  of 
sulphate  ammonia,  or  one  that  will  put  more  life  and  vigor 
into  a  plant  in  a  quicker  time  if  properly  applied  than  this 
same  “salt,”  yielding  about  25  per  cent,  of  ammonia. 

Nitrate  of  soda  is  the  next  in  order.  This  is  also  a  salt  and 
is  obtained  from  the  west  coast  of  South  America.  It  is  in  a 
section  where  rain  is  almost  unknown,  so  that  the  accumula¬ 
tions  have  remained  unchanged.  It  is  found  in  the  form  of 
rock  and  is  generally  near  the  surface.  The  overburden  or 
fop  soil  is  removed  and  the  nitre  rocks  dug  out  and  loaded 
on  to  cars  which  are  taken  to  a  nitre  works  where  the  rock  is 
crushed  and  put  in  large  vats  containing  boiling  water.  The 
nitrate  of  soda  soon  dissolves,  and  in  this  way  is  separated 
from  impurities.  From  the  boiling  pan  the  liquor  is  drawn 
off  into  evaporating  vats.  In  that  arid  climate  the  water  soon 
evaporates  and  leaves  the  nitrate  of  soda  in  crystals  in  the 
bottom  and  on  the  sides  of  the  vat.  It  is  then  put  in  heavy 
sacks  and  shipped  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  The  action  of 
nitrate  of  soda  on  plant  life  is  very  stimulating  and  quick,  and 
for  this  reason  is  very  valuable  to  gardeners  whose  crops  are 
behind  on  account  of  late  planting,  cold  or  other  causes.  It  is 
said  to  be  very  slippery,  and  if  more  is  put  on  the  soil  than  the 
plants  require  the  rains  will  dissolve  and  carry  it  away.  It  does 
not  adhere  nor  unite  with  the  soil  but  remains  dissolved  un¬ 
til  the  moisture  is  evaporated  from  it.  Sulphate  of  ammonia 
and  nitrate  of  soda  are  the  best  forms  of  ammonia  in  a  dry  or 
partially  dry  season,  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  require  very 
little  moisture  to  dissolve  themselves.  In  fact,  in  Florida 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL-  SOCIETY.  107' 

they  will  condense  enough  moisture  from  the  air  to  dissolve* 
themselves.  I  know  of  a  grower  of  oranges  in  Florida  who 
ordered  a  sack  of  nitrate  of  soda,  and  when  it  reached  his  de¬ 
pot  he  refused  to  take  it,  claiming  that  it  had  been  allowed  to 
get  wet  and  consequently  ruined.  He  at  once  wrote  the  ship¬ 
per  that  the  wet  sack  of  nitrate  of  soda  was  at  the  depot  sub¬ 
ject  to  his  order.  That  if  he  could  not  ship  him  dry  nitrate 
of  soda  he  did  not  want  him  to  ship  any  at  all.  This  grower 
simply  showed  his  ignorance  of  the  nature  of  nitrate  of  soda. 
The  high  price  of  nitrate  of  soda  has  led  some  unscrupulous 
people  to  adulterating  it,  thus  enabling  them  to  double  their 
profits.  Common  coarse  salt  is  the  agent  used  most  fre¬ 
quently  for  this  purpose,  also  kainit  and  sometimes  sand.  The 
salt  and  kainit  can  be  readily  detected  by  taking  a  small  par¬ 
ticle  in  the  mouth.  If  it  dissolves  readily,  leaving  a  cooling 
sensation,  it  is  apt  to  be  all  rignt,  but  if  it  gives  a  salty  flavor 
it  would  be  well  to  have  it  analyzed  before  buying. 

Nitrate  of  potash  is  sometimes  used  as  a  fertilizer,  but  its 
expensivene>s  keeps  it  from  coming  into  general  use. 

Guano  was  one  of  the  first  forms  of  commercial  fertilizers 
offered  to  the  public?.  Its  effect  on  the  soil  was  wonderful.  It 
is  accounted  for  by  the  high  per  cent,  of  ammonia  which  it 
contained,  together  with  phosphoric  acid,  the  soil  then  con¬ 
taining  plenty  of  potash.  Repeated  applications  of  guanor 
however,  did  not  give  the  same  results,  and  it  was  soon  looked 
upon  as  a  “stimulant’'  only,  when  in  reality  the  cause  was  that 
it  was  a  “one-sided”  fertilizer.  It  is  used  to  some  extent  yet  as 
a  source  of  ammonia  in  manipulated  fertilizers,  but  the  use  of 
it  is  decreasing,  owing  to  the  guano  beds  becoming  exhausted. 
Besides  ammonia  it  contains  phosphoric  acid  and  a  small  pet 
cent,  of  potash. 

DRIED  BLOOD 

is  also  extensively  used  as  a  source-  of  ammonia,  and  is 
obtained  from  the  great  slaughter  houses  where  it  is  pressed, 
dried  and  ground  and  shipped  to  various  parts  of  the  country. 
It  is  one  of  the  best  sources  of  ammonia  among  the  organic 
substances. 

TANKAGE 

is  the  refuse  of  slaughter  houses  that  has  been  cooked  and  put 
under  pressure  to  extract  the  particles  of  fat  that  it  might 
contain,  and  is  then  dried  and  ground.  In  Florida  it  is  known 
as  blood  and  bone,  and  in  other  sections  of  the  country  it  is 
sold  as  animal  guano,  but  it  is  all  tankage.  There  are  several 
grades  of  tankage  which  are  sold  on  the  percentage  of  ammo¬ 
nia  and  phosphoric  acid  or  bone  phosphate  lhatthey  contain. 


108 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OW  T0B 


It  is  generally  the  low  grade  that  is  sold  to  the  growers,  as 
the  concentrated  tankage  is  almost  always  bought  by  manu¬ 
facturers  and  used  in  making  their  special  brands.  This, like 
guano,  is  a  one-sided  fertilizer,  and  its  continued  use  without 
the  application  of  potash  would  lead  to  unprofitable  crops,  if 
not  disastrous  results.  It  is  so  with  all  one-sided  fertilizers. 

AZOTINE  AND  AMMONITE 

are  animal  waste  from  which  grease  has  been  extracted  by 
being  exposed  to  the  vapor  of  naptha.  These,  like  tankage, 
are  bought  up  by  manufacturers. 

COTTON  SEED  MEAL, 

Linseed  meal  and  castor  pomace  are  all  the  result  of  the 
manufacture  of  the  different  oils  and  are  usually  termed  oil 
cake  before  it  is  ground.  Every  one  in  this  country  is  familiar 
with  the  two  kinds  of  cotton  seed  meal.  One  from  the  short 
staple  and  the  other  from  the  long  staple  cotton.  That  from 
the  former  being  known  as  “bright”  and  the  other  “dark” 
meal.  The  bright  is  a  little  richer  in  ammonia  than  the 
dark,  owing  to  the  fact  ihat  it  is  freer  from  the  hull.  The 
hull  ol  the  long  staple  cotton  is  so  soft  that  it  is  impos¬ 
sible  to  grind  and  bolt  it  all  from  the  meal,  thus  giving  it  the 
dark  appearance.  The  former  is  used  a  good  deal  for  feed 
and  consequently  there  is  a  larger  demand  for  it,  usually 
selling  about  $4  per  ton  more  than  the  dark,  while  in  re¬ 
ality  there  is  only  about  $1.25  difference  in  their  manurial 
value.  Castor  pomace  should  be  used  with  care  and  should 
be  kept  away  from  stock.  Linseed  meal  is  used  exten¬ 
sively  as  a  feed  for  horses  and  consequently  its  selling 
price  is  usually  considerable  above  its  manurial  value. 

HOOF  MEAL  AND  HORN  SHAVINGS 

are  frequently  used  in  manipulated,  fertilizers  and  they  con¬ 
tain  a  large  percentage  of  ammonia  which  the  chemist  can 
find,  but  which  the  plants  have  a  hard  time  to  unlock. 
For  this  reason  it  is  rated  as  one  of  the  poorest  sources 
of  ammonia  for  plant  food.  In  fact  I  doubt  if  it  would 
pay  the  growers  of  Florida  to  pay  freight  on  it  and  apply 
it  to  their  soils.  This  will  account  to  some  why  it  is  that 
a  fertilizer  which  has  a  guaranteed  analysis  of  ammonia  that 
seems  high  and  that  the  chemist  says  is  there  gives  such 
poor  results  whpn  applied. 

FISH  SCRAP 

is  probably  used  more  largely  by  eastern  fertilizer  manufacture 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


109 


era  as  &  source  of  ammonia  than  any  other  organic  matter. 
All  along  the  coast  fisheries  exist  which  annually  turn  out 
thousands  of  tons  of  “fish  pomace”  or  “chum.”  The  fish  are 
caught,  steamed  and  the  oil  extracted  and  the  waste  or  pom¬ 
ace  is  dried  and  sold.  Florida’s  coast  is  teaming  with  fish 
that  could  be  utilized  to  help  furnish  fertilizer  for  the  acres 
of  vegetables  within  her  borders.  They  could  be  composted 
with  muck.  The  chief  objection  to  handling  them,  however, 
is  the  smell  and  the  army  of  buzaards  that  would  have  to  be 
looked  after.  There  are  other  sources  of  ammonia  than  those 
we  have  mentioned,  but  they  do  not  generally  enter  into  com¬ 
mercial  fertilizers  and  are  used  but  very  little.  All  those 
named  except  the  sulphate  of  ammonia  and  nitrate  of  soda 
are  organic  manures  and  have  to  undergo  fermentation  and 
decomposition  before  the  plant  food  they  contain  is  liberated, 
hence  it  takes  considerable  longer  for  their  effects  to  show 
and  in  a  dry  season  there  is  no  show  at  all  owing  to  the  soil 
being  thoroughly  dried  deeper  than  they  have  been  applied. 

In  the  above  we  have  not  mentioned  any  of  the  domestic 
or  stable  manures  as  we  take  it  for  granted  that  everyone 
knows  their  value. 

Next  in  order  in  expensiveness  to  the  agriculturist  comes 

POTASH. 

Until  recent  years  the  only  known  source  of  potash  was 
from  ashes,  which  were  limited,  and  as  a  great  many  of  these 
were  used  in  the  manufacture  of  soap,  the  supply  was  inad- 
aquate  for  the  demand.  It  was  not  until  the  discovery  of  the 
potash  mines  in  Germany  that  a  supply  of  potash  could  be 
had  in  sufficient  quantities  to  meet  the  increasing  demand. 
As  to  the  origin  and  description  of  this  plant  food  we  cannot 
do  better  than  to  copy  a  few  paragraphs  from  one  of  the  Ger¬ 
man  Kali  Woiks’  pamphlet: 

“The  Stassfurt  salt  and  potash  deposits  had  their  origin, 
thousands  of  years  ago,  in  a  sea  or  ocean,  the  waters  of  which 
gradually  receded,  leaving  near  the  coast,  lakes  which  still 
retain  communication  with  the  great  ocean  by  means  of  small 
channels.  In  that  part  of  Europe  the  climate  was  then  trop¬ 
ical,  and  the  waters  of  these  lakes  rapidly  evaporated,  but 
were  constantly  replenished  through  these  small  channels 
connecting  them  with  the  main  body.  Decade  after  decade 
of  this  continued,  until  by  evaporation  and  crystallization  the 
various  salts  present  in  the  sea  water  were  deposited  in  solid 
form.  The  less  soluble  material,  such  as  sulphate  of  lime  or 
“anhydrit,”  solidified  first  and  formed  the  lower  stratum. 
Then  came  common  rock-salt  with  a  slowly  thickening  layer 
which  ultimately  reached  3,000  feet,  and  is  estimated  to  have 


110 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 

been  13,000  years  in  formation.  This  rock-salt  deposit  is  in*- 
terspevsed  with  lamellar  deposits  of  “anhydrit,”  which  grad-' 
ually  diminished  toward  the  top  and  are  finally  replaced  by 
mineral  “polyhalit”  which  was  composed  of  sulphate  of  lime,, 
sulphate  of  potash,  and  sulphate  of  magnesia.  The  situation 
in  which  this  polyhalit  predominates  is  denominated  the 
“polyhalit  region’’  and  after  it  comes  the  “kiese  rit  region”  in 
which,  between  the  rock-salt  strata,  kieserit  (sulphate  of' 
magnesia),  is  imbedded.  Above  the  kieserit  lies  the  “potash 
region,”  consisting  mainly  of  deposits  of  carnallit,  a  mineral 
compound  of  muriate  of  potash  and  chloride  of  magnesia. 
The  carnallit  deposit  is  from  50  to  130  feet  thick  and  yields 
the  most  important  of  the  crude  potash  salts  and  that  from.; 
which  are  manufactured  most  of  the  concentrated  articles,  in¬ 
cluding  muriate  of  potash. 

“Overlying  this  potash  region  is  a  layer  of  impervious  clay 
which  acts  as  a  water-tight  roof  to  protect  and  preserve  the 
very  soluble  potash  and  magnesia  salts,  which — had  it  not 
been  for  the  very  protection  of  this  overlying  stratum — would 
have  been  long  ages  ago  washed  away  and  lost  by  the  action 
of  the  water  percolating  from  above.  After  this  clay  roof  is 
a  stratum,  of  varying  thickness  of  anhydrit,  (sulphate  of 
lime),  and  still  above  this  a  second  salt  deposit,  probably 
formed  under  more  recent  climatic  and  atmospheric  influences 
or  possibly  by  chemical  changes  in  dissolving  and  subsequent 
precipitation.  This  salt  deposit  contains  98  per  cent,  (often 
more)  of  pure  salt — a  degree  of  purity  rarely  elsewhere  found. 
Finally  above  this  are  strata  of  gypsum,  tenacious  clay,  sand 
and  limestone,  which  crop  out  at  the  surface. 

“The  perpendicular  distance  from  the  lowest  to  the  upper 
surface  of  the  Stassfurt  salt  deposits  is  about  5,000  feet  (a  lit¬ 
tle  less  than  a  mile),  while  the  horizontal  extent  of  the  bed  is* 
from  the  Harz  Mountains  to  the  Elbe  in  one  direction,  and 
from  the  city  of  Madgeburg  to  the  town  of  Bernburg  in  another. 

“It  must  not  be  inferred  from  what  has  been  said  that  the 
various  strata  succeed  one  another  in  regular  order.  To  be 
sure,  they  occur  according  to  certain  well-marke<i  physical 
and  chemical  laws,  which  together  with  local  conditions  and 
and  geological  disturbances,  have  fixed  their  relative  posi¬ 
tions,  but  as  the  order  of  formative  influences  has  varied  so 
have  the  results  succeeded  one  another  in  interchanging 
strata,  and  one  deposit  is  found  here  higher,  there  deeper, 
than  another.  At  some  few  places,  through  refts  or  fissures, 
surface  water  has  entered,  and  either  entirely  carried  away 
the  potash  deposits  or  changed  them  into  secondary  products. 
Resuiting  from  this  latter  action  are  beds  of  kainit,  sylvinit 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


11T 


and  other  less  important  compounds,  which  from  their  very 
causation  are  only  found  in  the  upper  strata. 

“From  what  has  heretofore  been  said,  it  follows  that  Stass- 
furt  possesses  a  comparatively  inexhaustible  supply  of  potash 
salt.  Further  geological  exploration  may  discover  deposits 
similar  to  these  at  Stassfurt,  but  none  such  are  now  known 
to  exist,  and  hence  it  may  be  said  that  practically  ‘Stassfurt5" 
supplies  the  world  with  potash.” 

There  are  nine  different  potash  mines,  but  they  are  all 
under  the  control  of  one  syndicate,  and  to  such  an  extent  has- 
the  potash  become  in  use  that  to-day  these  mines  employ 
over  4,000  miners,  and  it  takes  nearly  6,000  laborers  to  manu* 
facture  the  different  grades  of  goods  that  come  from  the 
mines.  The  product  that  we  are  most  interested  in  is  high 
grade  sulphate  of  potash  analyzing  from  90  to  96  per  cent.. 
Double  manure  salt,  or  as  it  lis  generally  known,  low  grade- 
potash,  analyzing  about  48  to  50  per  cent,  and  kainit  22  to  24c 
per  cent,  sulphate  potash,  also  muriate  of  potash,  which  shows 
about  50  per  cent,  of  actual  potash.  Which  of  these  four  is 
the  best  for  the  grower  depends  on  what  he  is  growing  and' 
what  kind  of  soil  he  is  expecting  to  apply  it.  If  he  is  in  the 
garden  business  raising  cabbages,  leituce,  celery,  etc.,  muri¬ 
ate  of  potash  or  kainit  would  be  his  best  source  of  potash,, 
the  muriate  being  by  far  the  cheapest  form.  I  could  not  rec¬ 
ommend  it  for  application  to  fruit  trees,  although  I  know  of 
it  being  u*ed  in  a  small  way  on  b  aring  orange  trees  without 
any  apparent  damage.  I  have  also  known  ot  the  leaves  and 
fruit  being  taken  off  an  orange  tree  by  an  ex  ra  large  dose  of 
kainit.  I  am  frequently  asked  which  is  the  best  potash  to  use, 
the  high  or  low  grade,  to  which  I  reply  that  if  the  place  of 
consumption  is  not  too  far  away  from  the  seaport,  I  believe 
the  low  grade  will  give  the  best  results  for  the  same  amount 
of  money.  The  cost  of  potash  per  unit  in  both  grades  is 
practically  the  same  ex-vessel  at  any  seaport,  but  from  that 
instance  the  cost  per  unit  commences  to  increase  in  the  lower 
grade.  Where  the  freight  doe*  not  exceed  $5  I  should  always 
reeommend  the  low  grade,  for  in  my  mind  the  magnesia  that 
it  contains  is  worth  more  than  it  costs. 

Repeated  analyses  of  our  soils  show  a  deficiency  of  potash,, 
and  if  one  will  but  stop  and  think  a  few  minutes  it  will  not 
be  hard  to  account  for  it.  Take  an  orange  grove,  and  in  nine 
cases  out  of  ten  where  it  has  been  fertilized  at  all  it  has  had 
ammoniated  goods  to  produce  a  rank  growth  and  the  tree 
has  done  it. 

The  majority  of  these  fertilizers  have  no  potash  in  them  at 
all;  the  tree  uses  every  particle  it  can  get  hold  of,  at  the  same 
time  there  is  an  abundance  of  phosphoric  acid.  With  ammo^- 
8 


112 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


Mia  and  phosphoric  acid  being  continually  applied  without  any 
potash,  it  does  not  take  long  for  one  to  be  in  excess  of  the 
other.  The  young  tree  can  stand  the  deficiency  tor  some  time, 
for  it  is  continually  returning  to  the  soil  through  its  drop¬ 
ping  leaves  all  the  potash  it  has  gathered,  except  the  amount 
contained  in  the  body  and  limbs  of  the  tree.  A  different  thing 
happens,  however,  when  the  tree  begins  to  bear,  for  every 
orange  that  is  carried  away  takes  with  it  a  certain  amount  of 
plant  food,  a  large  proportion  ol  the  ash  of  which  is  potash. 
A  tree  cannot  continue  to  bear  five  to  twenty  boxes  per  annum 
unless  there  is  a  return  made  in  some  way.  Recently  I  visited 
groves  in  difierent  parts  of  the  state  that  were  old  enough  and 
large  enough  to  bear  irom  ten  to  twenty  boxes  each,  yet  the 
average  crop  was  not  three  boxes.  These  trees  were  cow- 
penned,  and  had  nevtjr  received  an  application  of  potash  ex¬ 
cept  what  little  was  left  by  the  cow  chips  and  decaying  weeds. 
The  fruit  was  not  what  would  be  called  first-class  in  flavor  and 
soon  got  soft  and  spongy. 

In  contrast  to  this,  I  have  been  in  a  grove  of  four  acres 
from  which  2,500  boxes  of  fruit  were  gathered  and  shipped; 
another  of  five  acres,  twelve  years  old,  containing  216  trees, 
which  yielded  over  1,600  boxes;  still  another  of  forty  acres 
which  yielded  the  handsome  crop  of  over  17,000  boxes.  All 
these  groves  were  fertilized  with  a  fertilizer  containing  a  large 
percentage  of  potash.  I  might  also  add  that  to  my  knowledge 
these  groves  have  borne  heavy  crops  ever  since  this  plan  of 
liberal  fertilizing  with  strong  potash  manures  has  been  fol¬ 
lowed,  and  the  trees  are  now  set  with  another  large  crop.  Pot¬ 
ash  not  only  increases  the  productiveness  of  the  tree,  but  it 
makes  the  fruit  firmer,  enables  it  to  hold  on  longer,  and  im¬ 
proves  the  quality  of  the  fruit,  giving  to  it  that  delicate  bou¬ 
quet  which  leaves  a  pleasant  farewell  taste  in  the  mouth  that 
is  strongly  suggestive  of  more.  Putash,  however,  like  all  the 
rest,  can  be  overdone,  and  instead  of  tending  to  early  ripening 
of  the  fruit  it  will  retard  it  so  much  that  ’he  fruit  will  be  very 
acid  quite  late.  Tests  have  been  made  the  past  season  with 
just  this  result.  It  should  be  the  study  of  the  orange  grower 
to  know  what  amount  of  potash  can  be  usi  d  with  profit  and 
for  the  best  results  in  the  way  of  fruit. 

Ail  of  the  forms  of  potash  are  insecticides  to  a  considerable 
extent,  and  in  our  garden,  where  potash  was  used  liberally, 
the  vegetables  were  not  troubled  with  root  knot.  Kainit  is  an 
absorbent  of  ammonia,  and  is  useful  on  this  account  to  use 
about  stables,  out-houses,  and  in  compost  heaps,  where  the 
compost  is  for  garden  purposes. 

There  is  as  much  difference  in  well  fertilized  fruit  and 
that  which  has  to  shift  for  itself,  as  there  is  between  well 


FLORIDA.  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


113 


fed  stock  and  the  scrubs  which  have  to  shift  for  themselves. 

PHOSPHATE. 

To  one  the  mention  of  this  word  brings  a  smile,  for  he 
at  one  time  owned  phosphate  lands,  but  sold  at  the  right 
time.  To  another  it  means  broad  acres  of  pine  forest  un¬ 
derlaid  with  supposed  wealth,  but  a  poor  bank  account. 
They  either  did  not  get  the  “paying  take,”  or  they  have  not 
the  means  to  develop  this  wealth  and  are  too  short-sighted 
to  let  some  one  else  develop  it.  When  phosphate  was  first 
discovered  in  Florida,  many  thought  that  the  cost  of  fer¬ 
tilizing  materials  was  going  to  drop  way  down,  and  many 
believed  that  all  they  had  to  do  was  to  pile  on  the  phos¬ 
phate.  How  bitter  the  disappointment.  Ignorance  and  a 
one-sided  fertilizer  again  worked  havoc  with  the  pocketbook 
of  the  grower.  To-day  you  can  ride  through  the  piney 
woods,  and  I  will  guarantee  that  you  can  find  men  that 
would  not  ha~e  the  “durned  stuff  on  this  grove  if  you  would 
put  it  on  for  nothing.”  Notwithstanding  all  this,  phos¬ 
phoric  acid  has  its  place,  and  must  be  used  to  properly  de¬ 
velop  and  maintain  plant  life;  for  it  is  the  connecting  link 
that  holds  all  vegetable  and  animal  life  together.  You  can 
not  destroy  it  in  any  way. 

The  best  source  of  phosphoric  acid  is  still  an  unsettled  ques¬ 
tion.  We  have  a  large  list  to  select  from.  First,  bones  of  all 
kinds,  refuse  matter  of  different  kinds  which  also  yields  am¬ 
monia  and  potash.  Canada,  South  Carolina  and  Florida  have 
vast  beds  of  phosphatic  rock  which  can  be  mined  very  cheaply, 
especially  the  two  latter  states,  so  there  is  very  little 
possibility  of  this  element  of  plant  food  becoming  scarce. 
Chemists  claim  that  phosphoric  acid  is  phosphoric  acid 
wherever  found,  whether  from  bone  or  rock;  but  these  same 
chemists  will  tell  you  that  ammonia  from  one  source  is  much 
better  than  from  another.  If  this  is  so,  why  not  phosphoric 
acid.  All  plants  do  not  have  the  same  absorption  power  auy 
more  than  the  animal  kingdom.  A  goat  will  thrive  and  fatten 
where  a  bullock  would  starve.  A  blackjack  oak  would  grow 
and  extend  its  branches  in  all  directions,  while  an  ornge  tree 
would  soon  die.  This  is  all  owing  to  their  foraging  powers 
and  their  ability  to  digest  the  food  that  comes  in  their  way. 
From  what  I  have  seen,  I  believe  the  best  source  of  phospho¬ 
ric  acid  for  the  average  Florida  soil  is  from  bone,  and  one  of 
the  best  and  cheapest  forms  being  dissolved  bone  black.  Acid 
phosphates  give  excellent  results  on  heavy  soils,  hence  their 
great  demand  in  Europe  and  elsewhere.  I  am  now  watching 
the  results  of  the  use  of  Florida  acid  phosphate  on  orange 


114 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


trees,  and  hope  in  the  course  of  three  or  four  years  to  know  a 
little  more  about  its  value  than  at  present. 

TOBACCO  STEMS. 

During  the  last  few  years  there  have  been  thousands  of  tons 
of  tobacco  stems  used  in  Florida  with,  1  believe,  general  satis¬ 
faction  when  applied  occasionally.  A  continuous  use  of  them 
tends  to  make  coarse  fruit  and  soft  wood.  The}'  seem  to  be 
an  excellent  tonic  for  the  soil. 

GYPSUM. 

While  it  contains  no  plant  food  of  itself,  it  is  valuable.  It 
has  the  power  to  catch  the  ammonia  that  comes  down  with 
the  rain  or  is  freed  from  decaying  vegetable  matter  and  hold 
it  till  wanted  by  the  plant.  Sometimes  it  has  given  as  good 
results  as  a  complete  fertilizer  on  this  account.  But  it  will 
not  do  to  depend  on  its  doing  this. 

GAS  LIME. 

We  hear  of  gas  lime  being  spoken  of  as  a  splendid  fertil¬ 
izer.  On  this  subject  I  will  read  what  Prof.  Caldwell,  of  Cor¬ 
nell  University,  says  about  it: 

“Gas  lime  is  composed  chiefly  of  carbonate  of  lime  and  vary¬ 
ing  quantities  of  sulphate  of  lime  (or  ordinary  land  plaster)* 
sulphite  of  lime,  sulphide  of  lime,  and  more  or  less  unchanged 
lime.  The  sulphite  and  sulphide  are  harmful  to  vegetation* 
especially  the  latter;  but  on  exposure  of  the  gas  lime  for  a 
considerable  time  they  become  changed  to  the  useful  sulphate- 
The  carbonate  is  of  little  value,  and  only  the  sulphate  and 
the  unchanged  lime  can  be  counted  on  as  of  any  use. 

“I  do  not  consider  the  material  as  of  much  value  for  fertil¬ 
izing  purposes;  for  after  due  exposure  to  the  air,  to  render  the 
sulphide  and  sulphite  harmless,  the  unchanged  lime  will  also,, 
in  this  time,  be  converted  to  carbonate,  so  that  only  the  sul¬ 
phate  is  left  to  be  useful;  and  if  I  were  going  to  use  land  plas¬ 
ter,  I  would  prefer  to  buy  it  outright  and  know  what  I  have. 

“As  an  insecticide  its  use  would  be  dangerous,  because  of 
its  effect  on  the  plant  itself,  unless  it  has  been  well  aired,  and 
for  its  usefulness  in  this  respect,  after  having  been  thus  aired, 
it  would  be  the  same  as  a  mixture  of  plaster  and  chalk.” 

As  gas  lime  can  be  had  for  2  cents  per  bushel  at  the  gas 
works  at  Baltimore,  I  should  think  that  the  farmers  there 
would  use  it  all  up  if  there  was  the  virtue  m  it  claimed. 

HOW  TO  COMPOUND  FERTILIZER. 

The  compounding  of  fertilizers  lias  been  held  up  as  a  deep 
mystery;  which  has  taken  years  to  find  out,  etc.,  while  the 


Elortda  state  horticultural  society. 


115 


acts  are,  that  any  one  capable  of  working  in  fractions  can 
compound  their  own  fertilizer  if  they  know  the  analysis  of 
their  goods.  The  delicate  point  is  to  get  the  right  propor¬ 
tions  to  suit  the  crop  on  which  it  is  applied. 

I  have  prepared  a  chart,  not  for  its  accuracy  or  beauty,  but 
to  help  you  to  better  understand  me. 


CO 


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Ammonia. 


Potash. 


Phos.  Acid. 


Lime. 


Magnesia. 


Moisture. 


Chlorine. 


The  first  column  gives  the  number  of  the  different  kinds  of 
plant  foods  contained  in  the  named  material.  You  will  notice 
that  half  of  them  contain  only  one  element;  eight,  two,  and 
-only  two  contain  the  three  elements  of  plant  food.  Now,  if 


116 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


you  wish  to  compound  a  certain  mixture,  you  first  ascertain 
the  analysis  of  your  goods.  Then  you  find  out  how  many 
pounds  of  any  material  it  takes  to  give  you  one  per  cent.  For 
instance  we  take  sul.  ammonia  analyzing  25  per  cent.  By  di¬ 
viding  2,000  by  25  we  find  that  it  takes  80  pounds  to  give  one 
per  cent.  Now,  if  you  want  3  per  cent,  of  ammonia  in  your 
fertilizer  you  multiply  80  by  three  and  you  have  240  pounds. 
In  the  same  way  you  follow  with  the  potash  and  phosphoric 
acid.  You  may  have  a  given  amount  of  fertilizing  materials 
and  wish  to  know  what  it  will  analyze  if  mixed.  For  instance 
we  will  take. 


Ammonia. 

Potash. 

PhosphV  acid. 

Avalable  phos¬ 

phoric  acid. 

500  pounds  low  grade  potash  . 

6.75 

500  “  blood  and  bone . 

500  “  fish,  dried,  ground . 

500  “  dissolved  bone  black . 

1.50 

1.62 

3.25 

2. 

"a 

3.12 

9.75 

5.25 

A 

I  do  not  give  this  as  a  model  formula,  but  to  show  how  it 
can  be  done.  If  you  wish  other  proportions  you  have  simply 
to  proceed  in  the  same  manner. 

It  is  hard  for  some  people  to  understand  the  difference  be¬ 
tween  a  high  and  a  low  grade  fertilizer.  They  figure  that  a 
ton  is  a  ton,  and  if  they  can  get  a  ton  for  $20  it  is  better  than 
paying  $40,  but,  poor  souls,  they  are  to  be  pitied. 

Now  we  will  make  up  a  high  grade  fertilizer. 


d 

•rH 

a 

o 

£ 

S 

<1 

Potash. 

Available  phos¬ 
phoric  acid. 

200  DOunds  sulnhate  ammonia . 

2.5 

222 

“  nitrate  soda . 

2. 

922 

“  sulphate . 

13. 

956 

dissolved  bone  black . 

5.20 

2.000 

4.5 

13. 

5.20 

FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


11T 


Here  you  have  first-class  goods;  now  we  will  take — 


•  r-H 

a 

o 

a 

a 

Potash. 

Tf'  i 

•  r-H  • 

o 

o3 

O-- 

•fH  > 

A 

ft 

o 

Ph 

500  pounds  horn  shavings . 

500  “  kainit . 

1.85 

3 

.50 

500  “  blood  and  bone . 

500  “  acid  phosphate . 

1.50 

3.25 

3. 

2,000 

3.35 

3 

6.75 

It  is  not  far  behind  the  other  in  analysis,  but  what  a  differ¬ 
ence  there  would  be  in  results  on  a  grove  or  garden. 

Cheap  and  cheat  should  go  together,  for  if  the  grower  is  get* 
ting  cheap  goods,  either  the  seller  or  buyer  is  getting  cheated, 
and  which  do  you  think  it  is  likely  to  be  ?  Fertilizing  mate¬ 
rials  have  a  certain  value,  governed  by  supply  and  demand, 
and  I  would  advise  a  grower  to  go  slow  in  buying  cheap 
goods;  always  buy  on  the  unit  of  plant  food,  taking  into  ac¬ 
count  its  source,  and  you  will  be  more  apt  to  get  full  value. 

No  one  ever  said  anything  truer  than  our  friend,  Rev.  Mr. 
Phelps,  when  he  said  that  the  time  was  coming  when  the  grow¬ 
ers  would  feed  their  fruit  trees  to  make  flavor  and  quality,, 
and  this  can  only  be  done  by  judiciously  using  high  grade 
goods. 


Discussion  on  Fertilizers. 


James  Mott — A  good  many  of  the  fertilizers  used  in  this: 
state  are  frauds.  I  have  seen  orange  groves  that  looked  to 
me  as  though  they  would  have  been  better  off  without  it.  I 
have  a  friend  in  Polk  county ;  not  long  since  I  was  there  and 


118 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


tie  told  me  that  he  put  about  thirty-five  tons  on  seventy-five 
acres,  and  not  getting  the  results  from  the  fertilizer  that  he 
expected,  he  sent  a  sample  to  the  state  chemist  and  got  his 
analysis.  I  copied  the  analysis  the  state  chemist  sent  him;  I  also 
copied  the  analysis  that  they  reported  to  be  on  the  bag. 
From  that  same  manufactory  there  was  a  sample  sent  to 
another  chemist,  as  also  samples  of  potash  ;  I  have  the  analy¬ 
sis  of  them  all.  Here  is  one  that  was  attached  to  the  bag  : 
Moisture,  79  per  cent.;  phosphoric  acid,  9  to  14  per  cent.; 
available  phosphoric  acid,  7  to  9  per  cent.;  ammonia,  5  to  8 
per  cent.;  potash,  7  to  10  per  cent.  The  state  chemist’s  analy¬ 
sis  showed  that  the  moisture  was  140;  insoluble  phosphoric 
acid,  2.56;  potash  (K20)  4  to  8.  The  potash  was  sold  at 
$23.37  per  ton  at  Savannah;  the  chemist  told  me  he  did  not 
weigh  the  salt  in  it,  but  he  estimated  it  was  13  per  cent.  The 
card  on  the  nitrate  of  soda  indicated  48  per  cent.;  it  ana¬ 
lyzed  43  per  cent. 

H.  W.  O.  Margary — It  seems  to  me  that  this  question 
of  fertilizers  is  of  interest  to  all.  There  is  one  thing  we 
-should  take  into  consideration;  that  is,  the  question  of  soil. 
We  have  many  different  soils  in  Florida.  We  try  to  grow 
oranges  on  a  soil  in  which  some  element  is  lacking;  then 
we  blame  the  fertilizer  if  the  fruit  is  not  satisfactory.  Is  it 
right  for  us  to  attribute  the  growth,  or  rather  want  of 
growth,  to  the  fertilizers?  I  think  the  fault  lies  in  a  lack 
of  knowledge  of  agricultural  chemistry  on  the  part  of  the 
grower.  Why  not  appoint  a  committee  of  agricultural 
chemistry  to  study  up  the  subject  and  give  to  members 
the  benefit  of  their  investigations,  setting  forth  the  needs 
of  different  soils  at  different  times?  We  take  a  grove  and 
put  one  kind  of  fertilizer  on  it  one  year  and  it  does  very 
well  that  year  and  we  get  a  large  crop;  perhaps  the  same 
fertilizer  is  put  on  again  and  there  is  then  no  growth  and 
>no  fruit.  Why  is  this?  I  am  piling  on  fertilizer  and  there 
are  no  good  results.  We  should  examine  the  soil  as  well  as 
the  fertilizer.  A  year  ago  I  took  a  few  navel  trees  and  gave 
them  each  twenty  pounds  of  lime.  The  fruit  is  holding  well 
now,  but  I  do  not  know  what  the  result  will  be.  This  was 
only  an  experiment.  I  say  again  that  the  question  of  soil 
should  enter  largely  into  the  consideration  of  fertilizers. 

A.  T.  Cuzner — I  was  very  much  interested  in  the  paper 
read  by  Mr.  Painter.  He  doubtless  knew  what  he  was  talking 
about,  but  I  have  not  the  least  doubt  that  the  majority  of 
.persons  present  did  not  understand,  when  he  got  his  charts 
-out,  what  he  tried  so  hard  to  explain,  viz  :  The  nature  and 
^essentials  of  a  perfect  fertilizer. 

.The  subject  of  fertilizers  is  a  very  obscure  one  to  the 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


119 


average  farmer,  for  the  reason  that  the  average  farmer 
is  a  novice  in  agricultural  chemistry.  Now  while  it  is 
not  absolutely  necessary  that  the  farmer  or  fruit  grower 
should  have  much  knowledge  ol  chemistry  in  order  to  raise 
good  crops,  still  a  knowledge  of  the  chemistry  of  agriculture 
is  of  great  advantage  to  him.  He  is  continually  hearing  or 
reading  of  different  fertilizing  materials  as  containing  so  much 
phosphate,  so  much  potash,  so  much  ammonia,  lime,  etc.,  and 
doubtless  queries  to  himself:  What  is  potash,  ammonia,  etc., 
and  what  purpose  do  they  fill  in  plant  life? 

The  life  principle  of  both  animal  and  vegetable  existence  is 
dependent  upon  phosphate.  When  orange  fruit  is  analized 
we  find  that  it  contains  no  phosphate  except  in  the  seed.  It 
is  required  there  because  the  seed  is  the  reproductive  result  of 
the  plant  growth.  In  orange  culture,  for  instance,  such  varie¬ 
ties  as  the  Satsuma,  which  does  not  produce  many  seeds,  ex¬ 
perience  will  show,  require  less  phosphate  than  other  members 
of  the  citrus  family.  Again  as  to  potash,  what  proportional 
amount  is  required  by  the  soil  for  perfect  p!aut  growth,  and 
what  function  will  it  fill  in  the  economy  of  plant  life?  In 
regard  to  the  amount  of  potash  required,  it  varies  with  the 
condition  of  the  soil.  Some  soils  have  a  large  percentage  of 
potash  in  them.  To  say  that  all  soils  require  a  certain  per¬ 
centage  of  potash  is  very  incorrect.  Analysis  of  fruit  and 
tree  show  that  they  contain  much  less  potash  than  is  indicated 
by  the  amount  required  in  the  soil.  Potash,  by  its  presence 
and  the  chemical  changes  it  produces  in  the  soil  and  the  plant, 
is  indispensable  to  perfect  plant  life.  Potash  is  for  the  pur¬ 
pose,  therefore,  of  enabling  the  fruit  to  mature  itself — its  body 
structure — so  to  speak;  its  trunk,  leaves,  etc.  All  these  re¬ 
ceive  nourishment  by  means  of  the  potash.  It  has  a  chemical 
action  whereby  the  different  materials  are  changed  from  one 
condition  to  another  to  suit  the  fruit.  Potash  is  a  vehicle. 
It  is  a  means  to  an  end,  and  has  very  little  manural  value  as  a 
fertilizer,  as  we  understand  manure,  but  it  does  just  what 
gastric  juice  does  in  animal  life.  When  man  takes  food  into 
his  stomach,  the  gastric  juice  comes  in  contact  with  it  and 
enables  the  substance  taken  into  the  body  to  be  digested  and 
assimilated,  and  separates  the  different  parts,  each  particular 
part  to  its  particular  end.  Potash  has  largely  the  same  effect 
in  the  vegetable  economy  as  the  gastric  juice  has  in  the  ani¬ 
mal  economy,  only  more  varied,  and  a  soil  that  is  not  well 
supplied  with  potash  will  not  produce  good  vegetable  growth. 
.In  all  fruit,  with  but  few  exceptions,  phosphate  is  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  reproducing  the  individual  plant.  No  fruit  can 
have  seed  with  phosphate.  Phosphate  has  also  a  stimula¬ 
ting  effect  on  plant  life. 


120 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OP  THE 


In  regard  to  lime:  There  is  a  great  many  soils  round 
where  I  live  and  the  orange  grows  there  most  magnificently. 
In  our  shell  hammocks  you  dig  through  the  ground  and  it 
is  like  digging  in  some  of  the  mountainous  valleys  of  New 
York;  there  there  are  more  stone  than  soil,  with  us  more 
shells  than  soil ;  yet  we  get  good  oranges  from  these  shell 
lands,  and  I  think  it  is  largely  due  to  the  lime.  There  is  a 
good  deal  of  phosphate  in  oyster  shells  as  well  as  lime. 

We  should  tails  into  cceioi deration  the  different  uses  of  these 
different  materials.  Phosphate  is  for  the  purpose  of  enabling 
the  vegetable  to  reproduce  itself.  Ammonia  is  nothing  but 
nitrogen.  Ammonia  is  the  form  of  nitrogen  that  is  most 
valuable  in  plant  life.  The  air  is  full  of  nitrogen  and  we  can 
get  largely  of  ammonia  from  the  atmosphere,  but  plant  life 
needs  assistance  to  get  this  nitrogen.  If  every  grower  would 
devote  a  little  more  time  and  study  to  the  elementary  princi¬ 
ples  of  agricultural  chemistry,  we  would  not  be  so  much  at 
the  mercy  of  the  fertilizer  dealers,  or  at  such  a  loss  when  and 
how  to  fertilize. 

G.  P.  Healy — Mr.  Lyman  Phelps  has  told  us  again  and 
again  just  what  this  gentleman  is  telling  us.  The  orange 
grower  is  supposed  to  pay  double  for  everything  he  gets,  and 
that  is  all  there  is  to  it;  he  wants  fertilizer  and  he  pays  for  it, 
A  fertilizer  man  with  a  box  of  “two-fors”  in  his  pocket  can 
take  in  the  Florida  orange  grower,  and  the  man  that  is  not  an 
orange  grower  can  sell  him  fertilizer  and  make  him  think  he 
gets  the  best  thing  in  the  world.  He  does  it  every  day,  does 
it  all  the  time.  I  can  convince  any  man  that  no  fertilizer 
factory  in  the  United  States  can  mix  a  ton  of  fertilizer  on  the 
floor  with  a  shovel  better  than  I  can.  A  negro  will  mix  a  ton 
an  hour  and  work  ten  hours  a  day  and  it  is  just  as  good  fer¬ 
tilizer  as  furnished  by  the  fertilizer  companies.  This  is  no 
question  of  speculation.  The  agricultural  stations  in  the 
United  States  and  in  foreign  countries  are  telling  the  producer 
that  he  can  manufacture  his  own  fetilizer  at  from  $20  to  $25 
a  ton  and  obtain  an  article  that  will  analyze  as  high  as  any 
fertilizer  that  he  can  buy.  After  buying  the  material  you  can 
mix  it  for  10  cents  a  ton. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  vital  question  of  fertilization  to-day 
is  fertilization  by  indication.  When  the  orange  grower  gets 
so  that  he  can  go  into  his  grove  and  say  whether  it  needs 
potash,  ammonia  or  phosphoric  acid,  when  he  finds  out  what 
it  does  need,  he  has  saved  one-third  to  two-thirds  of  his  money, 
Mr.  President,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  question  of  fertilization 
by  indication  is  one  that  should  be  carried  a  great  way  and 
should  be  better  understood.  When  it  gets  to  the  point. 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


12] 


where  every  man  is  his  own  tree  doctor,  or  there  are  tree  doc- 
tors  who  can  tell  a  man  what  his  grove  needs,  then  we  will 
get  the  science  of  fertilization  down  to  where  it  ought  to  be. 
It  is  a  great  mistake  to  assume  that  all  lands  should  be  fer¬ 
tilized  alike.  We  have  lands  that  will  by  no  means  bear  so- 
called  complete  fertilizers.  Our  insects  and  our  diseases  can 
almost  all  of  them  be  traced  to  the  use  of  fertilizers.  This  is 
the  side  of  the  question  I  would  like  to  have  brought  out  in 
this  Society.  We  are  all  making  mistakes,  but  when  the 
time  comes  that  man  can  go  out  into  his  grove  and  say 
whether  it  needs  potash  or  not,  and  when  he  knows  that  it 
needs  potash,  will  he  go  and  buy  ammonia  to  get  the  potash  ? 
I  believe  some  would,  especially  if  the  fertilizer  agent  with 
the  box  of  “two-fors”  came  along. 

J.  E.  Fuller — I  think  when  we  get  home  we  will  know 
what  not  to  do.  But  some  of  us  younger  members  would  like 
to  know  what  to  do.  We  would  like  to  hear  of  the  successes 
as  well  as  of  the  failures.  I  know  we  have  not  been  doing  the 
right  thing.  We  want  to  know  what  is  right.  We  would 
like  to  know  the  results  you  have  obtained  in  the  fertilization 
of  pine  lands.  We  would  like  a  chapter  of  practical  ex¬ 
perience.  We  came  here  to  learn  how  to  fertilize  properly. 

A.  H.  Carey — I  want  to  correct  one  idea  that  seems  to  pre¬ 
vail;  that  is,  that  all  fertilizer  dealers  are  frauds.  It  is  also 
a  supposition  that  there  is  a  great  profit  made  in  fertilizers. 
I  manufacture  fertilizers  and  liye  in  Orlando  and  I  will  guar¬ 
antee  to  furnish  any  man  with  any  grade  of  fertilizer  that  he 
may  name  it  he  will  pay  for  the  material  laid  down  in  Orlando 
the  exact  cost  and  will  give  me  $5  per  ton  for  my  trouble.  If 
a  man  buys  a  low  grade  of  fertilizer  and  pays  a  high  grade 
price  for  it,  then  he  is  undoubtedly  paying  $10  or  $12  too 
much ;  but  if  a  man  buys  a  high  grade  fertilizer  made  from 
high  grade  material  and  pays  high  grade  prices,  then  the 
dealer  cannot  get  in  $10  or  $12  profit. 

A.  G.  Avery — Nearly  everything  so  far  that  has  been  said 
has  been  on  chemical  fertilizers.  Nothing  has  been  said  about 
cotton  seed  meal.  I  think  cotton  seed  meal  should  rank 
among  the  best  fertilizers  we  have  and  practical  men  I  have 
talked  with  agree  with  me  in  this.  I  came  here  nine  years 
ago  and  became  interested  in  the  cultivation  of  citrus  fruit,, 
and  from  the  best  information  1  can  get,  cotton  seed  meal  has 
given  the  best  results. 

Mr.  Phelps — The  gentleman  third  last  speaking  told  us 
about  the  seed  being  the  reproductive  factor  of  the  orange. 
He  should  have  gone  further  and  told  us  what  an  orange  is 
and  the  necessity  of  having  a  perfect  bloom  in  order  to  have 


122 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


perfect  fruit,  and  what  elements  were  to  produce  that  bloom; 
he  should  have  gone  on  and  told  us  the  effects  of  oxygen  in 
the  atmosphere  and  what  it  is  that  makes  the  seed  produce  it¬ 
self,  and  I  deny  that  it  is  phosphoric  acid.  If  we  are  going 
to  have  elementary  instruction  we  can  go  and  buy  a  book  for 
50  cents  to  cover  all  these  points. 

John  W.  Harding — I  would  like  to  ask  for  information, 
of  Mr.  Phelps,  who  seems  to  be  quite  versed  in  the  chem¬ 
istry  of  fertilizers. 

Mr.  Phelps — I  asked  the  gentleman  third  last  speaking 
to  answer  certain  questions  in  reference  to  the  elementary 
fruit.  I  would  like  to  hear  from  him. 

Mr.  Cuzner — Mr.  Phelps  asks  such  a  comprehensive  ques¬ 
tion  and  one  that  requires  such  a  comprehensive  answer, 
that  I  beg  to  be  excused.  He  wants  me  to  make  an 
answer  as  to  what  chemicals  and  what  amount  it  requires 
to  make  an  orange  tree  bloom,  whether  phosphoric  acid, 
soda,  potash  or  ammonia,  and  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  am  not 
in  a  position  to  answer.  I  cannot  tell  him  how  much  pot¬ 
ash  to  use  to  make  a  good  bloom.  There  are  a  good  many 
things  that  enter  into  such  a  question  as  Mr.  Phelps  asks 
me  to  answer  and  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  cannot  answer. 

Mr.  Harding — How  my  question  is  this:  Whether  there 
are  not  certain  processes  of  nature  which  cannot  be  under¬ 
stood  and  cannot  be  analyzed  by  any  knowledge.  I  have 
been  in  Jaffa  and  seen  the  Jaffa  oranges  and  I  suppose  the 
Jaffa  buds  were  brought  over  here  and  put  in  your  orange 
trees  and  you  have  the  Jaffa  orange,  but  our  Jaffa  orange 
is  different  from  the  Jaffa  orange.  You  have  improved  upon 
it.  Will  Mr.  Phelp«  tell  me  if  he  can  indicate  by  analysis 
of  the  grape  what  soil  produced  the  grape?  Can  your  chem¬ 
istry  explain  those  wonderful  processes  of  nature  by  which 
one  grape  growing  in  the  same  vineyard  will  be  entirelv  dif¬ 
ferent  from  another  growing  within  a  few  yards  of  it  ? 

Mr.  Phelps — I  will  answer  that  question  by  asking  another. 
Can  the  gentleman  tell  me  why  two  children,  born  of  the 
same  parents,  living  in  the  same  house,  eating  at  the  same 
table,  are  so  different  in  disposition,  in  taste,  in  character  ? 
The  best  chemists  are  my  trees.  I  believe  to-day  that  there 
has  been  more  progress  in  chemistry  in  the  last  five  years  of 
benefit  to  such  bodies  as  this  than  was  made  in  previous 
years. 

Mr.  Avery — The  chemistry  of  agriculture  is  very  different 
In  various  localities,  especially  in  California  and  in  Florida. 
We  know  that  the  chemicals  we  are  using  are  expected  to 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


12a 


produce  certain  results,  but  the  results  depend  upon  the  soil^ 
the  season  and  the  rain  they  have. 

D.  Greenleaf — A  request  was  made  a  short  time  ago  by  a 
gensleman  that  the  members  of  the  Society  give  some  per¬ 
sonal  experiences  and  while  these  discussions  in  regard  to 
chemistry  are  all  very  well,  to  the  great  majority  of  us 
they  are  a  little  obscure.  About  seven  years  ago  I  put  in 
a  very  large  irrigating  plant;  I  got  good  results  from  that; 
at  the  same  time  I  sent  on  and  got  a  few  tons  of  land 
plaster ;  I  found  that  it  was  very  beneficial,  that  grass 
sprang  up  and  while  there  is  very  little  plant  food  in  land 
plaster,  I  thought  the  result  justified  me  in  sending  for  a 
large  amount.  I  was  interested  in  the  phosphate  discovery. 
I  sent  on  and  got  fifteen  tons  of  the  Florida  phosphate  just 
as  it  was  taken  from  the  ground ;  the  first  that  I  put  on 
had  not  been  ground  and  in  sixty  days  the  effect  was 
marvelous.  The  trees  made  a  large,  vigorous  growth  and 
parties  who  had  been  through  the  state  said  they  had  not 
seen  anything  like  it.  The  results  have  been  mainly  success¬ 
ful  in  my  experiments  with  this  phosphate.  For  five  years  I 
have  applied  nothing  else  and  to-day  my  grove  is  as  vigorous 
and  as  fine  as  I  could  ask  for,  and  I  think  we  have  right 
here  in  the  state  as  good  a  plant  for  food  as  there  is  in  the 
world  and  that  as  a  rule  it  is  the  best  thing  that  can  be  put 
on  an  orange  tree.  My  fruit  has  brought  the  highest  prices 
in  the  Northern  markets.  I  merely  give  this  as  information. 
The  front  of  my  grove  is  clear  hammock,  but  where  I  made 
the  first  application  was  light  saud  and  about  twenty  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  water.  Part  of  it  is  in  scrub.  The 
phosphate  I  used  is  called  soit  phosphate.  Others  have  used 
it  with  very  marked  effect. 

J.  W.  Russell — I  think  we  are  on  the  right  move;  that  is, 
to  give  our  personal  experience.  My  process  is  to  open  up. 
furrows,  put  in  stable  manure  and  cover  it  up  immediately. 
On  part  of  my  land  I  put  commercial  fertilisers.  The  stable 
manure  has  done  the  work.  We  have  got  to  use  something 
that  will  pay  us  better  than  manufactured  fertilizers.  Some 
gentleman  has  been  running  down  stable  manure.  We  have 
worn  out  the  country  by  the  use  of  manufactured  fertilizers.. 
I  say  that  stable  manure  and  our  own  fertilizers  that  we  can 
get  in  Florida  are  the  best. 

John  E.  Stillman — I  have  been  traveling  over  this  state  for 
three  years  selling  fertilizers.  I  have  found  people  who  have- 
condemned  every  brand  of  fertilizer.  Some  maintained  that, 
ground  corn  meal  was  the  best  fertilizer;  some,  that  stable- 
manure  was  the  best;  some  claimed  that  sawdust  was  the  bests„ 


124 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


and  I  think  a  good  many  of  the  growers  have  the  impression 
that  all  fertilizers  are  bad.  But  we  cannot  ignore  the  valua¬ 
ble  results  obtained  from  chemical  fertilizers,  and  the  impor¬ 
tant  part  they  have  played  in  our  recent  horticultural  develop¬ 
ment;  to  do  so  wonld  be  to  take  a  step  backward;  if  we  were 
to  do  this  we  might  as  well  stop  holding  horticultural  meet¬ 
ings. 

Mr.  Healy — I  have  known  the  gentleman  last  speaking  for 
a  number  of  years — ever  since  he  was  a  little  fellow  He  was 
a  good  sort  of  a  boy,  and  always  was  so  until  he  went  into  the 
fertilizer  business.  Before  he  went  into  that  business  I  met 
him  quite  often,  and  we  used  to  exchange  cigars  and  whiskey. 
After  that  he  only  gave  me  one  cigar  and  a  drink  once.  I  did 
not  want  any  more.  I  do  not  know  what  kind  of  whiskey  he 
carries  now,  as  he  does  not  sell  me  any  more  fertilizers. 

H.  B.  Stevens — I  have  been  to  quite  a  considerable  expense 
in  getting  out  muck  and  applying  it  direct  from  the  lake,  and 
no  one  who  has  been  through  my  grove  will  admit  that  it  is  a 
good  fertilizer.  I  applied  muck  two  years  ago  but  have  not 
done  so  since. 

A.  D.  Moore — I  believe  this  is  turning  into  an  experience 
meeting.  I  am  interested  a  little  in  oranges;  I  also  plant  a 
good  many  vegetables.  I  use  chemical  fertilizers,  and  I  have 
neighbors  that  use  them.  I  have  one  neighbor  who  thinks  he 
can  afford  to  haul  phosphate  twelve  miles  from  the  mines.  I 
tried  to  save  stable  manure  myself;  my  stables  are  full  of  it 
now,  and  I  thought  perhaps  I  could  find  something  to  do  with 
it.  I  have  about  come  to  the  conclusion  to  throw  it  out  in  the 
field  and  let  it  rot.  In  connection  with  &he  use  of  chemical 
fertilizers:  A  good  many  parties  burn  off  their  land.  I  break 
my  land  with  a  two-horse  plow,  as  deep  as  the  stock  can  pull 
it.  I  put  chemical  fertilizer  on  in  the  spring.  I  have  made 
some  money  out  of  my  crops. 

Mr.  Margery — Each  man’s  land  requires  fertilizers  accord¬ 
ing  to  its  needs.  Whenever  we  find  an  orange  growing  near 
a  manure  heap  we  find  the  tree  scaly. 

S.  S.  Harvey — I  think  the  most  important  question  this  so¬ 
ciety  can  investigate  and  discuss,  is  the  question  of  fertilizers. 
I  have  an  opinion  on  this  subject  formed  from  experience,  that  I 
wish  to  call  attention  to.  You  can  take  a  piece  of  our  Florida 
land,  plant  out  a  grove,  feed  it  with  the  best  commercial  fer¬ 
tilizers,  continue  to  do  so  until  the  trees  come  into  bearing, 
and  you  may  have  the  finest  fruit;  but  continue  this  same 
treatment  for  a  number  of  years;  continue  to  give  it  the  best 
of  commercial  fertilizers  in  any  quantity  you  see  fit,  and  your 
trees  will  fail  and  your  fruit  become  worthless.  There  is  an 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


125 


element  of  plant  food  that  you  cannot  analyze,  that  is  neces¬ 
sary  to  the  tree  and  fruit.  I  do  not  object  to  the  use  of  com¬ 
mercial  fertilizers;  I  advise  the  use  of  them,  but  not  exclu¬ 
sively. 

I  have  some  of  the  very  best  fruit  trees  in  the  state,  and  I 
have  used  very  little  commercial  fertilizer — maybe  not  as  much 
as  I  should  have  used — but  I  am  confident  my  trees  are  the 
better  for  the  use  of  the  fertilizer  that  came  from  the  stables, 
and  to  my  mind  the  man  who  talks  about  throwing  away  sta¬ 
ble  manure,  talks  about  throwing  away  his  money.  Per  unit, 
there  is  no  plant  food  so  expensive  as  ammonia,  and  your  staw 
ble  manure  produces  ammonia  in  very  large  quantities,  and 
the  man  who  throws  it  away  or  burns  it,  as  1  said  before, 
throws  away  money. 

I  am  a  believer  in  muck.  I  believe  that  it  furnishes  a  plant 
food  that  you  cannot  purchase  in  commercial  fertilizer.  After 
your  grove  has  been  burnt  out  by  the  continued  use  of  com¬ 
mercial  fertilizer,  give  it  a  coat  of  muck,  and  you  will  find  that 
it  will  produce  a  decided  improvement.  It  is  an  experiment 
you  will  be  well  paid  for. 

The  man  who  depends  exclusively  on  commercial  featilizers, 
who  makes  up  his  mind  nothing  else  will  do,  will  get  left.  The 
man  who  has  plenty  of  stable  manure  and  uses  it  freely  will 
improve  his  land  and  his  grove,  and  will  always  be  in  luck. 

Mr.  Moore — I  think  the  last  gentleman  on  the  floor  is  cor¬ 
rect.  We  must  have  a  mixture.  I  want  to  say  one  little  thing 
about  soft  phosphate:  I  have  had  ten  years’  experience  on 
Florida  pine  lands.  I  tried  soft  phosphate  (and  I  have  not 
any  to  sell)  and  it  is  as  good  or  better  than  other  materials 
from  which  we  get  phosphoric  acid.  I  put  it  on  orange  trees 
exclusively.  Mr.  Greenleaf  has  spoken  about  the  value  of  soft 
phosphate  for  shell  hammock  land;  this  is  about  as  good  land 
as  we  have  in  Florida,  and  the  soft  phosphate  should  have 
earned  a  good  recommendation  there  if  anywhere,  but  it  gives 
very  satisiactory  results  with  me  on  pine  land.  I  had  a  tree 
standing  very  near  a  stable,  and  a  neighbor  said  to  me  “That 
tree  will  die.”  I  told  him  I  did  not  see  why,  and  he  replied 
that  the  stable  manure  would  kill  it,  and  that  he  was  sur¬ 
prised  that  I  did  not  know  it,  being  as  smart  as  I  was.  I  wish 
all  my  trees  would  die  like  that  one.  It  is  growing  beautifully. 
I  have  applied  stable  manure  and  muck  several  years  with 
success. 

L.  Montgomery — I  use  a  great  deal  of  stable  manure.  I 
keep  more  stock  than  most  people  in  Florida.  I  keep  fifteen 
head  of  horses.  I  use  stable  manure,  and  think  it  better  than 
anything  else  in  the  fertilizing  line.  My  manner  of  applying 


126 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE' 


stable  manure  is  to  put  it  on  at  any  season  of  the  year,  and  to- 
spread  it  broadcast  between  the  rows  of  trees,  say  about  six 
feet  from  the  tree  on  each  side,  and  cover  the  ground.  About 
twice  a  year  I  put  on  this  manure,  and  with  it  about  half  a  ton 
of  dissolved  bone  to  the  acre.  I  use  this  for  the  reason  that  I 
get  out  of  it  the  sulphuric  acid  necessary.  I  do  not  think  there 
is  a  grove  better  than  mine  in  the  whole  country.  For  five  or 
six  years  I  have  used  only  stable  manure  and  dissolved  bone. 
I  use  stable  manure  all  the  year.  This  fall  we  had  a  great 
deal  of  broom  sedge  put  in  my  stable  to  be  tramped  up,  anl 
I  used  this.  Those  are  the  fertilizers  that  we  use. 

W.  G.  Peck — The  gentleman  made  the  remark  that  he  used 
dissolved  bone  in  order  to  get  the  sulphuric  acid.  This  is 
an  important  question  as  regards  orange  culture,  and  I  hope 
that  during  this  meeting  that  point  will  be  brought  out.. 

Mr.  Montgomery — In  dissolved  bone  you  get  quite  a  good 
deal  of  sulphuric  acid.  In  the  dissolved  bone,  I  believe  that 
the  proportion  of  sulphuric  acid — ihat  is,  the  amount  of  sul¬ 
phuric  acid  to  the  ton  of  dissolved  bone,  is  600  pounds.  When 
your  land  has  much  vegetable  fibre  such  as  you  get  in  stable 
manure,  dissolved  bone  is  better  than  anything  else.  Now,  if 
you  use  a  phosphate  rock  you  do  not  get  the  sulphuric  acid. 
I  do  not  know  whether  it  takes  600  pounds,  less  or  more; 
about  800,  I  think.  I  should  say  that  the  sulphuric  acid  would 
be  of  the  same  value  regardless  of  the  substance  it  was  mixed 
with.  You  get  a  better  fertilizer  out  of  bone  than  you  do  out 
of  rock.  I  think  that  Mapes  does  not  use  any  rock  at  all.  I 
think  he  advertises  this  fact.  I  know  that  sulphuric  acid  is 
sulphuric  acid  regardless  of  the  place  you  get  it,  and  no  mat¬ 
ter  what  you  mix  with  it.  I  used  the  Charleston  rock  a  good 
many  years  ago,  and  gave  it  up  as  not  a  good  investment.  I 
have  used  acid  phosphate  with  cotton  seed  meal,  but  settled 
down  to  stable  manure.  Do  not  disturb  your  soil  very  much. 
You  can  cultivate  an  orange  tree  too  much.  I  plow  my  grove 
over  in  November  every  year,  put  on  a  good  coating  of  bone 
and  manure  and  turn  the  soil  over,  run  the  cultivator  over  it, 
and  then  do  not  disturb  until  next  year.  Bermuda  grass 
growing  near  small  trees  is  not  a  good  thing,  and  does  not 
help  the  tree  at  all,  but  after  they  get  bearing  it  does  them- 
good. 

C.  A.  Bacon — I  have  a  white  man  working  for  me.  The 
other  day  I  made  a  remark  about  stable  manure  which  applied 
to  cow  manure.  He  said:  “We  do  not  call  cow  manure  stable 
manure.”  He  seemed  to  consider  horse  and  cow  manure  alto¬ 
gether  different. 

Mr.  Peck — I  call  stable  manure  horse  manure  altogether. 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY.  12^ 

We  never  use  the  cow’s  manure.  Stable  manure  comes  from 
horses,  and  I  find  that  the  more  I  put  it  on  the  better  the 
plants  thrive. 

Mr.  Healy — I  would  like  to  ask  Mr.  Montgomery  what 
properties  he  proposed  to  get  from  stable  manure  by  using 
acid. 

Mr.  Montgomery — We  do  not  expect  to  get  any  chemical 
fertilizing  properties  out  of  it.  The  stable  manure,  as  known 
by  everybody,  has  a  great  deal  of  ammonia,  which  is  fixed  by 
combining  with  the  acid. 

Mr.  Healy — I  do  not  think  stable  manure  has  anv  sucht 

%> 

value.  The  analysis  of  average  manure,  according  to  the  rec¬ 
ord  which  is  to  be  had  at  all  the  stations  in  the  United  States, 
places  stable  manure  as  practically  worthless.  There  is  nothing 
in  the  stable  manure,  by  the  analysis  of  all  the  agricultural 
stations  in  the  United  States  and  in  Europe,  that  gives  it  a 
place  as  a  fertilizer.  I  will  admit  that  it  contains  ammonia, 
but  that  is  all.  There  is  no  potash  nor  any  phosphoric  acid  in 
stable  manure;  or  rather,  they  tell  us  this  scientifically.  I 
have  used  stable  manure,  and  the  experience  has  been  enough 
to  teach  me  to  let  it  alone.  The  question  has  been  how  to  fix 
the  ammonia  in  the  stable  manure.  Some  use  land  plaster. 
Lately  there  has  been  a  move  made  in  the  way  of  trying  mucks 
to  fix  ammonia;  that  is  one  of  the  best  methods,  and  I  suppose 
it  is  because  of  its  cheapness.  I  do  not  think  it  makes  any  dif¬ 
ference  how  you  apply  your  stable  manure  if  you  fix  a  large 
per  cent,  of  the  ammonia.  If  your  land  is  lacking  in  potash 
or  if  it  lacks  phosphoric  acid,  you  need  not  put  stable  ma¬ 
nure  there  with  the  idea  that  you  are  going  to  get  any  ben¬ 
efit. 

G.  H.  Wright — I  do  not  believe  that  we  have  a  fertilizer 
in  Florida  that  is  any  more  valuable  than  stable  manure.  I 
am  using  it,  and  have  been  for  some  time  and  find  it  sat¬ 
isfactory.  The  question  is  how  to  get  stable  manure. 

Otis  Richardson — I  rise  to  say  a  few  words  and  ask  a 
few  questioits,  perhaps,  as  a  young  grower.  I  have  been 
some  twelve  years  trying  to  raise  oranges.  I  have  used  the 
nostrums  of  all  kinds  of  doctors  to  make  that  grove  what  it 
is,  but  I  do  not  get  good  results  from  it.  What  is  the  mat¬ 
ter  ?  The  seedling  trees  are  doing  best.  I  want  a  tree  doc¬ 
tor,  and  we  want  a  medical  institution  to  educate  doctors  and 
send  them  around  to  look  at  our  trees  and  get  the  right  rem¬ 
edy  and  apply  it.  I  have  lost  faith  in  most  things  recom¬ 
mended,  because  they  have  failed  me.  Cotton  seed  meal 
started  my  trees  finely,  and  I  have  used  muck,  cow  droppings 
and  stable  manure.  But  the  grove  is  not  bearing  satisfacto- 
9 


128 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


riiy.  I  have  tried  soft  phosphate  with  no  result  whatever,  and, 
of  course,  I  did  not  continue  it.  Some  of  my  neighbors  living 
on  better  lands  are  cowpenning  their  groves.  One  man  has 
a  large  flock  of  goats.  He  is  cow-penning  with  goats.  They 
are  getting  splendid  crops  of  oranges  while  I  am  not.  I 
have  a  few  trees  near  a  stable  where  I  had  mamure  piled 
up  year  after  year,  and  the  trees  are  blooming  every  spring 
and  look  as  though  they  were  just  starting  out  lor  a  hun¬ 
dred  years.  I  have  not  got  a  cow  tied  to  every  tree.  If 
I  had  I  might  get  good  results.  I  am  satisfied  that  all  the 
patent  medicines  for  trees  are  altogether  unequal  to  the 
task  of  giving  us  a  good  crop  of  fruit  and  trees  that  will 
last  one  hundred  years  I  believe  they  are  stimulants,  and 
for  a  short  time  give  good  results.  The  trees  want  more 
humus;  they  want  more  plant  food,  and  it  seems  to  me  that 
there  is  nothing  better  than  the  vegetation  grown  by  the 
ground  and  milled  by  the  cow.  All  these  other  things  may 
be  good  as  aids  but  we  must  fall  back  on  stable  manure. 
There  is  nothing  we  can  carry  to  the  ground  that  has  as 
many  ingredients  as  stable  manure.  If  some  gentleman  will 
tell  me  what  to  put  on  my  grove,  I  will  listen  to  him,  and 
will  be  glad  to  hear  his  opinion. 

O.  P.  Rooks — I  have  been  very  much  interested  in  the 
remarks  of  the  last  speaker.  I  believe  that  succ<  ss  in  fruit 
growing  and  in  agriculture  depends  upon  animal  manure, 
and  in  all  those  sections  where  the  most  success  is  had  in 
keeping  up  and  improving  lands,  it  is  from  that  source.  The 
gentleman  asks  for  information  as  to  how  to  make  his  trees 
bear.  Two  years  ago  I  constructed  a  portable  cow  pen 
about  eight  by  ten  feet,  with  a  gate  leading  into  that  pen. 
I  took  my  cow  at  night  and  put  her  into  that  pen.  I  put 
the  pen  between  the  trees,  and  lor  from  two  to  three  weeks 
I  kept  the  cow  in  that  pen.  I  started  at  the  beginning  of 
a  row  and  went  through  the  grove  with  the  pen.  The  re¬ 
sults  were  marvelous.  The  biggest  crop  of  oranges  that 
were  ever  seen  in  that  neighborhood  were  produced  from 
those  trees.  That  is  the  result  of  the  cow-penuing  process. 
The  oranges  were  as  good  as  any  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
I  got  fair  prices.  I  have  used  chemical  fertilizers  until  I 
am  almost  “broke.”  I  shall  use  the  cow  pens  in  future. 

T.  K.  Godbey — I  wish  to  relate  how  I  raise  my  oranges. 
I  am  a  practical  man.  I  am  my  own  tree  doctor.  I  think 
I  know  what  the  matter  is  with  a  tree  when  it  looks  badly. 
I  have  here  specimen  oranges  which  I  wish  to  present  to 
the  society.  The  trees  on  which  they  were  grown  are  thir¬ 
teen  years  of  age.  They  never  had  a  spoonful  of  chemical 
fertilizers.  They  have  been  raised  entirely  on  stable  manure, 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


129 


except  that  the  chickens  roost  in  the  trees.  The  oranges  I 
have  here  were  not  selected;  simply  taken  as  they  came. 
My  object  was  to  see  if  I  could  preserve  oranges,  and  I 
jput  some  away,  and  when  the  time  came  I  opened  them, 
and  they  looked  pretty  well,  and  I  want  to  show  you  that 
•oranges  can  be  grown  with  stable  manure  at  Waldo.  I 
have  tried  phosphate  on  my  trees,  and  I  have  tried 
potash  on  some  trees  as  an  experiment.  I  could 
not  tell  where  I  had  put  it.  The  fertilizer  I  did  buy  was 
bought  because  I  cannot  buy  all  the  stable  manure  I  want, 
nor  make  it  all.  I  have  used  blood  and  bone,  and  still  use  it 
-to  a  small  extent.  I  have  made  a  good  living  raising  fruit  in 
Florida.  I  commenced  without  a  dollar,  except  a  piece  of 
poor  land.  I  have  supported  my  family,  and  I  have  as  nice  a 
place  as  anybody  about  Waldo.  I  sold  my  oranges  last  year 
at  an  average  of  $1.10.  Now,  that  is  my  experience  and  the 
result  of  stable  manure.  I  wish  to  bring  the  oranges  up  and 
present  them  to  the  society.  Those  oranges  were  picked  the 
first  day  of  January  last,  and  preserved  by  a  process  of  my 
own,  which  I  am  not  free  to  give  away  iust  now. 

Mr.  Peck — A  great  variety  of  opinion  has  been  advanced 
this  afternoon.  We  have  not  stable  manure  around  our  place 
so  I  thought  I  would  give  you  a  formula  I  have  used  and  with 
very  good  results  on  poor  pine  lands.  I  purchase  the  material 
myself — sulphate  of  ammonia,  sulphate  of  potash  and  acid 
phosphate.  Possibly  better  results  might  be  obtained  from 
bone  black,  but  I  think  if  anybody  who  has  a  poor  piece  of 
land  and  wants  a  fertilizer  that  will  do  good  service,  will  take 
that  kind  of  material  and  get  somebody  to  mix  it  for  him,  or 
do  it  himself,  and  will  use  about  5  per  cent,  of  ammonia,  7  to 
8  per  cent,  phosphoric  acid,  and  8  to  10  percent,  actual  potash 
v(K2  O),  he  will  have  a  fine  fertilizer, 

Mr.  Bacon — This  has  been  the  longest  half-day  I  ever  expe¬ 
rienced,  but  I  have  learned  some  things.  You  have  allowed 
the  other  gentlemen  to  say  a  few  words,  so  I  hope  you  will  al¬ 
low  me  to  do  the  same.  1  am  a  humus  man,  a  stable  manure 
man  and  a  cow  manure  man,  but  at  the  rate  oranges  have  been 
selling  I  cannot  buy  chemical  fertilizers.  Some  seven  or 
eight  years  ago  I  went  into  the  humus  business.  I  pur¬ 
chased  quite  a  quantity  of  pig  mannre  from  neighbors  that 
did  not  want  it,  and  dug  trenches  round  my  trees  and 
poured  it  in,  and  at  the  same  time  I  covered  my  grove  with 
decayed  vegetable  matter.  I  never  had  such  a  crop  of  or¬ 
anges.  They  produced  the  most  astonishing  crop  of  fruit, 
and  every  year  since  then  I  have  been  so  poor  that  I  have  not 
been  able  to  haul  the  mulching.  Every  year  that  I  have  not  had 


130 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


time  to  haul  this  mulching,  as  much  as  I  would  like  to,  1  have 
occasionally  bought  a  few  tons  of  fertilizer  because  it  is  so  handy. 
I  think  I  have  been  a  fool  for  doing  it.  I  should  have  bought 
another  horse  and  kept  him  hauling  old  vegetable  matter. 
1  think  I  would  have  saved  money.  Use  every  means  that 
you  can  to  save  money  and  keep  it  in  the  family.  I  do 
not  wish  to  make  any  remarks,  but  I  believe  in  humus.  They 
have  some  beautiful  groves  at  DeLand.  I  go  to  different  parts 
of  the  east  coast  and  I  see  such  beautiful  trees,  and  the  rows 
are  so  straight  and  the  fences  so  pretty;  but  they  do  produce 
large  quantities  of  good  fruit?  I  believe  not.  I  say  I  believe 
in  humus,  and  if  we  keep  our  ground  covered  with  this  we  will 
have  good  results.  With  an  orange  grove  completely  covered 
by  decayed  vegetable  matter,  will  not  potash  keep  that  grove 
in  good  condition  ? 

Several  members — Yes;  yes. 

Mr.  Mott— I  believe  in  cow  penning.  I  feed  my  cow  with 
crab  grass,  hay,  cotton  seed  meal,  and  throw  a  little  lime  in  the 
tub  in  which  she  drinks.  Yo  fertilizing  manufactory  could 
mix  a  better  fertilizer  than  that  cow  does. 


Irrigation  in  Florida. 


Paper  read  by  A.  J.  Kingsbory,  of  Winter  Park,  Orange  County, 
Chairman  of  Standing  Committee  on  Irrigation, 

I  believe  there  is  an  irrigation  plank  in  the  platform  of  this 
State  Horticultural  Society.  But  in  the  minds  of  many  still 
lingers  the  question:  “To  irrigate  or  not  to  irrigate.”  To 
others  who  have  settled  affirmatively  this  first  question,  a  sec¬ 
ond  one  presents  itself:  “How  to  irrigate,”  and  perhaps  a  third 
one:  “What  to  irrigate.” 

Of  these  three  practical  phases  of  the  subject  I  propose  to 
speak  particularly  in  this  report.  I  wish,  however,  at  the 
outset,  to  call  to  your  remembrance  the  very  instructive  and 
in  every  way  admirable  paper  on  irrigation  read  before  this 
body  last  year  by  Mr.  Hamlin. 

This  paper  was  the  initial  report  on  this  all-important  sub- 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


131 


ject,  read  before  the  members  of  this  society  since  its  organiza¬ 
tion.  1  should  like  that  paper  to  be  considered  introductory 
to  what  I  now  have  to  say.  Its  condensed  presentation  of 
the  history  and  extent  of  irrigation,  its  conclusions  and  prac¬ 
tical  suggestions  are  all  so  good  and  so  complete  that  I  do  not 
now  need  to  touch  at  all  on  the  same  lines.  Bnt  inasmuch  as 
they  are  important  lines  and  belong  to  the  subject,  I  make 
the  request  that  you  all  keep  the  paper  of  the  former  commit- 
ree  well  in  mind. 

I  go  back  now  to  the  fundamental  inquiry:  “Shall  we,  here 
in  Florida,  under  our  peculiar  conditions,  engage  in  irriga¬ 
tion?  ”  I  see  members  of  this  society  before  me  who  have 
settled  this  question  some  time  ago  by  installing  a  plant  for 
this  purpose,  and  I  doubt  if  there  is  an  owner  ol  an  irrigating 
plant  in  this  house  who  regrets  the  investment,  providing  it 
is  of  ample  capacity  and  its  operation  has  given  him  no 
trouble. 

The  total  rainfall  in  Florida  averages  about  54  inches.  In  a 
cooler  latitude,  where  the  loss  by  evaporation  from  the  ground 
and  from  vegetation  is  much  less  than  in  Florida,  54  inches  of 
rainfall  per  annum,  if  properly  distributed,  is  generally  suffi¬ 
cient  for  the  usual  needs  of  growing  crops.  But  in  this  state 
the  rainfall  is  not  distributed  uniformly  either  geographically 
or  in  point  of  time.  Mr.  Demain’s  reports,  and  statistics  ob¬ 
tained  from  individuals  located  at  various  points,  demonstrate 
the  fact  that  some  sections  receive  a  great  deal  more  moisture 
>than  others.  But  here,  with  our  conditions  of  sunshine  and 
■  heat  and  light  soil,  even  were  the  rainfall  evenly  distributed 
'throughout  the  state,  all  cultivated  crops  would  still  lack  suf¬ 
ficient  moisture  to  develop  their  best  growth  and  set  aud  ma¬ 
nure  a  maximum  amount  of  fruit. 

It  may  be  said  further,  that  there  is  in  reality  but  a  very 
•small  percentage  of  Florida’s  improved  lands  which,  during 
the  growing  season,  receive  sufficient  to  accomplish  the  best 
results.  Our  rainy  season  usually  covers  a  period  of  perhaps 
•six  weeks.  During  that  time  all  vegetation  seems  to  be  in  one 
mad  rush  and  scramble,  each  plant  vying  with  its  neighbor  in 
luxuriant  growth,  flowers  and  fruitage. 

It  occurred  to  me  some  years  since  that  these  conditions 
might  be  made  to  exist  eight  months  in  the  year  instead  of 
six  weeks.  In  spite  of  the  protests  against  this  way  of  doing 
from  some  of  the  oldest  and  most  experienced  agriculturists 
and  horticulturists,  I  persisted  m  the  conviction,  and  the  posi¬ 
tion  I  then  held  and  still  adhere  to  has  never  met  with  discour¬ 
agement  when  accompanied  by  good  judgment. 

The  citrus  family  and  nearly  all  other  fruit  trees,  forage 


132 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


plants,  the  small  fruits,  shade  trees,  vegetables,  and  I  don’t 
know  that  I  would  omit  scarcely  any  member  of  the  vege¬ 
table  kingdom,  are  glad  to  put  on  their  finest  and  gayest 
attire  of  thrifty  growth,  producing  fruit  and  foliage  a  greater 
part  of  the  year,  if  you  will  only  extend  to  them  the 
conditions  required.  In  the  majority  of  cases  the  only  ele¬ 
ment  lacking  to  this  condition  is  water. 

There  are  homes  and  farms  scattered  throughout  this  pen¬ 
insular  from  which  the  owners  have  struggled  to  secure  a 
profitable  income  for  the  past  10,  15  or  perhaps  20  years  or 
more.  These  efforts  have  been  in  a  measure  rewarded;  but 
I  claim  that  the  same  or  better  results  could  have  been  ac¬ 
complished  in  from  one-fourth  to  one-half  the  time  actually 
consumed  if  properly  aided  by  irrigation.  Had  these  same 
farmers  expended  the  same  effort  upon  one-fourth  the  amount 
of  land,  aided  by  irrigation,  they  would  have  had  an  inde¬ 
pendent  bank  account  and  would  have  lived  a  great  deal 
better  than  they  have  been  able  to  do  without  irrigation. 

Nearly  all  of  the  older  residents  of  Florida  have  had  con¬ 
siderable  experience  in  attempting  to  raise  a  variety  of  veg¬ 
etables  for  home  consumption.  Many  of  their  attempts  were 
complete  failures  on  account  of  dry  weather.  With  an  ir¬ 
rigating  plant  there  are  no  “off  seasons”  for  fruit  and  no¬ 
dry  spells  to  encourage  insect  life,  drop  the  fruit,  wither, 
one’s  vegetables  and  courage. 

What,  in  fact,  can  be  more  disheartening  than  to  see  one’s 
toil  go  for  naught?  To  plow  and  sow,  but  never  reap? 
To  plant  and  fertilize,  cultivate  and  protect,  watch  and  wait 
and  wait  again  for  the  harveat  so  slow  in  coming,  often  so  mea¬ 
ger  when  it  comes  !  Alas!  too  often  the  poor  man  gives  up 
beaten,  perhaps  to  try  his  lot  elsewhere  under  different  con¬ 
ditions.  But  his  ambition  for  a  second  attempt  is  rarely  equal 
to  his  first  enthusiasm.  He  is  older  and  the  buoyant  hope 
has  vanished  with  the  vanished  years.  It  is  evident  that  this 
lost  hope  is  a  serious  evil  to  the  man  and  the  community. 
Progress  is  the  child  of  courageous  enterprise,  and  enterprise 
rests  on  hope.  So  I  say  the  hope  should  be  based  on  certain¬ 
ties,  or  at  least  on  strong  probabilities. 

When  we  know  that  the  total  rainfall  is  in  the  average  of 
years  insufficient,  that  it  is  unevenly  distributed  geographi¬ 
cally.  being  sometimes  over  60  inches  in  one  part  of  the  state 
and  less  than  40  in  other  parts;  that  it  varies  greatly  with  dif¬ 
ferent  years,  and  that  in  the  same  year  it  may  be  excessive  for 
for  a  brief  time,  and  almost,  if  not  quite,  totally  lacking  for 
months  together  at  other  times;  when  all  this  is  borne  in  upon 
the  consciousness  of  the  cultivator,  by  years  of  struggle  with., 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


133 


adverse  conditions,  is  it  any  wonder  that  he  is  often  over¬ 
burdened  and  gives  up  the  light? 

On  the  other  hand,  the  wonder  is  that  he  so  generally  keeps 
on,  with  gritty  resolution,  and  conquers  a  half-way  victory  in 
spite  of  fate.  Nor  is  it  strange  that  one  who  has  seen  the 
transformation  wrought  by  irrigation  should  adopt  the  epi¬ 
gram  of  the  Western  wit  who  ssid:  “Irrigation  is  not  a  substi¬ 
tute  for  rain.  Rain  is  a  substitute  for  irrigation,  and  a  very 
poor  substitute  at  that.” 

We  may  as  well  admit  that,  for  all  practical  purposes,  Flor¬ 
ida  is  a  semiarid  couutry.  It  is  not  perhaps  in  such  desperate 
need  of  moisture  as  the  state  of  Texas,  which  was  nevertheless 
defended  by  a  native  as  lacking  in  nothing  except  water  and 
good  society.  “Indeed,”  remarked  a  listener,  “that  is  ait 
h — 11  needs.”  But  we  are  not  now  studying  the  society  ques¬ 
tion.  That  is  not  a  question  for  this  body  of  horticulturists. 
Yet  the  need  of  water,  I  claim,  is  fundamental.  We  must 
have  it  at  easy  command  as  a  prime  factor  to  general  and  con¬ 
tinuous  success  in  a  great  portion  of  our  agricultural  and  hor¬ 
ticultural  operations. 

This  leads  me  to  the  point  of  calling  your  attention  to  the 
fact  that  all  the  work  of  the  cultivator  of  the  soil,  in  these 
later  years,  has  been  becoming  more  exact  and  scientific. 
What  has  come  to  be  known  as  intensive  farming  is  now  the 
practice  of  the  most  progressive  and  successful  men.  The  aim 
is  to  ascertain  the  best  methods  and  then  to  carry  them  out  to 
their  logical  extent.  When,  for  instance,  I  see  my  neighbor’s 
grove  produces  heavy  crops  of  choice  fruit,  and  does  it  regu¬ 
larly  every  year,  and  that  he  is  prosperous  in  consequence  of 
it;  when  I  see  that  this  does  not  come  by  chance,  but  as 
the  well  earned  result  of  insight  and  skillful  calculation,  by 
adoption  of  means  to  ends,  by  thoroughness,  by  promptness 
— in  short,  by  knowledge  and  industry — especially  when  I 
see  such  men  formed  into  a  society  like  this  for  mutual  en¬ 
couragement  and  assistance,  I  see  the  best  possible  proof  of 
a  rapid  horticultural  progress  and  knowledge.  I  see  men 
who  practice  this  intensive,  this  thorough  and  skillful  method 
of  cultivation.  If  I  ask  you  what  are  the  great  primary 
essentials  of  plant  life,  you  will  say  that  they  are  four: 
earth,  air,  moisture  and  plant  food.  T  wo  of  these,  earth  and. 
air,  we  take  for  granted.  They  are  everywhere.  The  other 
two  are  often  more  or  less  absent,  and  have  to  be  supplied. 
Just  here  is  where  the  knowledge  and  skill  come  into  play. 
The  earliest  cultivator  took  conditions  as  he  found  them, 
and  raised  a  crop  or  not  as  it  happened.  He  learned  after 
awhile  that  it  was  wise  to  fertilize.  In  the  totally  arid 


134 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OE  THE 


countries  he  learned  to  use  water — when  he  could  get  it. 
Little  by  little,  experience  and  science  have  been  broadening 
man’s  intelligence.  To-day,  both  fertilizers  and  water,  enough 
and  of  the  right  kind  at  the  right  times,  are  recognized  as 
equal  factors  in  plant  growth.  If  they  are  not  naturally 
present,  the  cultivator  of  whom  we  are  thinking  finds  means 
to  supply  them.  He  would  rather  cultivate  100  acres  per¬ 
fectly  than  200  imperfectly,  or  even  40  or  20,  or  10  or  5, 
or  the  smallest  portion  ol  the  earth,  and  make  it  do  its  very 
best,  rather  than  any  larger  amount  that  he  could  not  be 
sure  to  supply  with  every  needed  advantage.  And  he  would 
regard  this  preference  not  as  a  question  of  taste  or  pride, 
but  as  one  of  clear  business  sagacity,  as  so  many  of  you 
have  illustrated  in  your  own  experience. 

But  all  this  leads  back  again  to  the  question  of  fact  with 
which  we  began.  I  restate  it  in  plain  terms:  Is  the  rainfall 
here  in  Florida  satisfactory  to  you  as  horticulturists?  Do 
you  have  enough  rain  for  your  growing  trees  and  plants  ? 
Do  you  have  enough  rain  when  it  is  needed?  When  you 
most  need  rain  do  you  have  most?  If  you  had  the  fabled 
power  of  old  Jupiter  Pluvius  would  you  use  it  as  capric¬ 
iously  as  the  custom  has  been  of  late?  When  yon  pray  for 
three  inches  of  rain  are  you  not  put  off  with  a  half.  When 
you  would  be  glad  of  an  inch,  do  you  get  but  an  eighth  ? 
When  you  ask  for  a  sweet  shower,  are  not  the  heavens  as 
brass? 

At  such  crises — all  too  frequent,  as  every  cultivator  must 
need  ofess — how  comforting  it  is  to  have  a  little  genii  by 
the  edge  of  the  lake  or  by  the  side  of  the  creek  or  well, 
who,  at  one’s  command,  will  stir  up  the  fires,  open  the  valves 
and  pour  over  the  thirsty  land  abundant  streams  of  life-re¬ 
newing  water.  How  vegetation  revives  under  the  magical 
touch!  How  it  grows!  How  it  blooms!  How  it  bears  the 
full  fruitage!  How  it  crowns  the  year  with  gladness! 

In  the  light  of  this  experience,  and  in  view  of  experiences 
elsewhere,  need  I  sav  more  to  prove  that  the  man  who  ir¬ 
rigates  a  tract  of  land  no  larger  than  he  can  handle  thor¬ 
oughly  and  who  practices  intensive  cultivation,  is  the  suc¬ 
cessful  cultivator?  Of  course,  some  men  can  handle  more 
than  others,  either  by  reason  of  larger  capital  or  better  ad¬ 
ministrative  ability,  or  both,  but  the  amount  is  usually  that 
to  which  a  man  can  give  his  personal  attention. 

I  urge  this  point  especially  in  the  interest  of  the  small  culti' 
vator.  He  needs,  to  support  a  family,  hut  little  land  if  it  be 
well  cultivated,  but  here  in  Florida  that  little  must  be  irri¬ 
gated. 

I  pass  on  to  consider  the  further  question:  How  shall  we  ir— 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


135 


rigate?  This  is  still  a  problem  in  the  minds  of  raanv,  not  only 
of  those  who  do  not  own  plants,  but  of  those  who  have  them. 
During  the  last  two  years  1  find  many  who  have  high  pressure 
plants  are  using  what  we  call  the ‘‘California”  system,  running 
the  water  in  furrows.  The  plan  of  piping  with  hydrants  on 
corners  of  squares,  from  one  to  t  wo  hundred  feet  apart,  which 
is  coming  into  use  here,  lends  itself  readily  to  this  system. 
The  water,  in  almost  any  grove,  can  be  placed  in  furrows  and 
each  hydrant’s  output  be  made  to  meet  that  of  its  neighbors,, 
The  land  is  so  situated  in  some  groves  that  it  is  advisable  to 
put  the  water  into  a  trough,  having  sides  eight  inches  high. 
In  these  sides,  and  opposite  the  middle  of  spaces  between  rows 
of  trees  are  little  zinc  gates  and  thus,  into  the  furrows  running 
from  these  gates  in  either  direction,  are  dealt  out  miners’ 
inches.  This  trough,  running  across  the  grove  at  the  highest 
point,  is  kept  filled  from  hose  attached  to  the  hydrants  near¬ 
est  at  hand. 

It  is  conceded  that  there  are  some  reasons  in  favor  of  turn¬ 
ing  the  water  into  furrows,  where  it  can  be  done,  during  the 
blooming  season  perhaps,  instead  of  delivering  it  into  the  air 
through  nozzles.  In  this  way  less  water  is  lost  by  evapora¬ 
tion  and  it  goes  at  once  down  into  the  ground  where  it  may 
chance  to  meet  the  moist  sub-soil  (if  there  is  any)  and  spread 
laterally  to  reach  a  large  part  of  the  roots.  The  furrow  meth¬ 
od,  under  favoring  circumstances,  requires  less  labor. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  water  will  not  run  far  unless  the 
land  slopes  quite  preceptibly,  and  even  on  quite  a  steep  de¬ 
scent  a  greater  part  of  the  water  is  absorbed  in  the  portions 
of  furrows  nearest  the  supply.  There  is  no  certainty  of  uni¬ 
form  distribution.  If  we  had  large  ditches  from  which  to 
draw  our  supply  and  uniform  down  grades,  as  the  Califor¬ 
nians  usually  have  we  should  doubtless  more  generally  conform 
to  their  practice.  But  even  in  that  case  our  soil  is  so  unlike 
theirs  that  there  would  still  remain  some  difficulty  about  it. 
In  the  majority  of  cases  here  it  is  best  to  have  a  high  pressure 
system,  and  having  it  the  owner  can  deliver  the  water  to  his 
trees  by  either  method,  viz:  forcing  it  well  into  the  air  by 
hose  and  nozzle,  or  allowing  it  to  find  the  roots  by  the  fur¬ 
rows. 

In  using;  hose  and  nozzle,  however,  it  is  not  always  advis¬ 
able  to  throw  the  water  over  the  trees  or  into  the  trees.  It  is 
wise  at  times  to  do  so,  but  at  other  tirm  s  it,  is  well  to  deliver 
it  on  the  surface,  or  at  least  bv  a  horizontal  stream  under  the 
branches.  If  the  foot-rot  is  present  or  feared,  the  earth  often 
accumulated  too  deep  around  the  collars  of  the  older  trees 
should  be  forced  away  from  them  by  a  stream  of  water  dis- 


136 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


charged  directly  among  these  larger  roots  at  the  base  of  the 
trunk.  Two  or  three  barrels  of  water  thus  applied  serves  the 
double  purpose  of  cleaning  the  collar  roots  and  exposing  them 
to  light  and  air,  also  carrying  water  to  the  lowest  roots,  where- 
ordinary  rains  or  irrigation  is  never  felt.  This  treatment  is 
considered  by  many  a  certain  specific  for  the  dreaded  foot-rot,, 
and  from  my  own  observation  I  feel  very  sure  that  such  it* 
really  the  fact. 

Probably  the  idonl  wny  of  irrigating  is  by  the  use  of  auto¬ 
matic  sprinklers,  the  pipes  covering  the  space  to  be  treated  so 
completely  that  the  spray  lrom  the  outlets  will  meet  between 
them  and  the  whole  ground  to  be  watered  as  by  rain.  All  this, 
controlled  in  sections  by  valves,  involves  but  trifling  field  work, 
and  therefore  more  conveniently  than  other  methods  can  be 
worked  at  night  when  sunshine  is  absent. 

This,  as  I  have  said,  is  ideal  and  very  closely  conforms  to 
nature’s  methods.  But,  unfortunately,  when  carried  out  on  a 
large  scale,  it  is  very  expensive  in  the  installment;  and  in 
using,  what  is  saved  in  the  field  is  to  some  extent  lost  in  the 
pumping  station,  lor  the  water  is  forced  from  the  sprinklers 
subject  to  great  lriction. 

Nevertheless,  for  use  in  the  garden  and  on  the  lawn,  where 
large  spaces  are  not  usually  covered,  nothing  is  so  convenient 
as  the  automatic  sprinkling;  and  when  putting  in  a  hose  and 
nozzle  plant  for  the  grove  it  is  always  in  order  to  cover  a  good 
garden  and  the  ornamental  grounds  by  the  automatic  system. 
In  a  special  installation  for  a  vegetable  garden  I  would  always 
prefer  to  use  the  sprinkler. 

Perhaps  I  should  here  say  a  lew  words  about  the  motive  power 
for  working  our  pumps.  At  present  I  am  obliged  to  say  this,, 
that  wherever  any  large  space  is  to  be  irrigated,  or  any  con¬ 
siderable  volume  of  water  handled,  steam  is  in  most  cases  the 
only  adequate  power  at  command.  Artesian  water  is  supplied 
to  some  groves  and  other  vegetation  by  its  own  pressure, 
where  the  land  is  less  than  forty  feet  above  tide  water.  What 
motive  power  the  future  may  bring  forth,  who  can  tell?  We 
talk  about  wind  power.  We  prophesy  the  further  triumphs 
of  electricity.  We  dream  of  concentrating  the  rays  of  the 
sun  by  reflectors.  We  experiment  with  gasoline  and  other 
mineral  oils  and  with  hot  air.  We  fret  unceasingly  at  the  in¬ 
ventors  for  delaying  the  great  discovery  which  will  drive  a 
more  perfect  pump  than  ever  yet  known  and  lift  our  lakes- 
where,  at  our  pleasure,  they  will  flow  almost  as  cheap  as  air 
through  our  fruitful  groves  and  gardens.  Yet,  after  all,  when 
we  have  to  do  real  work,  and  do  it  to-day,  for  us  here  in  the 
woods,  we  know  of  no  sure  reliance  but  steam. 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


137 


As  to  times  and  seasons,  there  is  no  period  in  the  life  of  ara 
orange  tree  when  it  requires  water  as  it  does  during  the 
blooming  season.  Just  previous  to  this  critical  time  it  has 
been  dormant  and  the  soil  as  a  rule  is  comparatively  dry  on 
most  of  our  elevated  lands.  The  tree  suddenly  begins  to  put 
out  a  hardy  new  growth,  as  well  as  bloom,  covering  its  entire 
surface.  The  chances  are  that  moisture  is  wanted  to  bring 
out  the  growth  and  fully  develop  it,  including  the  bloom  and 
its  setting.  Then  we  should  irrigate,  and  irrigate  heavily,, 
not  by  continuous,  daily  applications,  but  by  giving  the  grove 
a  thorough  wetting  and  then  stopping  until  the  practiced  eye 
sees  in  the  tops  of  the  trees  the  slightest  inclination  of  the  new 
leaves  to  curl.  This  may  occur  in  a  dry  time,  from  six  to  ten 
days  after  a  thorough  irrigation.  Then  it  should  have  another 
wetting  like  the  first. 

With  surface  water  to  be  found  at  varying  depths,  from  five 
to  eighty  feet  below  the  surface,  it  is  hard  to  state  just  how 
often  subsequent  applications  of  water  should  be  made  after 
the  fruit  is  fairly  set  and  this  first  new  growth  well  developed. 
I  find  that  on  lands  where  the  surface  water  comes  within 
fifteen  to  twenty-five  feet,  from  fi ve  to  eight  applications  of 
water  to  orange  trees  has  been  desirable  every  season  during 
the  past  ten  years.  It  is  entirely  unnecessary  to  suggest  how 
often  vegetables  require  water.  It  is  safe  to  leave  that  to  al¬ 
most  any  tiller  of  the  soil. 

L’ttle  need  be  said  here  about  my  last  question  :  What  to- 
irrigate.  In  general,  the  best  paying  “money”  crops  are  the 
ones  to  irrigate.  All  citrus  fruits — the  orange,  lemon,  pomelo 
— in  all  their  varieties,  are  kept  in  rapid  and  continuous 
growth,  are  quickened  to  fruitfulness  and  greater  perfection  of 
truit,  are  made  strong  to  withstand  insect  and  other  enemies, 
by  the  judicious  use  of  water. 

Pineapples  are  a  profitable  crop,  but  except  in  rare  locations- 
it  is  water  that,  makes  them  so.  Strawberries  are  a  profitable 
crop  with  abundant  water  t  o  make  them  so.  Even  on  high 
pine  land,  strawberries  have  been  made  to  yield  by  the  use  of 
water  (not  forgetting  the  fertilizer),  at  the  rate  of  one  quart  of 
berries  for  each  hill.  That  means  about  20,000  quarts  to  the 
acre.  Abate  one-half  of  that  and  there  still  remains  a  very 
profitable  crop.  Where  there  is  no  danger  from  frost,  or 
where  one  can  protect  from  frost,  the  use  of  water  will  insure 
large  and  profitable  crops  of  potatoes,  tomatoes,  string  beans, 
cucumbers  and  celery  in  the  season  of  the  year  when  prices  are 
highest.  Tne  whole  round  of  truck  gardening  at  all  seasons 
of  the  year  is  also  made  vastly  more  certain  and  productive  by 
the  use  of  water. 


138 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


Tobacco  is  another  money  crop  where  water  is  most  useful. 
It  is  needed  lor  the  vineyards  on  which  so  many  hopes  have 
been  hung.  It  is  a  great  help — if  not  a  necessity — for  the 
peach  orchards,  the  guavas,  the  mangoes  and  the  bananas. 
These  all  are  valuable  fruits,  but  twice  valuable  when  their 
quantity  and  surety  are  guaranteed  by  the  use  of  irrigation. 
Many  other  things  might  be  mentioned,  but  let  this  suffice. 
Every  man  knows  for  himself  the  plants,  or  trees,  or  crops  he 
would  like  to  raise  if  he  could.  Let  me  assure  him  that  his 
lack  of  water  at  command  is  his  chief  lack.  I  do  not  say  the 
only  lack — location  is  much.  Soil  is  a  great  deal.  A  compost 
heap  is  a  great  factor,  and  be  careful  to  select  reliable  and 
-standard  fertilizers  and  apply  with  no  stinted  hand.  Frost,  at 
times  and  in  some  places,  is  as  fatal  as  drouth.  But  water 
can  be  had  by  those  who  will  have  it.  If  a  man  has  not  the 
means  to  irrigate  forty  acres,  in  most  places  he  had  much  bet¬ 
ter  not  try  to  occupy  forty  acres.  We  have  been  saying  for 
yeais:  Plant  no  more  than  you  can  thoroughly  cultivate.  We 
now  go  another  step  and  say:  Plant  no  more  than  you  can 
thoroughly  cultivate  and  irrigate.  These,  pre-eminently,  are 
the  two  maxims  for  Florida — thorough  cultivation  and  irriga¬ 
tion,  irrigation  and  thorough  cultivation.  Put  them  in  the 
order  you  please,  practice  them  wisely,  choose  the  right  crops 
and  prosperity  will  surely  follow. 

Shall  I  tell  you  in  conclusion  of  the  vision  that  sometimes 
rises  before  my  mind’s  eye?  As  I  ride  through  our  fair  state 
a  lovely  landscape  often  comes  in  view.  I  stand  on  a  swell¬ 
ing  slope,  stretching  away  to  a  clear  lake  whose  waters  reflect 
the  midday  sun  and  shadow  the  winding  shores.  The  tall 
pines  murmur  in  the  breeze.  The  sturdier  hickories  and  oaks, 
in  the  little  valleys  which  now  and  then  lead  toward  the  lake, 
are  hung  with  streamers,  whether  of  joy  or  mourning,  who  can 
say  ?  Is  it  joy  ior  the  transformation  soon  to  come,  or  mourn¬ 
ing  for  the  peace  and  solitude  of  nature  undisturbed  ? 

Even  as  I  look  the  scene  seems  to  change.  The  tall  pines, 
for  the  most  part,  have  vanished  or  are  only  left  in  groups 
here  and  there.  I  see  pleasant  winding  roads,  bordered  ev¬ 
erywhere  by  thrifty  trees.  The  arrangement  seems  that  of  the 
landscape  artist  rather  than  of  t  he  land  surveyor.  The  natu¬ 
ral  beauties  of  the  situation  are  brought  forth  and  developed. 
The  grades  have  b?en  considered,  and  the  views  and  the 
streets  seem  to  invite  further  progress,  as  one  discovers  some¬ 
thing  alluring  at  every  turn.  I  see  attractive  looking  houses 
here  and  there,  each  standing  on  a  lot  of  sufficient  size  to  have 
its  own  pleasure  grounds,  garden,  groves  and  fields,  but  not 
ao  large  as  to  make  neighborly  intercourse  a  burden.  Nor  are 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


139 


there  long  uncultivated  distances  from  one  house  to  another. 
There  is  a  small  church  and  a  school  house,  a  railroad  station 
and  a  postoflice,  a  store  and  the  village  inn.  Conspicuous 
among  the  industrial  enterprises  is  a  canning  factory,  every 
producer  bringing  hither  his  surplus  fruits  and  vegetables  and 
having  them  canned,  or  the  fruit  made  into  marmalade,  jellies^, 
jams,  fruit  juice  and  wine,  and  sold  for  the  common  good.  It 
seems  everywhere  a  community  of  homes.  If  there  are  none 
of  great  cost  or  elegance,  neither  are  there  any  showing  neg¬ 
lect  or  poverty.  All  vegetation  is  thrifty.  The  fruit  trees 
are  well  grown  and  loaded  with  fruit.  The  lawns  are  green 
with  verdure,  and  gay  with  flowers.  The  gardens  are  lull  of 
growing  and  ripening  vegetables.  The  fields  are  rich  in  prom¬ 
ise  of  good  harvest. 

The  traveler,  perhaps  even  this  body  of  skilled  horticultu¬ 
rists,  coming  suddenly  upon  this  vision  of  beauty  and  success¬ 
ful  industry,  is  greatly  astonished.  The  vast  stretches  of 
thirsty  land  on  evt  ry  side  are  recalled.  The  ragged  little  pio¬ 
neer  towns  rise  up  to  enforce  the  doubt.  Abandoned  houses 
and  groves,  and  the  wrecked  hopes  of  unsuccessful  venture, 
prompt  the  traveler  to  say:  “Where  am  I  ?  Is  this  Florida?” 

Yes,  this  is  the  real  Florida.  Thus  it  is  best  to  have  from  the 
first  an  irrigated  settlement.  This  town  of  my  fancy  had  its 
water  put  in  before  a  lot  was  sold.  Every  lot  averaging  per¬ 
haps  no  more  than  five  acres,  and  the  whole  aggregating  a 
mile  or  more  each  way,  had  a  water  main  brought  to  its 
boundary.  The  original  cost  of  the  plant  wTas  added  to  the 
cost  of  the  land,  and  the  purchase  of  the  land  carried  with  it 
a  right  to  th»-  perpetual  delivery  of  water,  a  given  quantity  to 
each  acre,  subjected,  however,  to  a  perpetual  annual  charge 
upon  each  acre  sold,  for  running  expenses  and  renewal  fund. 
When  you  remember  the  very  low  price  of  most  unimproved 
land  in  this  state,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  cost  of  an  irrigating 
plant  divided  among  600  or  1,000  acres,  would  not  make  the 
aggregate  cost  nearly  so  high  as  the  speculators  often  put  upon 
the  bare  land  without  water.  The  annual  charge  also  would 
be  almost  nominal. 

I  have  supposed  each  owner  to  do  the  piping  on  his  own 
premises.  It  is  also  necessary  to  suppose  the  management  of 
this  enterprise,  its  initiative  and  maintaining  force,  to  be  in  a 
far-seeing  and  broad  minded  man  or  company,  who  would  be 
content  with  a  reasonable  profit,  who  had  sufficient  capital, 
and  great  tact  and  good  judgment.  Such  combinations  are 
not  so  rare  as  is  sometimes  supposed.  The  chief  difficulty  is 
in  interesting  men  of  the  right  stamp. 

But  I  must  not  weary  you  with  pictures  or  prophecies.  I 


140 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


tiave  indeed  only  transferred  and  adapted  to  Florida  a  very 
common  sight  in  California  and  the  far  west.  Irrigated  colo¬ 
nies  are  there  numerous  and  rapidly  increasing.  We  need 
them  here.  They  will  make  our  state  prosperous.  They  will 
fill  up  the  waste  places.  They  will  give  opportunities  for 
thousands  of  people  to  make  beautiful  homes  for  themselves 
and  their  families.  They  will  lead  to  other  industries  beyond 
what  I  have  so  briefly  sketched,  and  help  on  the  prosperity, 
education  and  happiness  of  our  whole  people.  Such  is  my 
faith  in  irrigation.  I  believe  that  faith  to  be  founded  on  facts, 
sustained  by  cool  reasoning  and  confirmed  by  years  of  careful 
observation  among  the  conditions  here  existing. 


Marketing  Oranges, 


Yerbal  report  by  T.  Hind,  of  Georgetown,  chairman  of  Standing 
Committee  on  Marketing. 

I  have  not  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  either  of  the  other 
two  members  of  this  committee  to  consult  with  them.  I  have 
written  to  each  gentleman,  however,  and  have  received  from 
one  of  them  his  views.  The  season  that  we  have  passed  through 
has  been  the  most  disastrous  one  in  the  history  of  orange 
growing.  The  amount  realized  from  our  crop  this  season  (the 
largest  we  have  ever  had)  has  been  the  smallest  any  of  us  ever 
dreamed  ol  getting,  and  I  believe  there  is  not  one  of  us  here 
to-night  who,  had  he  known  that  after  these  years  of  toil  he 
would  receive  no  more  for  the  product  of  his  labors  than  he 
has  this  year,  would  have  embarked  in  the  business.  The 
year  1893  will  be  remembered  by  all  engaged  in  the  culture 
of  oranges  as  a  year  for  phenomenally  low  prices.  The  chair¬ 
man  of  your  Marketing  Committee  last  year,  Mr.  Bean,  stated 
that  over  50  per  cent,  of  the  crop  of  1892  has  been  sold  in 
the  state  and  he  predicted  the  experience  of  last  year  would 
bring  buyers  into  the  state  for  the  whole  crop  this  year.  This 
prediction  was  not  fulfilled  in  my  section.  Buyers  have  never 
been  so  scarce.  Admitting  that  the  best  plan  would  be  to 
sell  on  the  tree,  experiences  this  year  have  demonstrated  that 


/ 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY.  141 

we  are  partners  in  this  ideal  business.  The  man  who  will  give 
a  fair  price  tor  our  goods  has  come  this  year  in  large  numbers. 
Furthermore,  experience  has  demonstrated  to  us  that  the 
average  grower  would  rather  part  with  his  fruit  to  a  man  one 
thousand  miles  away  than  to  a  man  with  a  certified  check  in 
his  pocket. 

Now,  as  to  the  reasons  assigned  for  this  year’s  disasters: 
One  of  them  is  the  rushing  to  market  of  green  fruit.  Last 
September  the  state  was  flooded  with  circulars  soliciting  con¬ 
signments  of  green  fruit  and  stating  that  they  had  facilities 
for  coloring  it.  Having  located  sixteen  years  ago  north  of  the 
fro'st  line  I  have  selected  lor  planting  only  those  varieties  of 
oranges  that  would  mature  early  and  permit  of  their  being 
marketed  by  December  15,  hence  I  was  interested  enough  in 
the  scheme  advertised  to  go  to  New  York  and  see  for  mvself 
the  kind  of  fruit  they  received.  I  sent  ahead  four  shipments 
of  early  fruit.  Some  of  the  oranges  were  from  seedling  trees 
around  my  house.  On  reaching  New  York  I  called  on  the 
firm  and  found  that  two  of  my  shipments  had  already  been 
sold  and  also  found  their  salerooms  stocked  with  fruit.  They 
refused  to  impart  their  mode  of  coloring.  My  fruit  three  or 
four  days  after  arrival  was  shown  me  well  colored.  The 
oranges  were  not  being  sold  according  to  their  ripeness.  My 
sour  seedling  fruit  netted  as  much  as  my  early  oblongs.  The 
West  India  fruit  is  boxed  and  sold  as  Florida  fruit.  I  saw 
with  my  own  eyes  barrels  of  West  India  fruit  being  trans¬ 
ferred  from  the  barrels  into  boxes  bearing  the  private  marks 
of  some  of  the  gentlemen  here  to-night.  The  orange  season 
is  lengthened  by  early  shipments;  this  is  of  great  advantage 
if  it  can  be  done  successfully.  A  peculiar  circumstance  con¬ 
nected  with  the  shipment  of  green  fruit  was  this:  Compara¬ 
tively  few  of  them  were  of  our  early  varieties  and  very  little 
of  the  fruit  came  from  Duval,  St.  Johns  and  Clay  counties ; 
the  bulk  came  from  Manatee  and  Polk  counties. 

Another  reason  for  low  prices  is  the  shipping  to  irresponsi¬ 
ble  commission  men.  Why  at  this  date,  after  so  much  dis¬ 
cussion,  there  should  be  growers  who  persist  in  sending  their 
goods  to  commission  merchants  who  are  irresponsible,  is  inex¬ 
plicable.  As  I  was  going  along  Bainbridge  street  one  day,  I 
saw  a  lot  of  fruit  along  the  ferry  and  a  heavy  rain  was  pour¬ 
ing  on  the  boxes  and  soaking  them  through.  Whom  the  com¬ 
mission  men  blamed  when  they  sent  their  account  sales  to  the 
growers  I  do  not  know.  There  are  fruit  commission  mer¬ 
chants  who  make  a  specialty  of  Florida  fruits  and  keep  good 
storage  room,  but  so  long  as  we  persist  in  sending  fruit  to  ir¬ 
responsible  men,  low  prices  wiil  inevitably  be  the  result. 
During  the  past  season  shipping  oranges  in  bulk  has  grown  in 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


favor.  Not  having  any  experience  in  shipping  in  this  man¬ 
ner,  I  am  unable  to  say  how  the  venture  turned  out,  but  from 
the  reports  of  several  gentlemen  and  the  conversations  1  have 
had  with  them,  I  think  they  have  been  mainly  successful. 
This  mode  of  shipping,  saving  as  it  does,  the  great  expense  of 
boxes,  paper,  wrapping  and  picking,  is  destined  to  grow  in 
favor  with  the  shippers. 

•  During  the  early  part  of  the  season,  shipments  of  oranges 
to  England  largely  increased  over  other  seasons.  Mr.  Ives, 
the  general  manager  ol  the  Florida  Fruit  Exchange,  informs 
me  that  the  shipments  sent  over  during  the  seasons  1892  and 
1893  netted  shippers  f.  o.  b.  at  their  stations  $1.42  per  box. 
He  also  informed  me  that  no  statistics  have  been  compiled  for 
this  year  yet. 

It  may  perhaps  be  wise  to  call  the  attention  of  the  Society 
to  the  fact  that  there  is  a  movement  being  agitated  in  New 
York  to  control  the  sale  of  fruit  at  auction  by  permitting  none 
but  members  of  the  fruit  exchange  to  bid,  thus  shutting  out 
dealers  and  peddlers.  This  I  think  would  be  a  serious  blow 
to  the  auction  system  of  sales. 

From  the  best  advice  I  have  and  from  consultation  with 
numerous  people  and  by  correspondence  with  growers,  I  feel 
confident  in  asserting  that  the  proceeds,  from  our  oranges  was 
not  above  20  per  cent,  of  what  they  sold  for  the  previous 
season.  When  it  takes  from  60  to  80  per  cent,  of  any  pro¬ 
duct  for  marketing  it,  it  does  seem  to  me  that  a  sensible  and 
reasonable  man  should  seriously  study  the  situation.  It  can 
have  but  one  end  and  that  universal  disaster  to  the  business 
and  distress  and  poverty  to  the  growers.  The  enormous 
amount  charged  for  the  carriage  of  our  fruit  to  market  is  far 
beyond  what  is  charged  for  any  other  commodity  grown  upon 
the  soil.  The  statistics  as  furnished  to  the  Inter-State  Com¬ 
merce  Commission  by  the  managers  of  the  different  railroads 
of  this  country,  show  that  the  average  cost  of  moving  a  ton 
of  freight  is  something  under  six  mills  per  mile.  Now,  if 
each  one  of  you  will  take  and  figure  for  yourself  the  amount 
of  freight  charged  you  to  the  basing  point,  be  it  Jacksonville, 
Gainesville  or  Callahan,  estimating  twenty-five  boxes  to  the 
ton,  you  will  see  that  you  are  paying  from  100  per  cent,  to 
1,000  per  cent,  beyond  the  actual  cost  of  carriage.  That  is 
not  the  worst  feature.  We  all  know  that  water  transpoi  tation 
is  far  cheaper  than  railroad  transportation,  but  if  you  allow 
to  the  coastwise  steamers  engaged  in  this  trade  the  same  rate 
per  mile  that  it  costs  the  railroad  companies  to  carry  a  ton  of 
freight,  you  will  find  that  they  are  exacting  from  you  over 
and  above  the  cost,  of  carriage  25  per  cent,  to  50  per  cent. 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


143 


We  are  confronted  by  this  condition,  that  owing  to  the  close 
business  arrangement  of  the  different  companies  and  the  coast¬ 
wise  steamers  we  can  expect  no  relief  except  it  is  unanimous. 
As  I  understand  it,  they  are  bound  under  a  very  heavy  pen¬ 
alty  not  to  decrease  the  rate.  It  does  seem  to  me  as  chair¬ 
man  of  this  committee  that  it  would  be  wise  on  the  part  of 
this  Association  to  take  every  measure  of  relief  that  is  at 
hand,  no  matter  where  it  comes  from.  We  cannot  afford  to 
wait ;  we  cannot  afford  to  let  any  sentiment  stand  in  the  way. 
It  is  business,  pure  and  simple. 


Transportation., 


No  paper  or  written  report  presented  on  this  topic.  A  synopsis  of  the 
discussion  is  given  below. 

Major  G.  P.  Healy,  Putnam  county,  Chairman  of  the  Stand¬ 
ing  Committee  on  Transportation,  made  a  verbal  report,  re¬ 
counting  the  details  of  the  arrangements  made  for  the  trans¬ 
portation  of  members  to  and  from  the  meeting.  He  did  not 
think  it  the  province  of  the  committee  to  go  into  the  general 
subject  of  the  transportation  of  our  products  to  markets.  As 
a  purely  commercial  question  it  had  no  place  in  the  proceed¬ 
ings  of  the  society.  Now  that  it  had  become  more  or  less  a 
political  question,  it  was  still  less  an  appropriate  question  for 
discussion.  It  was  wholly  foreign  to  the  purpose  for  which 
the  society  had  been  organized  and  carried  on.  It  was  in  vio¬ 
lation  of  its  constitution  and  by  laws.  Whenever  introduced 
it  was  the  cause  of  useless  contention  and  acrimonious  debate. 

He  fully  realized  the  importance  of  the  transportation  ques¬ 
tion;  it  was  a  business  matter  of  vital  importance  to  every 
fruit  grower.  He  did  not  underrate  the  neoessity  of  securing 
an  immediate  remedy  of  existing  evils  in  this  direction.  In 
view  of  the  prevailing  low  prices  of  our  products  in  market, 
the  present  rates  of  freight  were  partially  prohibitive;  the  very 
existence  of  our  industry  depended  upon  speedy  relief.  But 
he  deplored  the  effort  being  made  to  use  this  society  as  a 
means  of  agitating  the  question.  If,  by  sacrificing  the  soci¬ 
ety,  some  practical  benefits  in  the  matter  of  transportation 
10 


144  SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 

could  be  obtained,  he  might  be  willing  to  sacrifice  the  society;. 
But  it  was  manifestly  impossible  to  accomplish  anything  in 
this  direction  through  the  society.  The  attempt  could  only 
result  in  lowering  the  tone  and  standing  of  the  society,  if  in¬ 
deed,  it  did  not  bring  about  actual  disruption.  He  was  in  fa¬ 
vor  of  an  organization  for  the  specific  purpose  01  dealing  with 
this  question,  and  it  was  a  matter  ot  sufficient  magnitude  to 
occupy  its  entire  attention.  Such  an  organization  would  have 
his  hearty  sympathy  and  support,  and  he  believed  that,  if  or¬ 
ganized  upon  a  business  basis,  as  it  should  be  to  deal  with  a 
business  question,  it  could  not  fail  of  accomplishing  the  de¬ 
sired  object.  But  this  was  a  scientific  society,  and  he  must 
protest  against  this  subject  being  brought  before  it. 

Mr.  E.  B.  Carlton,  of  Arcadia,  DeSoto  county,  said  that  he 
could  not  agree  with  the  gentleman  preceding  him.  He  be¬ 
lieved  the  work  of  this  meeting  would  be  in  vain  if  the  mem¬ 
bers  went  home  without  acting  upon  this  particular  question. 
He  was  not  only  a  grower  but  also  a  shipper.  He  had  lost 
money  on  nearly  all  his  shipments  the  past  season,  and  the 
railroad  people  had  the  benefit  of  them.  He  had  put  money 
and  time  into  the  business  for  the  benefit  of  the  commission 
merchants  and  the  railroads.  If  it  must  continue  in  this  way,  he 
thought  the  average  growers  had  better  give  up  the  business. 
Five  years  ago  we  shipped  100,000  boxes  of  oranges  which 
sold  for  high  prices.  To-day  our  crop  amounted  to  5,000,000 
boxes  and  the  prices  were  low.  Yet  we  were  paying  the  same 
lines  the  same  rates  for  transporting  our  product.  Prices  were 
still  going  down,  we  were  losing  money,  and  the  question  is 
what  we  were  going  to  do  about  it.  What  were  we  going  to 
do  with  the  fruit  pioduced?  and  what  was  the  use  of  produc¬ 
ing  fruit  unless  we  get  a  paying  price  for  the  product  ? 

Mr.  Carlton  cited  instance  after  instance  in  which  he  had 
shipped  cars  of  Iruit  which  sold  for  fairly  good  prices,  but 
which,  after  deducting  the  transportation  and  commission 
charges,  left  him  behind  the  cost  of  production. 

He  said  that  California,  with  but  2,000,000  boxes,  had  se¬ 
cured  a  favorable  rate  to  the  northern  markets;  a  better  rate 
to  the  same  markets  than  we  have  with  5,000,000  boxes,  al¬ 
though  we  are  a  thousand  miles  nearer.  California  had  se¬ 
cured  this  by  organization;  we  could  secure  corresponding 
benefits  simply  by  organizing.  We  raised  better  fruit  than 
they  did,  but  we  fell  behind  them  when  it  came  to  marketing 
it.  He  knew  no  other  product  that  was  marketed  with  as  little 
business  sense  as  the  Florida  orange.  It  was  a  useless  waste 
to  put  labor,  experience  and  capital  into  the  orange  business, 
and  to  come  here  for  a  week  at  a  time  to  learn  to  grow  this 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


145 


fruit  all  for  the  benefit  of  the  railroad  corporations  and  the 
•commission  men. 

He  believed  there  was  a  remedy;  that  it  lay  in  organization; 
that  if  the  matter  was  properly  taken  up  the  railroads  would 
meet  the  growers  half  way.  He  did  not  believe,  as  had  been 
suggested  by  some,  that  it  was  necessary  to  go  to  Atlanta  and 
appear  before  the  Tariff  Association.  Only  a  day  before  he 
had  been  assured  by  a  railroad  official  whose  attention  he 
called  to  these  rates,  that  he  would  take  pleasure  in  meeting 
such  an  association  for  the  purpose  of  devising  a  more  equit¬ 
able  rate.  The  members  of  the  society  did  not  seem  willing 
to  invite  the  railroad  representatives  to  discuss  these  matters 
with  them.  What  then  could  be  done.  Will  the  rates  better 
themselves?  The  railroad’s  interests  and  the  fruit  grower’s 
interest  are  mutual.  They  should  go  hand  in  hand.  If  the 
fruit  growers  of' the  state  are  successful,  the  railroads  will  be 
successful  aho,  and  they  are  not  going  to  make  a  rate  and 
maintain  that  rate  if  it  will  retard  the  progress  of  their  traffic. 
The  facts  must  be  put  before  them.  They  must  be  made  to 
understand  them.  If  we  organized,  we  could  do  as  much  as 
California.  If  the  society  did  not  take  the  matter  in  hand,  in 
his  opinion,  this  neglect  of  duty  would  be  a  matter  of  regret 
later  on. 

Mr.  Healy,  Chairman  of  the  Transportation  Committee, 
said  no  grower  was  more  willing  than  he  to  take  a  part  in  an 
association  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  and  applying  a 
remedy  for  these  transportation  evils.  But  “you  might  just 
as  w’ell  apply  for  a  remedy  in  your  transportation  matters,  to 
the  king  of  the  cannibal  islands,  as  to  ask  the  general  freight 
agents  of  the  State  of  Florida  to  meet  you  here.  It  would  be 
a  wretched  far^e.  They  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  making 
of  freight  rates.  If  you  go  to  Atlanta  and  invite  the  South¬ 
ern  Freight  Association  to  meet  you  here,  and  convince  them 
that  the  rates  are  wrong  (your  committee  is  satisfied  that  the 
rates  are  wrong),  or  if  you  appoint  a  committee  to  go  before 
these  people  and  make  their  demands,  I  have  no  doubt  but 
that  they  would  be  entertained,  and  I  believe  that  is  one  way 
to  remedy  the  rate;  and  I  believe  that  something  might  be 
accomplished,  but  these  people  here  in  Florida  are  not  in  it  a 
little  bit.  They  make  a  rate,  and  the  great  big  Pennsylvania 
railroad  dots  an  ui”  and  they  are  smashed  out  of  existence. 
They  are  nowhere.  They  do  not  know  anything  about  it. 
Now,  the  orange  grower  can  remedy  his  rates,  and  these  men 
that  get  up  and  make  a  great  howl  about  the  rate  and  then 
put  their  hands  in  their  pockets  and  contribute  10  per  cent,  of 
th  eir  earnings  to  transport  their  product,  can  have  all  they 
.have  got  to  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Boston  or  Baltimore, 


146 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


London  or  Chicago,  for  50  or  75  per  cent,  cheaper  than  they 
do  now.  Will  they  doit?  Not  a  man.  If  you  opened  a 
subscription  of  stock  to  be  paid  in  cash  that  would  open  a  line 
on  a  highway  on  which  nobody  has  the  right  of  way,  and  on 
which  everybody  has  the  right  of  way,  be  your  own  transpor¬ 
tation  companies,  and  ship  to  New  York,  England  and  the 
east  for  twenty-five  cents,  how  many  would  you  get  to  sub¬ 
scribe,  and  how  much  money  would  you  raise  ?  and  how  many 
would  pay  if  they  agreed  to  ?  I  have  been  at  the  birth  and 
death  of  a  dozen  Florida  orange  growers’  unions,  and  I  re¬ 
joiced  when  they  were  born,  and  went  into  sackcloth  and 
ashes  when  they  died.  Mr.  President,  your  Chairman  of 
Committee  on  Transportation  hopes,  of  all  things,  that  this 
society  will  not  be  brought  into  the  disrepute  of  doing  any¬ 
thing  that  can  have  no  possible  good  ending.” 

Mr.  Thomas  Hind  was  in  favor  of  any  movement  looking  to 
the  reduction  of  freight  rates.  He  thought  it  unjust  that  the 
men  to  whom  millions  of  acres  of  the  best  lands  in  Florida 
had  been  given  as  a  bonus  against  possible  loss  in  operating 
railroads  in  this  new  country,  should  refuse  to  reduce  a  rate 
^o  palpably  unjust.  The  rates  were  fixed  by  the  Southern 
Traffic  Association.  He  did  not  know  how  much  influence 
the  various  roads  included  had  with  this  Association.  He 
would  not  stop  with  subordinates,  but  would  carry  the  matter 
to  the  two  or  three  men  who  controlled  this  Association.  It 
was  a  nice  state  of  affairs  that  we  should  come  here  and  take 
up  day  after  day  in  discussing  the  best  modes  of  raising  the 
finest  fruit  ever  plucked,  and  go  on  making  investments  and 
spending  years  of  toil  simply  to  increase  the  wealth  of  the  rail¬ 
roads  which  leave  us  but  a  third  of  what  our  product  should 
yield  us.  It  might  not  be  possible  to  organize,  there  had  been 
failures  in  that  direction,  but  it  was  certain  we  could  never 
succeed  if  we  did  not  try.  The  only  way  to  bring  the  roads 
to  terms  was  to  insist  that  the  rates  be  reduced,  and  the  only 
way  to  insist  effectively  was  through  organization. 

It  had  been  suggested  that  we  build  ships  of  our  own  to 
carry  our  fruit.  This  should  not  be  necessary.  If  it  were 
not  for  our  national  shipping  laws  preventing  ships  carrying 
foreign  flags  engaging  in  coastwise  commerce,  we  could 
charter  all  the  vessels  we  needed.  He  was  in  favor  of  the 
repeal  of  these  laws.  The  mere  fact  of  their  repeal  would  de¬ 
stroy  the  monopoly  controlling  coastwise  traffic  and  would 
bring  down  the  rates  without  the  chartering  of  a  single  ship. 
Such  a  bill  was  now  before  congress  and  he  urged  upon  the 
Society  the  passage  of  a  solution  favoring  this  bill. 

Mr.  J.  D.  Crews  thought  it  was  time  to  start  the  ball  rolling, 
that  it  should  not  be  allowed  to  stop  until  relief  was  obtained 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


147 


and  until  the  rates,  which  under  present  conditions  amounted 
to  extortion,  should  be  brought  within  reasonable  limits.  He 
went  at  length  into  the  question  of  rates,  citing  numerous  in¬ 
stances  in  support  of  his  position. 

Mr.  John  Darby  said  he  had  listened  to  the  remarks  of  the 
gentlemen,  that  there  was  no  doubt  we  had  the  disease,  but 
he  had  heard  no  good  remedy.  Mr.  Healy  had  made  a  re¬ 
mark  about  going  to  Atlanta.  As  he  (Mr.  Darby)  understood 
the  transportation  business,  all  these  roads  entering  the  state 
of  Florida  have  entered  into  a  combination  or  an  Association 
for  the  purpose  of  protecting  their  own  rates  and  in  doing  so 
they  have  entered  into  an  agreement  that  if  one  roads  cuts  the 
rates  that  road  is  subject  to  a  fine  for  each  offense.  That  As¬ 
sociation  is  in  Atlanta  or  has  its  headquarters  there,  and  a 
request  for  lower  rates  forwarded  to  a  general  freight  agent 
in  the  state  of  Florida  would  enable  that  agent  to  give  a  con¬ 
cession  on  rates  to  the  state  line,  but  he  would  be  powerless 
to  give  you  rates  outside  of  his  state.  He  had  made  some 
very  careful  inquiries  into  the  question  of  rates  and  their 
abuse;  the  transportation  companies  were  as  much  interested 
as  we  were ;  for  this  reason,  if  they  impoverish  the  orange 
industry  they  will  certainly  reduce  the  amount  of  freight  they 
get.  The  rate  on  oranges  from  Jacksonville  to  Chicago  is 
60  cents  per  box  of  eighty  pounds,  in  carload  lots  only ;  on 
apples  from  Chicago  to  Florida  the  rate  is  40  cents  per  100 
pounds.  On  fresh  meats,  which  is  a  perishable  freight,  the  rate  is 
4  3  cents  from  Chicago  to  Florida.  On  100  pounds  of  meat  the 
railroad  companies  assume  a  liability  of  $16.  On  eighty  pounds 
of  orangesthey  assume  a  liability’of  $1.  There  was  injustice  there. 
From  Jacksonville  to  the  Ohio  river,  863  miles,  the  proportion 
is  46  cents;  north  of  the  Ohio  river,  a  distance  of  300  miles 
to  Chicago,  it  is  14  cents.  The  average  price  on  oranges  in 
the  state  of  Florida  on  an  average  haul  of  200  miles  is  18 
cents.  Now,  we  have  not  only  to  contend  with  the  railroads 
in  Florida,  but  we  have  to  contend  with  their  connections. 
He  was  not  putting  n  a  defence  of  railroads  and  he  would 
like  very  much  to  advocate  the  popular  side,  but  the  railroad 
companies  were  in  this  position  in  this  state.  They  could  not 
ask  the  railroads  outside  of  this  state  to  reduce  their  propor¬ 
tion,  for  when  they  did,  the  outside  railroads  would  say,  “why 
do  you  not  reduce  yours  ?”  and  if  they  did  reduce,  the  proba¬ 
bilities  are  the  reduction  would  be  covered  by  an  increase  by 
some  of  the  intermediate  lines.  So  he  thought  Mr.  Healy 
very  nearly  right  in  his  suggestion  that  we  go  before  the 
commissioner  in  Atlanta.  The  orange  industry  has  got  into  a 
position  where  the  transportation  companies  realized  that  it 
was  impossible  for  it  to  go  on  much  longer  without  conces- 


148 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


sions  in  rates,  and  furthermore,  a  concession  in  rates  would 
enable  the  orange  growers  to  produce  that  much  more  fruit. 
The  matter  should  be  taken  up  in  the  best  manner.  We 
should  pursue  a  course  of  policy  before  endeavoring  to  an¬ 
tagonize  and  see  if  we  could  not  get  a  concession  in  that  way. 
He  would  go  into  a  company  formed  for  the  purpose  of  build¬ 
ing  a  transportation  line.  He  would  contribute  his  mite  and 
would  take  all  interest  in  the  project,  but  could  it  be  made  a 
success?  Could  it  be  done?  And  it  we  failed  after  antago¬ 
nizing  the  railroads,  we  would  be  powerless.  What  we  wanted 
was  a  lower  transportation  rate  on  the  next  crop  of  oranges 
and  to  get  direct  benefit  instead  of  indirect  benefit.  He  would 
favor  as  a  resolution  that  this  Society  appoint  a  committee  of 
two  or  more  with  the  request  that  the  board  of  trade  of  Jack¬ 
sonville  appoint  a  similar  committee  and  also  the  Orange 
Growers’  Association  to  be  formed,  to  wait  on  this  Traffic  As¬ 
sociation  in  Atlanta,  present  the  facts  before  them  and  see  if 
we  could  not  get  a  concession.  The  railroads  outside  the 
state  of  Florida  participate  in  the  benefits  of  our  crop  to  the 
extent  of  millions  of  dollars  a  year  and  they  make  that  in  two 
months.  As  a  result  of  the  last  orange  crop  the  grower  was 
unable  to  pay  for  the  fertilizers  he  needed,  in  the  absence  of 
fertilizer  there  would  be  a  short  crop  and  unless  they  aid  us 
they  will  destroy  an  industry  out  of  which  they  get  millions 
of  dollars 

Mr.  Hind  said  that  all  the  transportation  companies  in¬ 
terested  in  carrying  fruit  from  Florida  had  formed  an  organi¬ 
zation,  a  “combine in  other  words,  they  had  formed  exactly 
what  we  ought  to  try  and  form.  They  were  in  a  certain 
business;  they  got  together  to  adjust  their  affairs  and  we 
should  do  the  same  thing. 

Mr.  Healy  wanted  to  know  if  we  could  get  these  rates  by 
fighting.  This  fight  had  been  going  on  for  years,  but  he  had 
not  seen  any  better  rates  yet.  If  anyone  had  a  formula  or 
plan  for  getting  rid  of  the  trouble,  he  would  be  glad  to 
bear  it. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Mann  wanted  to  know  what  all  this  amounted 
to.  The  railroads  were  not  to  blame ;  if  we  were  fools  enough 
to  pay  their  tariff,  let  them  have  it.  Why  did  we  not  go  to 
work  ourselves  and  organize  and  send  a  committee  to  the 
railroads  and  say  that  if  the  rates  were  not  adjusted  we  would 
go  to  other  lines. 

S.  S.  Harvey — I  have  lived  in  California.  There  they  or¬ 
ganize  and  are  not  afraid  to  put  their  hands  into  their  pockets 
to  do  it.  The  only  remedy  was  to  organize,  and  if  it  was 
necessary  to  build  a  steamer  to  carry  your  fruit,  to  build  it. 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


149 


No  talk  was  going  to  do  any  good.  He  had  been  fighting 
railroads  for  twenty  years.  Until  we  could  keep  together  and 
go  to  the  railroads  with  a  firm  demand,  we  could  get  nothing 
from  them.  Until  we  organized  it  was  no  use  to  keep  talking. 
We  must  put  our  shoulders  to  the  wheel. 

O.  P.  Rooks  thought  this  was  a  subject  in  which  we  were 
very  much  interested,  and  as  we  had  with  us  two  gentle¬ 
men  who  had  given  a  great  deal  of  practical  thought  to 
the  question,  these  problems  having  been  before  them  and 
they  having  prepared  a  paper  that  they  hoped  to  be  able  to 
present  to  the  Society  and,  as  some  plan  had  been  asked  for, 
lie  hoped  to  hear  their  paper  read. 

C.  F.  A.  Bielby  disliked  to  antagonize  Mr.  Rooks,  but  was 
it  right  and  proper  for  gentlemen  who  had  some  scheme  or 
other  on  hand  to  come  before  the  State  Horticultural  Society 
asking  to  lay  before  this  Society  that  scheme?  He  thought 
this  outside  our  province.  If  we  allow  one  gentleman  or  two 
gentlemen  to  come  in  here  and  read  us  a  paper  which  they 
have  prepared  on  the  organization  of  the  state  and  upon  the 
methods  they  think  good,  and  make  a  Jubilee  day  come  for 
him  or  them,  we  were  bound  to  throw  ourselves  open  to 
everything  else  and  heretofore  we  had  guarded  this  Society 
against  being  made  a  place  lor  the  originators  of  transporta¬ 
tion  ideas  to  come  and  orate  upon  their  plans  and  spread 
them,  through  us,  to  the  world.  We  were  purely  a  scientific 
body  and  he  believed  the  judgment  of  nine-tenths  of  all  the 
old  members  of  the  Society  to  be  against  such  a  course.  He 
protested  against  it.  “When  we  admit  the  reading  of  such 
papers  before  the  Society,  the  day  of  its  dissolution  begins.  I 
believe  it  to  be  right  and  reasonable  that  we  should  calmly 
discuss  every  situation  which  makes  progress  towards  our 
elevation  and  success.  If  any  man  has  a  plan  fully  perfected 
which  has  been  published  broadcast  to  the  world  and  he 
comes  here  and  properly  discusses  it,  I  do  not  object  to  it, 
but  this  is  not  the  proper  place  to  boom  new  ideas.  I  do  not 
believe  it  is  right  tor  us  to  appoint  committees  to  go  to  At¬ 
lanta  and  meet  committees  on  transportation  matters.  I  do 
not  believe  we  have  any  right  to  petition  congress  for  a  tariff 
to  be  put  on  or  taken  off  anything.  The  purpose  of  our  meet¬ 
ings  is  to  interchange  ideas  that  we  have  formed  during  the 
work  of  the  year  and  everything  that  could  be  said  for  our 
mutual  benefit  and  interest  in  the  raising  of  fruit.  If  it  is  to 
be  a  question  of  one  phase  and  the  other  phase  of  agitation, 
then  I  say  that  the  Society  will  appear  to  the  world  as  a 
political  body  and  will  be  taking  a  step  towards  its  dis¬ 
ruption. 


150 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


Mr.  Lyman  Phelps  protested  against  this  matter  coming  be¬ 
fore  the  society. 

Mr.  Rooks  thought  it  a  proper  subject  for  the  society’s  con¬ 
sideration.  He  also  thought  it  perfectly  right  and  proper  for 
the  society  to  petition  congress  for  the  passage  of  the  bill  re¬ 
ferred  to,  which  would  solve  the  problem  of  water  transpor¬ 
tation,  and  he  introduced  a  resolution  having  this  object. 

Mr.  Bielby  was  aware  that  some  members  were  agreed  as  to 
the  good  policy  of  the  passage  of  this  bill,  and  he  suggested 
that  they  form  an  organization  while  here,  for  the  purpose  of 
petitioning  for  its  passage.  Bat  he  objected  to  having  politi¬ 
cal  subjects  coming  before  the  society  and  becoming  part  of 
its  minutes.  He  did  not  object  to  a  petition  of  this  character 
being  made  by  an  organized  body  and  authorized  party.  He 
did  not  object  to  their  asking  our  representatives  to  work  for 
such  a  bill.  But  it  was  by  no  means  the  unanimous  wish  that 
the  society  take  such  action;  it  was  a  political  matter,  and  he 
objected  to  this  society  being  captured  to  be  used  for  political 
purposes. 

Mr.  Hind  asked  why,  if  railroad  matters  should  not  be  men¬ 
tioned  here,  the  society  had  a  Standing  Committee  on  Trans¬ 
portation. 

Mr.  Bielby  replied  that  we  had  a  Committee  on  Transporta¬ 
tion  for  the  purpose  upon  which  the  chairman  had  made  his 
report.  There  was  also  a  wide  range  of  subjects  that  prop¬ 
erly  came  within  the  scope  of  such  a  committee  without  touch¬ 
ing  the  question  of  rates.  In  view  of  the  lines  upon  which 
this  question  of  rates  was  being  agitated,  it  approached  very 
closely  to  politics  and  led  almost  unavoidably  to  political  dis¬ 
cussion,  as  was  patent  to  all  after  what  had  been  said.  And, 
aside  from  this,  it  was  purely  a  business  matter,  and  as  such, 
had  no  place  in  our  discussions.  It  was  a  very  proper  subject 
for  the  action  af  an  association  organized  for  such  purposes, 
but  was  out  of  place  in  a  scientific  body  like  this  society.  He 
did  not  so  much  object  to  the  calm  discussion  of  the  transpor¬ 
tation  question,  but  when  it  was  proposed  to  petition  congress 
to  do  something  purely  political,  he  did  object,  and  insisted 
that  the  resolution  was  out  of  order. 

After  considerable  further  discussion  of  the  subject,  Mr.  C. 
A.  Bacon  said:  What  we  want  is  individual  action.  We  have 
heard  the  remarks  of  Mr.  Healy,  that  it  is  oi  no  use  to  go  to 
the  transportation  companies  here  in  the  state;  he  is  not  pos¬ 
itive  that  it  would  be  of  any  use  to  go  to  Atlanta.  We  have 
heard  the  report  of  the  gentlemen  of  their  receipts  obtained 
for  oranges;  we  have  all  had  such  receipts  for  our  oaanges, 
and  I  must  say  that  several  times  this  season  I  have  been 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


151 


ashamed  of  myself,  that  I  should  work  twelve  months,  pack 
my  oranges  as  nicely  as  I  could,  box  them,  ship  them  to  New 
York,  and  have  returns  come  back  that  yielded  not  enough  to 
pay  my  hired  help.  I  would  like  to  ask  a  question  as  to  a 
matter  I  am  not  thoroughly  posted  on.  I  simply  wish  to  put 
the  question;  the  members  might  say  yes  or  no,  to  save  time. 
Do  they  really  believe  there  has  been  money  enough  received 
back  from  the  north  to  pay  for  all  the  expenses  of  the  crop  of 
oranges  this  year? 

Cries  of  No!  No! 

Now  gentlemen,  as  to  this  question  of  transportation:  It 
has  been  clearly  shown  here  that  there  is  no  use  to  resolve  and 
resolute  on  the  question.  Resolutions  do  not  amount  to  a  row 
of  pins;  applications  to  railroad  companies  do  not  amount  to 
a  row  of  pins.  Now,  how  are  you  going  to  bring  the  trans¬ 
portation  companies  to  terms  ?  We  have  been  working  along 
the  lines  suggested  for  years.  We  have  not  made  one  step  in 
advance.  If  our  returns  have  been  insufficient  to  pay  us  for 
raising  the  last  crop,  and  this  seems  clear,  what  is  the  use  of 
shipping  the  next  crop  ?  Let  us  stop  right  here  and  go  into 
no  more  expenses  for  the  next  year’s  crop,  and  if  we  do  this, 
will  not  the  railroads  come  to  us  and  ask  us  to  ship  our  or¬ 
anges,  and  will  they  not  give  us  a  rate  at  which  we  can  afford 
to  ship  ? 


Place  of  Next  Meeting— Jacksonville  Selected. 


G.  H.  Wright,  of  Chuluota — I  move  the  place  of  next  meet¬ 
ing  be  taken  up. 

Carried. 

The  President — The  question  of  location  of  next  meeting 
is  before  the  society.  Have  any  communications  been  re¬ 
ceived  upon  the  subject? 


152 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


The  Secretary — The  following  has  been  received.  (Reads.) 

Rooms  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  ) 
Jacksonville,  Florida,  April  11,  1894.  i 

Dudley  W.  Adams,  President  Florida  State  Horticultural 
Society . 

Dear  Sir:  The  Jacksonville  Board  of  Trade  extends  a  cor¬ 
dial  invitation  to  your  organization  to  hold  its  next  annual 
meeting  in  this  city,  and  profers  the  use  of  its  rooms  for  its 
sessions.  Respectfully, 

Chas.  H.  Smith,  Secretary. 

A  member — I  move  that  the  invitation  be  accepted. 

The  President — The  subject  before  the  society  is  deter¬ 
mining  the  location  of  next  meeting.  You  have  heard  the  in¬ 
vitation  from  the  Jacksonville  Board  of  Trade.  It  is  moved 
that  the  invitation  be  accepted. 

A.  G.  Avery  (of  Orlando) — I  suggest  as  an  amendment 
that  we  meet  in  Orlanno  next  year. 

A  member — I  think  we  should  accept  the  invitation  of  the 
Jacksonville  Board  of  Trade  for  the  reason  that  there  are  ho¬ 
tel  accommodations  in  Jacksonville  for  all  who  may  want  to 
come.  The  hotels  of  Orlando  will  uot  comfortably  accommo¬ 
date  this  body  at  this  season  of  the  year. 

W.  A.  Cooper  (ot  Orlando) — We  can  accommodate  at  Or¬ 
lando  three  times  as  many  as  are  in  attendance  here.  I  think 
that  it  is  due  to  that  portion  of  the  state  that  the  meeting  be 
held  there.  We  will  take  good  care  of  you.  I  hope  the  so¬ 
ciety  will  decide  to  convene  next  year  at  Orlando. 

S.  S.  Harvey  (of  Molino,  Escambia  county,) — I  trust  this 
motion  to  amend  will  not  prevail.  1  hope  we  have  about  set¬ 
tled  down  in  Jacksonville  [applause].  I  have  this  hope  because 
I  am  in  the  extreme  western  part  ot  the  state.  I  am  nearly 
400  miles  west  of  this  place,  yet  I  can  get  here  in  a  day.  It 
would  take  me  two  days  to  reach  Orlando.  It  will  be  very 
difficult  for  the  people  of  West  Florida  to  retain  their  active 
interest  in  this  society  if  they  must  make  a  two  or  three  day’s 
journey  into  southeastern  Florida  to  reach  its  meetings.  It 
seems  to  me  it  is  advisable  to  stay  in  the  center  where  all  can 
reach  the  meetings.  I  have  attended  meetings  of  this  society 
and  like  conventions  all  over  the  state  of  Florida,  and  I  never 
had  any  comfort  in  attending  assemblies  of  this  kind  in  any 
small  town.  The  large  hotels  in  the  small  places  are  closed 
at  the  season  when  our  meetings  are  held.  Some  like  to  go  to 
the  large  hotels,  others  do  not;  in  a  city  of  this  size  all  can  be 
.accommodated.  The  city  does  not  feel  a  crowd.  Here  in  Jack- 


FLORIDA  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY.  153". 

sonville  you  meet  all  the  business  men  in  the  state  with  whom, 
you  have  dealings.  It  is  more  easy  of’ access  than  any  other 
place  in  Florida.  The  next  meeting  should  be  held  in  Jack¬ 
sonville. 

Mr.  Avery — I  think  the  gentleman  is  slightly  mistaken  in 
regard  to  Orlando’s  ability  to  take  good  care  of  the  society.  I 
feel  that  we  have  a  claim  upon  you  for  Orlando.  If  it  is  not  ad-- 
visable  to  hold  the  next  meeting  there,  and  we  hope  it  will  be 
advisable  to  do  so,  then  we  shall  expect  you  at  some  future 
time. 

A.  H.  Cary  (of  Orlando) — I  wish  to  state  one  thing  in  ref¬ 
erence  to  Orlando:  We  have  any  amount  of  accommodations 
there,  and  we  can  increase  our  capacity  if  necessary.  But 
there  may  be  other  reasons  why  Jacksonville  would  be  the 
best  meeting  place. 

The  President — The  question  is  on  the  amendment  substi¬ 
tuting  Orlando  for  Jacksonville. 

Amendment  lost. 

The  motion  is  to  meet  in  Jacksonville  next  year  in  response., 
to  the  invitation  of  the  Board  of  Trade. 

Carried. 

The  next  meeting  will  be  held  in  Jacksonville. 


Resolutions  of  Thanks. 


Whereas ,  The  Hon.  L.  B.  Wombwell  generously  came  to- 
the  aid  of  this  society  and  printed  aud  published  the  Journal 
of  the  last  session  without  charge,  issuing  it  first  in  bulletin, 
and  afterward  in  book  form,  thus  insuring  for  it  a  wide  cir¬ 
culation,  thererore, 

Be  it  resolved ,  That  the  cordial  thanks  of  this  society  are 
tendered  Mr.  Wombwell,  aud  an  assurance  of  deep  apprecia¬ 
tion  of  his  graceful  act  of  assistance.  And, 

Be  it  further  resolved ,  That  the  secretary  of  this  society  be 


154 


SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


instructed  to  send  a  copy  of  this  preamble  and  resolution  to 
Mr.  Womb  well. 

Be  it  resolved ,  That  the  thanks  of  this  association  are  due,, 
and  are  hereby  tendered  to  the  Board  of  Trade  of  the  city  of 
Jacksonville  for  the  use  of  their  rooms,  and  for  the  many 
courtesies  extended.  And  that  the  secretary  is  instructed  to 
make  this  expression  by  an  appropriate  letter. 

Be  it  resolved ,  That  the  general  passenger  agents  of  the 
railroads  of  Florida  have  extended  to  them  through  the  secre¬ 
tary,  an  expression  of  appreciation  and  thanks  for  the  low 
rate  charged  the  members  of  the  society  in  attendance  at  this^ 
meeting. 


,  L 


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