E. H. Talton, DeLand. important a subject. Not only is the. is a small word, rather an insignificant. I hardly know where to begin on so

Transcription

1 Citrus Fruit Quality E. H. Talton, DeLand I hardly know where to begin on so important a subject. Not only is the word quality important to the citrus grower, but it reaches out and into all the important channels of industry. This is a small word, rather an insignificant one in a way, but a vital one, or it should be to every citrus grower. Especially is this true since the State's output of citrus fruit is greatly on the increase, and the consumer is becoming more and better informed every day as to the dif-1 ference between a poor orange and a good one. There are within the State approxi mately sixty thousand citrus growing properties, representing about fifteen or more million citrus grove trees, cover ing more than two hundred thousand acres. Adding to this about forty-eight million nursery trees, we can readily see then why the subject of quality should be such an important one to a citrus grower. While what I have to say will apply in a large measure to all the citrus fruit family, I wish to confine my remarks largely to the orange. Then I will ask, "What is a good orange?" I answer, first, ripe orange. Second, one of the right vari ety, picked in season and having sugar and acid blended in such a way as to be the most pleasing to the largest number of people, or in other words the con sumer. Someone asks how can such a flavor be obtained? I will answer this by dividing my discussion into two parts, namely man and the weather, or what man may do towards producing such a flavor in an orange, and what the weath er may do in a way to VARIETIES upset man's plans. First, I will take up man's part. I give variety first place. Plant the best. Do not have too many varieties, as there are only a very few varieties of real merit. If possible, plant a variety hav ing quality, appearance and resistance to decay combined. Who of us does not like a luscious pineapple orange in season? They almost make us forget about the numerous seeds they contain. But, to be sure, there are other good oranges. We are puzzled though, many times, to find decided variations in some of our best varieties. Some smooth and some rough on the same tree. Hence in mak ing our choice of varieties, it behooves us to select the ones having the greatest number of desirable points. I will say that I believe that a conglomeration of varieties is one of the greatest mistakes our growers have ever made. 128

2 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 129 FERTILIZER I give second place to fertilizer. We must agree with our friends, the fertili zer dealers, that fertilizer is of very great importance as relates to* both qual ity and quantity. To my mind the ap plication of fertilizer is a matter requir ing both experience and sound judg ment, if we would secure the best resuits. A tree should have plenty but not too much. I would say give the tree the proper amount of food derived from the proper source, carrying the proper analysis, applied at the proper time in a proper way, having regard to whether or not the tree or grove is a fruiter or non-fruiter. As to the source of plant food, that I would say depends largely on the soil. Some soils requir ing an organic and others an inorganic source of plant food, depending alto gether on the amount or lack of humus in the soil. Especially would this be true of the nitrogen content of the soil or fertilizer. A heayy application of fer tilizer just before and extending into the maturing season, I believe retards ripen ing and anything that retards ripening, tends to lower quality: Especially, I think would this be true in a fertilizer running high in nitrogen and the weath er unusually wet at the time ^nd contin uing so after application. If there is any difference, I am strongly of the opin ion that an organic source of plant food will produce a higher quality. BUDDING STOCK We are not going to dwell at any length here. Because there are those of various opinions as to the influence of the stock on the quality of the fruit. There are "lemonites," and "sourites," but I will say this, I have never yet heard a citrus grower of experience accuse the sour stock of producing a low quality fruit, or with the fruit not holding well on the trees, or with being short lived. INSECTS We all know that we cannot expect good quality fruit following a heavy in festation of the whitefly. We also know of the insipid taste and unsightly appear ance they leave by their ravages. If our friends the fungi fail us at a time like this, then I say spray. If we expect fan cy fruit and fancy fruit usually means better fruit, then we must swat the rust mite. He is a little fellow, but spells trouble. Experience, plenty of vigilance and a good magnifying glass are the best aids in determining when to spray for these little pests. WEATHER That over which man has no control is the weather. I regard this as being either for or against fruit quality. An abnormally wet fall and winter will give us a lower grade fruit than a moderately dry season. My reasons,for stating this are that the trees take up more fertilizer in a given time than they need, and the trees are pumping a surplus of water to the fruit, thereby resulting in a more in sipid and spongy fruit. I do not say, however, that such fruit will not im prove in quality and flavor if left on the trees during a dryer season later on. It 11

3 130 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY almost makes us hungry to mention a ripe, juicy, Florida Favorite water melon. We all know that we get the best ones in a moderately dry season. If this is true, why then should it not be so with the orange. It is a well known motto of one of our leading hardware mana- facturing concerns, that the "Recollec tion of quality remains long after the price is forgotten." Why not let the citrus growers of Florida adopt and live up to a similar motto, as follows: 'The recollection of quality remains long after the orange is eaten." Skinner: We would like to hear from J. H. Sadler of Oakland on Qual ity in Citrus Fruits. Sadler: In this great land of flowers and sunshine it is a pleasure to appear before this body. It makes a man like me feel like thirty cents. I rather think the President has something against you and wants to punish you. It is certainly embarrassing to appear before such men as we know are here. We know that when Uncle S^m puts his men to work on something, it means something. I believe that fifty per cent of the things that are done in Florida absolutely is ef fort thrown away because they are done merely on a notion. A great many do spraying because they have nothing else to do. I believe that there is a better con dition coming. I think people are learn ing and are going to learn to ask the other fellow, and whenever we do thai we have made a long stride towards solving the quality question. I believe soil conditions have a great deal to do with the making of quality in citrus fruits. Some soils grow better quality fruit than others. I am not tell ing you where they are. I will tell you, however, that I do not have that kind of land. About spraying, just ask Mr. Yothers and Mr, Winston and they will tell you when to spray and with what to spray. If we can get Uncle Sam to figure out a way to destroy the fungus troubles we would have ninety-five per cent of good fruit. One thing I am going to say. I think if we could gather up all the spray guns that are in use and throw them in a hole and then get the Legislature to pass a bill forbidding us to use any more spray guns, we would have reached another mile post in quality fruit. I am surprised that people will use those things on bud ded trees. On seedling trees it is excus able and all right. It is certainly a waste of effort to work in budded trees with them. There is another thing that I believe it would be well for these minds to work out. I refer to the varieties being orig inated. There certainly ought to be very close scrutiny before they receive appro val. We have too many varieties now. Quality should be the first point in that connection. I thank you, ladies and gen tlemen. Skinner: The next number on the program is "Citrus Fruit Quality as Re lated to Stocks," by John F. May of Winter Haven. This is quite an inter esting subject and Mr. May is not here.

4 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 131 Is there any one in the audience that wishes to say something? Member: Let's hear from the Pres ident? Skinner: I have been greatly inter ested in the question of citrus fruit qual ity as related to stocks. Any man that has high land and ridge land is bound to be interested in it. Especially, after a season like the one we have just passed. This season has been a growing season almost the entire year. The rough lem on stock has not known when to quit glowing. I have on my place some Valencias; some are 64's and some 8o's. What am I to do with them? They are green at the stem end and are too large to sell. I believe if we can find a substi tute for the rough lemon stock we ought to have it. It should be something that will do well in high pine land. There are no arguments against sour stock and grapefruit root if the land is suitable to it. The pineapple orange that has the velvety skin does well on either of these stocks but does not do well on rough lemon stock. It has a tendency to over-bear on rough lemon stock. There is something wrong. My attention was called to anew stock by a new comer. Mr. Bouis, whom you met last year, came to me and asked me a lot of questions. I said, let's have lunch together and I will answer what I can. During the course of the meal he said, "I am very much gratified at the treatment accorded me, and I am going to tell you something that will be of vital interest to you," and he told me about the Cleopatra mandarin as a stock. This point was brought up at the last meet ing of this Society and Mr. E. N. Reasoner was asked a great many questions. Mr. Reasoner told me this year he ex pects never to use rough lemon stock again but to use Cleopatra stock instead. I took the trouble to go down to Mr. Reasoner's country to investigate this stock. Without any exception, trees budded on it looked especially thrifty in comparison to other trees nearby. The fruit had a finer flavor and the tree showed no dead wood in them at all. The tree was thrifty all the way through, and full of foliage. On the rough lemon stock, the limbs die out a great deal. On the Cleopatra the inside of the tree is filled with green foliage and healthy twigs. I asked one of the owners of property there what he thought of it and he said if he had all his trees on Cleopatra root he would be rich. I am convinced that tangerines on Cleopatra root are going to save the day for the,people on the high pine lands. I am hopeful that the Cleo patra stock will also prove to be a fine root for pineapple oranges but that has yet to be proven. I personally do not feel it to be a mistake to plant any cit rus fruits on the Cleopatra root, judging from what I saw at Oneco and other places. Mr. T. Ralph Robinson was with me on those trips and he will prob ably tell us what he knows about it. Robinson: I think Mr. Skinner has covered the ground thoroughly. One quality in the stock that appealed to me has not been mentioned. From the stand point of the nursery, it has a distinct ad vantage in being immune to Citrus Scab.

5 132 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY The Cleopatra stands up without a sin gle leaf curl. This is undoubtedly a good thing for the nurseries. It has al ready been well demonstrated as a stock for the tangerine. We will have to see the trees of other varieties to say what it will do for these. As to hardiness I believe it is all that the sour orange is in that respect I know of one case where a grove was planted before the big freeze in Dancy and Clopatra and at the time of the big freeze in this grove all the Dancy trees froze but the. Cleopatras stood well and are still living. That speaks well for it. But I would not rec ommend the fruit of the Cleopatra as a commercial fruit. It is a high colored fruit and full of juice. I will say that the land at Oneco is neither high nof low, more like the low sand hills.