John Webster, age 10, of Ottawa, Ontario, for his question:
How do oranges grow?
The good‑looking orange trey; is a semitropical evergreen. It could not survive the long Canadian winters so there are no orange groves around Ottawa. But if you travel far south, down the continent, you will find orange groves aplenty. In fact, about half the world's orange crop is grown in North America. The golden citrus fruit flourishes in Florida, Louisiana, parts of Texas and Arizona and they thrive in the golden state of California.
The leaves of the orange tree are dark and glossy. The tree is a grafting and a pampered darling for the first few years of its life. The stock plant is grown from the seed of a strong, sturdy citrus. When about two years old, this little, tree is cut down and grafted with a twig from a citrus known to be a fruit bearer. The stock grows the root system and the grafting grows the trunk and branches of a single tree.
The young tree is planted, along with many relatives, in an orange grove. There are 80 to 110 of them to an acre. For the first few years, a thrifty farmer may plant beans, melons, tomatoes or other crops between his growing orange trees. The young trues do not produce a crop of golden fruit until they are about three years old. The trees may grow 30 feet high and live for more than 100 years. The older they get, the better and more plentiful is their fruit.
Though it is an evergreen, the orange tree has a resting season. For about three months during the winter season, no new growth occurs, At this time, it seems, the warmth‑loving tree enjoys a few chilly nights, a little below freezing. However, frost during the growing season destroys twigs, blossoms and fruit.
The orange blossom is famous for its waxy white flower with a heady fragrance. It fades and becomes a small green berry, is the berry grows more blossoms occur more blossoms occur. 'it the height of the growing season, the lush leafy trees bear both blossoms and ripe golden oranges.
Ripe oranges may stay safely on the trees for six months., but they are usually picked as soon as they are ready. California, for instance, has laws to see that the fruit is not picked before it is properly ripe. For, unlike many fruits, oranges do not go on ripening after they are gathered.
Before the packing, the fruit is carefully washed and dried and sometimes disinfected and waxed. Most Florida oranges are a rusty yellow color and may be dyed orange. Ripe oranges with a greenish tinge are turned golden with a dose of ethylene gas. The choice fruit may be individually wrapped in tissue paper.
Much of the crop goes into frozen concentrated juice, a fairly new process which preserves all the vitamins and vital goodness of the fresh orange. Some is canned and some made into marmalade. The by‑products of the orange crop are candied peel, citric acid, cattle feed and perfume oils which a re squeezed from the skins.