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ARM AND Q anch B ulletin Vol. 16, No. 4 April 15, 1961 TRENDS IN CITRU S FRUIT PR O D U C T IO N Production of citrus fruits in the United From 1935-36 to 1944-45, California led in States nearly tripled from the 1935-36 season the output of oranges. Since the latter season, to the 1956-57 season, rising from about 3 however, California production has declined, million tons to a high of 8.3 million tons. Al mainly because of the removal of orange groves though outturn has been reduced by unfavor to make way for urban and industrial expan able weather in recent years, citrus fruit sion, airfields, highways, and the like. production totaled 8 million tons in 1959-60 Orange production in Florida trended and is expected to reach new highs in the 1960’s, sharply upward from 1935-36 to 1953-54 but according to the A gricultural M arketing has not changed substantially since. Outturn in Service. Florida surpassed that in California in 1945-46 The Southwest accounted for about 7 percent and, in recent years, has been about two to three of the 1959-60 national output of citrus fruits. times the California figure. Among southwestern states, Texas was the lead The 1959-60 orange crop in the United States ing producer, accounting for more than one-half amounted to about 127 million boxes — the of the region’s output; Arizona, with about 40 equivalent of 5.5 million tons. Of this tonnage, percent of the outturn, ranked second. Grape Florida produced 75 percent; California, 22 fruit comprised about four-fifths of the total percent; and Texas, Arizona, and Louisiana citrus fruit production in the Southwest. combined, 3 percent. Between 1935 and 1960, national production In Florida — the leading grapefruit-pro of the more important citrus fruits — oranges, ducing state — output of grapefruit trended grapefruit, lemons, tangerines, tangelos, and upward from 1935-36 to 1953-54 and then limes — trended upward, with most of the gains tended to decline. The reductions in recent occurring in the first half of the period. years were due partly to the freeze of 1957-58. Oranges, the leader in volume of citrus fruits In Texas, which ranks second in grapefruit pro produced, have shown the sharpest advances. duction, output trended upward until the freezes Production of grapefruit, which ranks second of 1948-49 and 1950-51 and then declined in volume, also increased sharply until the late abruptly. Production has increased slowly since 1940’s. Subsequently, outturn declined ab 1951-52 as newly planted trees have started to ruptly to the level of the early 1940’s as a result bear. of freeze damage to fruit and trees in Texas. The 1959-60 grapefruit crop in the Nation Since 1935, national output of lemons and tangerines has more than doubled, with most totaled about 42 million boxes, or 1.6 million of the increases occurring in the first half of tons. Proportionate production of this crop, by state, was as follows: Florida, 75 percent; the period. F E D E R A L R E S E R V E DALLAS B A N K T E XAS OF D A L L A S Texas, 13 percent; and Arizona and California combined, 12 percent. According to the A gricultural M arketing Service, a striking feature of the citrus industry of this country during the past quarter century was the strong upward trend in the use of citrus in processed form, such as concentrated juices and fruit segments. About 57 percent of the total citrus crop was processed in 1959-60, contrasted with only 9 percent in 1935-36. Processing accounted for the following propor tions of the N ation’s 1959-60 citrus crops: Oranges, 64 percent; grapefruit, 42 percent; lemons, 48 percent; tangerines, 19 percent; tangelos, 16 percent; and limes, 38 percent. The increased use of citrus for processing since 1935-36 has been accompanied by larger packs of various types of citrus products and a rising trend in per capita consumption of processed citrus. Per capita consumption of fresh citrus increased until 1944-45 and sub sequently has declined. In 1960, per capita consumption of processed citrus was about 53 pounds (fresh equivalent basis), and that of fresh citrus was about 34 pounds. I960 Texas Cotton Crop Sharply Reduced by Diseases Plant diseases caused an estimated $156 million reduction in the 1960 Texas cotton crop, according to Harlan Smith, Extension Plant Pathologist with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. An estimated 1,116,000 bales of cotton never reached the market be cause of these diseases. In addition to the loss to producers, busi nesses related to the cotton industry were also adversely affected. Diseases were a major fac tor in reducing grades and lowering yields. In 1960 the major cotton diseases and the estimated losses caused by each were: Bacterial blight, 5.64 percent; root rot, 5.22 percent; seedling disease, 2.68 percent; Pseudomonas wilt, 2.10 percent; root knot, 2.04 percent; Verticillium wilt, 2.03 percent; and boll rots, 0.63 percent. Other diseases causing losses were Fusarium wilt and Ascochyta blight. Texas ranked second among cotton-producing states in percentage loss from diseases. Mr. Smith points out that average figures do not always give a true picture because, in areas where diseases were the most severe, losses amounted to ruinous figures. For example, root rot caused an estimated 30-percent loss in the central Blacklands in 1960. Bacterial blight continues to be the most important disease, al though it does not kill plants. The plant pathologist advises cotton growers to check their fields carefully in 1961 for disease damage. He points out that it is neces sary to know the diseases present in order to plan a preventive program for future years. Increased Income from W ildlife Texas farmers and ranchers may increase their incomes through the efficient management of the wildlife resources on their land, accord ing to the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. There is one important point to remember, however. All wild animals in Texas are the property of the people living in the State. Game animals — including birds, fish, and mammals (either dead or alive) — cannot be sold, but landowners may lease their land for hunting and fishing privileges. The better the hunting or fishing, the more money people will be willing to pay for the privilege. By providing adequate food and cover for the land animals and by properly stocking and managing ponds or lakes, landowners can insure a plentiful population of game, fish, and waterfowl. Other factors which help to determine the price of the lease are (1) the number of people to be accommodated, (2) facilities available, and (3) accessibility. Many landowners — especially those with fishing waters — have found it profitable to make additional facilities available to sportsmen. Boat and cabin rental, bait selling, and other extras can increase the landowner’s income. Another important point to remember is the matter of licenses. A person who sells hunting leases is required to purchase a shooting pre serve license, and one who sells bait is required to obtain a bait dealer’s license. These may be secured from the Texas Game and Fish Com mission at Austin, Texas. Hints on Protein Supplements Feeds which supply low-cost protein and low-cost energy are of vital interest to beef producers, according to U. D. Thompson, Ex tension Animal Husbandman with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. Grain is the least expensive source of energy, and protein supplements should be selected on the basis of their protein content and cost. 1961 Texas Cotton Insect Control Guides The 1961 revision of L-218, Texas Guides for Controlling Cotton Insects, has been released by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. Copies of the revised leaflet are available at county agricultural agents’ offices. Mr. Thompson says that stockmen consider In addition, the 1961 edition of L-508, ing the purchase of a supplemental protein feed Guide for Controlling Cotton Insects in for beef cattle should study the price per 100 the High Plains and Trans-Pecos Areas of pounds, the percentage of crude protein Texas, is available to producers in these supplied by the oilseed protein meals, the per areas. This publication is for use in boll centage of equivalent protein supplied by such weevil-free areas only. sources as urea, and the crude fat and fiber con tent. Feed with higher fiber content should be less expensive than others. result in lower incomes to seed growers, since farmers and seed buyers demand bright seed. Other factors are also important in choosing In an attempt to solve this problem, the Texas a supplement. Mixtures containing ingredients Agricultural Experiment Station made studies which limit consumption are advantageous to determine whether fungicides could be used because they save labor and distribute con to produce mold-free seed. sumption more evenly among the herd. Mix tures of salt and cottonseed meal have been In the studies, control plots of Combine used extensively for feeding; however, water Kafir-60 were treated with Arasan 42-S during must be readily available when the livestock the milk and hard-dough stages. In experiments consume excessive amounts of salt. at Prairie View in 1958, the sorghum that re The amount and quality of roughages fed may also influence selection of a supplement. Larger amounts of feed are needed when forage is limited; therefore, a feed supplement which contains both protein meal and grain may be more useful than a straight protein supplement. The possibility of vitamin deficiency also has a bearing upon the choice of feed supplements. Mr. Thompson points out that the individual feeder must decide which supplement to feed in his particular operation, inasmuch as no one supplement fills all needs or is economical to all beef producers. ceived 1 gallon of the fungicide per acre during the milk growth stage had less mold than did the check sample, but no differences were ob served in the treated and check samples when the fungicide was applied in the hard-dough stage. The lower rates of Vi gallon and X A gal lon did not reduce mold growth significantly at either stage of application as compared with the nontreated control plots. On the basis of the Prairie View experiment, additional tests were made near College Station in 1959. The rates of Arasan 42-S used in these studies were % gallon and 1!4 gallons per acre. Both rates applied at either the milk or the Controlling Field Mold on Sorghum dough growth stages inhibited some mold devel opment. Bright, natural-colored seed were ob Seed tained on the treated sorghum heads, but the Texas seedmen frequently encounter diffi untreated plants had discolored seed, with mold culty in producing mold-free hybrid sorghum mycelia covering the kernels. seed because of high relative humidity and in termittent rainfall during the time sorghums are For further evaluation of the Arasan 42-S maturing. According to the Texas Agricultural treatment, a cold-soil germination test was con Extension Service, moldy grain sorghum seed ducted to determine seedling vigor and resist- ance to soil fungi. Although the percentage germination of treated and untreated seed was essentially the same for the Prairie View test, a higher percentage of seedling emergence was obtained with the treated seed at College Station. In laboratory weathering tests, field-treated and nontreated seed deteriorated at about the same rate. On the other hand, field-treated seed receiving additional Arasan 42-S after harvest were more resistant to deterioration. Better Dairy Cattle for the South? Heat tolerance found in some animals of the high-producing E uro pean breeds of dairy cattle is being tested in an effort to develop cattle with superior milkproducing ability in the southern states, reports the United States Department of Agriculture. Studies by dairy husbandmen of the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and several state agricultural experiment stations in the South show that a few Jersey cows used in the experi ments had as good tolerance to heat as did crosses between Jerseys and heat-tolerant Sindhi cattle from India. The scientists are selecting such animals from European breeds to make within-breed im provements for heat tolerance. In addition, they are attempting crosses between European breeds. Hybrid vigor resulting from these crosses is being evaluated as an aid in develop ing dairy animals that are better suited to southern climates. Crossing Jerseys and Sindhis produced hy brids that could withstand hot weather better than most Jerseys. However, experiments to develop these hybrids have been discontinued because the animals proved unsatisfactory for commercial herds. The crosses give less milk, are more temperamental, are slower eaters and milkers, have shorter lactation periods, and convert feed less efficiently than purebred Jerseys. Results of the Jersey-Sindhi experiments have caused scientists to discard the belief that Sindhis and other Indian breeds are more heat tolerant because of their humps, hanging dew laps, and loose skin coverings. These appen dages provide greater skin area and were once believed to give the animals more cooling surfaces. The studies show that Sindhis with stand heat better than do European cattle because they breathe faster, take less air into their lungs, and produce less body heat. High Temperatures Improve Cotton Quality The strength of cotton fiber — and, conse quently, its spinning quality — is improved when the temperatures at which bolls mature are kept high as a result of infrequent irrigation or wide spacing between plants and rows, ac cording to the United States Department of Agriculture. Experiments indicate that high boll tempera tures late in the growing season result in cotton fiber of greater strength without affecting fiber thickness, length, or yield. On the other hand, fiber strength was reduced either when air around the bolls was cooled by evaporation of water from the soil or because of heavy shade from closely placed plants. USDA irrigation experiments show that cot ton plants receiving slightly restricted amounts of water during the growing season produced higher-quality fiber than those receiving opti mum amounts of water. Temperatures of bolls were 7 to 8 degrees higher in plots receiving infrequent irrigation than in frequently irri gated plots. Moreover, restricted water reduced the leaf area of cotton plants so that the bolls received more direct heat from the sun. Plant Disease Detectives Busy Plant disease detectives are using rust trapping nurseries to discover new races of small grain rust, and their work is paying off, accord ing to Harlan Smith, Extension Plant Pathol ogist with the Texas A gricultural Extension Service. A rust trapping nursery is a small area where many varieties of oats and wheat are grown for detecting new rust races. There are 10 such nurseries in Texas and 5 in Mexico, operated by Texas A. & M. College, the United States Department of Agriculture, and Mexican state agricultural experiment stations.
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