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-starting a small nursery, as it is better to grow your own plants 

 than purchase them from other parties, it will be found cheaper, 

 more interesting, and when the planting time arrives, you may cull 

 out all the bad ones, only planting those with good fibrous roots 

 and well-developed stocks. 



I will not go into the method of forming a nursery, as I under- 

 stand that is part of the course which you are now undergoing in 

 the section of field work. But I must tell you this, under any 

 circumstances use only grape fruit stock for budding on, and at 

 all times use budded trees in preference to seedlings for your 

 groves, and you are sure to get the same quality and kind of fruit 

 as the description from which you took your bud-wood. But if you 

 grow seedlings and allow them to become permanent trees you are 

 sure to get the majority of them bearing very indifferent fruit, 

 and of uncertain shipping qualities. Grape fruit is an exception 

 to this rule, so long as you procure your seeds from trees that are 

 far removed from any other variety of citrus plants, but even then 

 the fruits from which you take the seeds, although looking fine 

 and a desirable sort, may have been hybridized by some inferior 

 one in that particular section. 



Having started your nursery, the plants doing well, and near 

 ready to be transplanted, that is, when they have reached a height 

 of about two or three feet, it is best to turn your attention to the 

 land chosen for your grove. It should be cleaned and lined out, — 

 for oranges 20-25 feet apart, and for grape fruit 25-30 feet, the 

 rows running parallel and square to each other ; at each stake dig 

 a hole 2 feet in diameter and about the same depth, say one month 

 before planting ; leave it open until just the day before so that the 

 sun may get a fair play on the soil in the bottom of the hole. In 

 filling in a hole put the top soil at the bottom and fill in with the 

 surrounding top soil scraped from around the hole, using the earth 

 from the bottom of the hole to replace any such soil taken away 

 from the adjacent land. The tree should be planted on a hill 

 somewhat resembling that used for planting yams but not quite so 

 high and somewhat more rounded over the top, this will enable 

 your plant to be placed about 6 inches higher than the surround- 

 ing soil. In taking up the plants from the nursery be careful to 

 preserve every small root, do not take up more than you can plant 

 immediately and never expose, even for a moment, the roots to the 

 direct rays of the sun or to high winds ; the ends of the longer 

 roots should be cut back a few inches, also the tap root, the head 

 of the plant must have its share of trimming and all the leaves 

 cut away three-quarter of their area, as by so doing you equalize 

 to a certain extent the shock to the plant that you have caused by 

 disturbing the roots. Arriving with your plant at the side of the 

 hill, use your hand to make a hole in the centre of it, large enough 

 to take in all the roots when laid out in their original position : 

 stand the plant upright, then put in some earth and firm it well 

 around the tap root, leaving no air spaces, as this would be sure 



