THE MONTHLY BULLETIN". 393 



orchards. The result of this want of good judgment and the viola- 

 tion of the laws of nature is likely to be, not only an individual loss to 

 those who heedlessly ignored them, but an injury to the reputation of 

 the orange business and a consequent loss to all. 



The land selected, whether level, gently undulating or quite hilly, 

 must be put in condition for setting before the stock is taken from 

 the nursery. A little work done then will often save a great deal of 

 time and labor in the future care of the orchard. The plan of setting 

 a given piece of ground should be well thought out and prepared 

 before the grower begins staking for trees. A little headwork at this 

 point will prove a time saver as well as getting the best arrangement 

 of the trees. 



After the land has been carefully laid off, holes wide and deep must 

 be dug. A little well rotted barnyard manure put in the bottom of 

 the hole and covered with a few inches of good surface soil will greatly 

 aid the early growth of the tree and induce deep rooting. 



Care must be taken in transferring the tree from the nursery. The 

 trees must be put in line both ways and not set too deeply. Good 

 surface soil with a little well rotted manure mixed with it must be 

 carefully put around the ball and gently pressed down. Fill the basin 

 with water, which will settle the dirt and drive out the air ; straighten 

 up such trees as may be leaning and out of line, and they are in shape 

 to be left for a few weeks before a second irrigation becomes necessary. 

 Remember that the initial treatment of any orchard has much to do with 

 its growth, its power to resist drought, and its future productiveness. 

 Therefore, permit no careless work to be done. 



I shall touch but briefly only the salient points in the care of an 



orchard. 



Cultivation. 



I believe there is scarcely anything which exerts a more favorable 

 influence on the quality of an orange than cultivation, and there is 

 no other part of orchard work that is generally so indifferently done. 

 The implement with which the work can be properly done may not 

 always be at hand, and the man to operate it intelligently and honestly 

 is likewise difficult to find. 



There are several reasons, which I will not take time to mention, why 

 greater attention should be given by citrus growers to cultivation. I 

 will, however, briefly refer to two. One of these is the greatly improved 

 quality of fruit secured by proper cultivation. It will unquestion- 

 ably produce a smoother orange with more syrup and better flavor, 

 and these are points which we should strive to obtain. The other is 

 that vigorous cultivation at the time the fruit is forming will insure 

 a larger setting than if neglected at this critical period. Cultivation 

 is a stimulant and the tree needs a little help at this critical period. 

 Cultivate often, deep and at the proper time after irrigation. 



