25 



sprayin*;. tho trees are not tlioroii<:;lily worked and fertilized, tliey will 

 soon be beyond recovery and stand as scarecrows for the would-be 

 orangje grove. 



If, on the other liand, the trees are well cared for, new growth will 

 start from close above the union. This, if trained and kept free from 

 scale, will form the new tree, and the old scaly stub may well be cut off 

 as soon as possible, as it seldom makes much growth and it always 

 serves as a breeding and distributing place for scale. But after all the 

 efforts of the grower about two years of labor and expense has been 

 lost. Of course, this is the dark side of the situation, nevertheless it 

 shows exactl}^ the conditions as they appear in many of the first- 

 planted groves. 



THE NEW METHOD. 



AH of these obstacles can be overcome by using methods which 

 readily suggest themselves to the observant grower. The first and 

 certainly the most important factor is shade and wind protection. 

 The land should be cleared, well worked, and the rows laid out, after 

 which a row of bananas should alternate with each row of trees. In 

 about six months the bananas will be large enough to afford protection. 



Plants like the pigeon pea (native name, gandula) or castor bean 

 may also serve as temporary protection, but the first named is undesir- 

 able, because it harbors insects like the may beetles and orange leaf- 

 weevil and the other is subject to scale of various kinds. In planting 

 bananas it should be remembered that this plant is a gross feeder and will 

 rob the orange trees if not checked. In order to do this a deep furrow 

 should be plowed on each side about 4 feet from the banana row, and 

 this operation should be repeated at least three or four times a year. 

 The l)anana suckers should be thinned out and not allowed to spread 

 too far. The yield of fruit may be found to be of considerable value, 

 and in four to five years the plants may be taken out or left in the 

 soil for fertilizer. The holes for the orange tree should be dug not less 

 than 2 feet deep and 3 to 4 feet in diameter. The top soil should be 

 filled in in alternate layers with dry grass, manure, or any other 

 available organic material, together -\vith 1 to 2 pounds of commercial 

 fertilizer, preferably in organic form like tankage, blood and bone, 

 dried blood, or native guano mixed with tobacco stems. The fer- 

 tilizer should be well mixed with the upper layers of soil. The trees 

 may be planted by the old method, but much better success can be 

 obtained by planting with a ball of earth. 



If the nursery is well fertilized and cultivated, the budded tree will 

 be large enough for transplanting eight to ten months from budding 

 or fourteen to sixteen months from seed. The nursery tree should be 

 trained to stake in order to make a straight trunk and made to branch 

 when not over 3 feet high. The branching should be carefully attended 



