690 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OP AGRICULTURE. 



ration from the tree and the soil in which it is placed. After a while the leaves be- 

 gin to come down and cover the ground with a thin mulch, retaining moisture and 

 protecting the soil from the blazing rays of the sun. A year or more later the smaller 

 twigs and fragments of bark are added to the leaves, and when the ground is plowed 

 a rnost valuable dressing of vegetable matter is incorporated in a soil whose gi-eatest 

 want is humus. At the end of three years your grove is well established and the 

 decaying timber begins to be dangerous. Then chop it down. All the branches 

 and much of the bark will break into fragments so small the plow will dispose of 

 them. Cut up the bodies in some ten-feet lengths and pile them in the checks mid 

 way between the rows. In three years more the sap wood and a large part of the 

 hearts will be thoroughly rotted and can be spread and plowed in like a manure 

 pile. Those hearts that remain sound are valuable for posts, rails, and fuel. The 

 cost of clearing a lot after it has been dead three years is about two-fifths of the cost 

 of clearing gi-een timber. In fact, the interest for three years on the cost of clear- 

 ing green timber will nearly clear the deadening. 



But, after all, the great gain is in the superior vigor of the young grove the first 

 few years and the great improvement to the soil by the shade and added humus. 



There are many Imndreds of acres of young orange groves whicli 

 \ironld be greatly assisted by the introduction among them of some 

 kind of tree for shelter. Additional trees would involve additional 

 expenses for manure; the trees should therefore be of such kinds as 

 would afford some remunerative crop. Peach trees and Japan per- 

 simmon trees might be tried, although an evergreen tree would be 

 more valuable. The Loquat, known in many localities as Japan plum, 

 having heavy evergreen foliage, would afford effective protection; it 

 is also much hardier than the orange. Perhaps the olive tree might be 

 profitably employed. Of course any trees used for this purpose would 

 be removed when their presence was no longer required. 



Planting a grove. — There are numerous methods in vogue for 

 establishing an orange grove. That most widely adopted, according to 

 my observation, is to set out trees three or four years from the seed. 



These are produced from seeds which have been saved from good 

 kinds, so that, in the event of the trees not being budded, they will 

 produce fruit of at least average merit. It is well ascertained that 

 the orange reproduces its kind more closely than does any other class 

 of long-cultivated fruits; but there is still much difference in the qual- 

 ities of oranges from groves where the trees have not been budded, 

 a fact which purchasers of these fruits soon discover. It is ques- 

 tionable if this method is the best that can be followed for either of 

 the two purposes in view; that is, whether these trees are the best for 

 budding, and, again, whether it is advisable to trust to seedling trees 

 for the best marketable products. 



Trees of the ages mentioned are too old to be set out for budding. 

 After being set out they are usually allowed to establish themselves 

 for some time before being budded. By that time they have made a 

 well-developed top of small branches, all in a healthy and vigorous 

 condition. 



The trees are budded in their main stems at points varying in their 

 distances from the ground, and seemingly as found most convenient 

 to the operator, and after the bud has well started the entire top of 

 the stock is removed. This is a severe check to root extension. The 

 plant will make efforts to restore the former balance which existed 

 between the roots and the leaves by throwing out young shoots or 

 suckers, which, right or wrong, are promptly removed, thus throw- 

 ing the whole force of the plant into the growth of one shoot, which 

 progresses rapidly, producing large leaves and a bulky succulent 

 shoot; a condition which maintains until its growth is suddenly ar- 

 rested by cold nights, and if frosts occur the results are disastrous. 



