178 THE CULTURE OP ORANGE TREES. 



THE CULTURE OF ORANGE TREES. 



BY A PRACTITIONER. 



I HAVE paid particular attention to the subject for twenty years, and 

 have observed those engrafted or budded come sooner to a bearing 

 state, but are never such healtliy trees as the seedlings. I find I can 

 bring a seedling Orange-tree into bearing in six years. I have ob- 

 served the young seedling trees to put out thorns at the base of the 

 leaf ; and so long as these appear on the young wood no fruit can be 

 looked for. As the tree is in a luxuriant state, my metiiod to stop 

 that vigorous growth is this : mix half strong brown loam, half peat 

 or heath earth, mixed well togetlier, with a little gravel, to keep tlie 

 soil from binding to tlie roots ; have pots proportionable to the size of 

 the tree, put them into tliis soil, which I consider rather poor, but 

 keeps them in good health, and in humble growth ; by this manage- 

 ment they come sooner to a bearing state. I keep them in that soil 

 till I see blossom appearing, which may be looked for when no thorns 

 push out of the young wood ; after that I give them larger pots, then 

 take compost half strong brown loam, half vegetable mould, break 

 some bones small, mix some in the compost, and put some in the bottom 

 of the pots, wliich feeds the roots a great length of time, and drains 

 off superabundant water. After the fruit is set I have observed the 

 decaying flowers to be in a corrupt state at the base of the fruit, and 

 cause it to drop off; when the fruit is set, I take all the decaying 

 flowers carefully off. In pruning Orange-trees, great care must be 

 taken not to shorten any young wood, as the flower generally appears 

 at the extremity, only cutting out any cross useless wood. I have 

 known some hew down their Orange-trees every year. By this treat- 

 ment it is impossible for their trees to bear fruit, for in spring they 

 bring forth strong thorny wood, and are no nearer bearing than Vvhen 

 one year old. The brown scale is very troublesome to Orange-trees, 

 and retards their growth, and makes them have a sickly, unhealtliy 

 look ; if the trees are not kept clean of that insect, little good can be 

 expected where they are. I keep my trees perfectly clear of that 

 insect with three dressings in one year, by taking soft soap half a 

 pound, flour of sulphur a quarter of a pound, nux vomica half an 

 ounce, add to these six quarts of hot water, keep stirring till the soap 

 is dissolved ; when cold, take a sponge, and wash every leaf on the 

 upper and under sides ; three days after I find the insects all dead. I 

 take the engine and throw pure water all over them, which washes 

 all clean off; the trees look healthy, and keep clean for about three 

 months. The temperature of an Orange-house sliould not exceed 50^ 

 or 55 ' in winter. In summer I give the trees frequent artificial dews, 

 by throwing water over them witli the engine, which, I think, causes 

 the fruit to be thinner in the skin than it would be in a dry heat ; the 

 watering greatly adds also to the health and beauty of the trees. 



