118 CULTIVATION OF THE ORANGE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 
Orange-trees, which can be distinguished at a short distance by their 
stiff clumpy form ; for most of the trees had attained a height when the 
full beauty of their rich green foliage had been developed, and were 
richly laden with drooping clusters of golden fruit. Some of the 
oranges, Mr. Pye informed us, had remained fifteen months on the trees, 
and, when gathered, were found sound, juicy, and sweet ; on tasting 
some of them the result was very satisfactory. The Apple-trees grow- 
ing intermingled with the Orange-trees in this poor soil, consisted of 
Busset, Winter, Pearmain, lted Streak, Quarrenden, and other varie- 
ties ; they were healthy and in full bearing, but the fruit was not yet 
ripe ; it is more than might have been expected to see the Apple and 
Orange flourishing side by side. The Lisbon Lemon-trees were bend- 
ing under the weight of fruit of large size ; among some we gathered, 
three were weighed; the first weighed 19 ounces, the second, 17f 
ounces, and the third, 14 ounces; when cut, they w T ere firm, juicy, and 
in excellent condition. The varieties of the Orange in this garden were 
Navel, Mandarin, the Common, and a few of the Seville, Citrons and 
Limes. Although the whole of the excellent fruit trees before men- 
tioned, grew with the greatest luxuriance in this poor soil, yet I was 
informed that stone-fruit would seldom last longer than three years 
after bearing. Many of the Orange-trees were from 20 to 25 feet 
high, and the wide-spreading branches and dense foliage afforded a 
cool and agreeable shelter; these trees were twenty years old. Ihc 
trunk of one we measured was 4 feet 1 inch in circumference, 1 foot 
from the ground, and 3 feet 10 inches, at 4 feet from the ground. 
Near them were some seedlings of large growth, nine years old, the 
fruit from which had not yet been gathered. Seedling trees are con- 
sidered by orange growers, in Europe, to be far less liable to the at- 
tack of insects than those raised from layers. The trees in this 
orangery w T ere occasionally refreshed by fresh soil, to replace that wliicb 
had been washed away by heavy rains, and, at certain intervals o 
time, some bone-dust was applied as a manure. From the situation 
of the gardens, the roots of the Orange and other fruit trees appeared 
to be well drained, and, from the nature of the soil, it was not li* ei y 
that water would accumulate at the roots, which so often cause the de- 
struction of the trees, more especially when the soil is clay, and 
drainage not attended to. The magnificent Orange-trees, celebrated 
for their noble size, beauty of foliage, and profuse bearers of nc 
