THE CITRUS NURSERY 365 



lath house, tacking on old sacks or other cloth, to shield them from the 

 sun and frost. The lath house keeps animals from running over the 

 boxes, etc. 



Growing seedlings in an open bed involves about the same opera- 

 tions. To guard against intrusion, it is advisable to make board sides 

 to the bed about a foot high, and to make lath frames which will reach 

 across, resting on the edge boards. A cloth sun-and-frost shade is 

 also desirable, to be laid over the lath frames when it seems needed. 

 Beds should be made narrow enough so that one can easily reach half 

 way across from each of the long sides for weeding, etc. In open seed 

 beds it is usual to broadcast the seed evenly, using about one gallon 

 to 200 square feet, which should give about 5000 seedlings. 



The Orange Nursery. Planting out in nursery is usually done 

 after the ground is thoroughly warmed in the spring, and the seed- 

 lings are then about a year old. The preparation of nursery ground 

 and the planting out of the seedlings can be done as described in 

 Chapter VIII. Orange seedlings should, however, be given greater 

 distance apart than is usual for deciduous trees, because the orange 

 remains longer in the nursery, and because it is often desirable, when 

 taking up, to sack the ball of earth embracing the roots. If the roots 

 are not to be sacked, about nine inches will do between the plants; 

 if to be sacked, the distance should be twelve or fifteen inches. The 

 rows should not be too close in the orange nursery. If horse cultiva- 

 tion is to be used, at least four feet between the rows should be 

 allowed, and even greater distance is desirable. In taking the seedlings 

 from the seed beds, a few should be lifted at a time, and their roots 

 kept shaded and moist until the ground closes on them in the nursery 

 row. To get an even stand in the nursery, small and weak plants 

 should be placed by themselves, or set in boxes to take another year 

 before going into nursery. 



Young trees in nursery are very liable to frost injury, and it is wise 

 to protect them by some sort of a cover during the winter. A frame- 

 work covered with cypress brush is often used, the whole being cleared 

 away in the spring, to allow of summer cultivation. Cultivation of 

 trees in nursery is about the same as with deciduous fruit trees. The 

 horse should be used, and the surface kept perfectly pulverized. The 

 cultivator should follow irrigation as soon as the soil will admit of it. 

 Frequency of irrigation of nursery depends, of course, upon local con- 

 ditions. Some give two or three irrigations, by running the water in a 

 little trench alongside the rows, at intervals of two weeks, "for a time 

 after planting, and then irrigate once a month during the summer. It 

 is important that irrigation should not be continued too late into the 

 fall, because the young tree should harden its wood before cold weather. 

 Nor is it desirable that the growth be too rapid. A good growth of 

 sound wood is better than extra size. 



Length of Time in Nursery. Seedlings are usually budded after 

 being one or two years in the nursery, or at two to three years from the 

 planting of the seed. At a convenient time in the winter the lower 

 shoots and thorns are removed from the seedlings, so as to leave a 

 clear stem of about six inches for the convenience of the budder. 



