GROWING OF THE LEMON TREE 387 



PROPAGATING AND PLANTING 



The prevailing stock for the lemon is the orange seedling, either 

 the sweet or sour stock, under the same conditions that each is preferred 

 for the orange, the sour stock resisting measurably the effects of ill- 

 drainage of heavy land or flat, low places. The orange root thrives on 

 a greater variety of soils than the lemon, and produces a healthy lemon 

 tree where the lemon on its own root would fail. The growth of orange 

 seedlings for budding has been described in the last chapter. If lemon 

 seedlings are desired they may be grown in the same way. Plants 

 either for permanent growth or for stocks for budding can be grown 

 from cuttings, as explained in Chapter VIII. The budding of the 

 lemon is practically the same as of the orange, which has been described. 

 An old tree can be changed from one variety to another by the methods 

 described for the orange, and oranges can be worked into old lemon 

 trees and good fruit secured if the lemon itself be growing upon an 

 orange root, which is likely to be the case with trees planted during the 

 last decade. 



Planting of the lemon is the same as that of the orange. The dis- 

 tance in planting varies from twenty to twenty-five feet. Irrigation of 

 lemon and orange trees is also similar. 



PRUNING THE LEMON 



The pruning of the lemon is essentially different from that of the 

 orange, because the habit of the tree is different. The lemon requires 

 constant attention to bring it into good bearing form and keep it there ; 

 the orange, after it is well shaped, simply needs attention to encourage 

 it to retain the bearing form to which it seems naturally disposed. The 

 orange provides itself with satisfactory bearing wood, as a rule ; the 

 lemon devotes itself, even when it is old enough to know better, to a 

 rangy rambling wood growth with bearing wood upon the ends of 

 willowy rods where it is swept about in the wind and burned in the sun, 

 instead of nestling it neatly among the leaves as the orange does. 



The rational proceeding with the lemon is, then, to develop it at first 

 into a low, stocky and strong form, such as is described in Chapter XII 

 for deciduous tree. This may be secured by pinching so as not to allow 

 running out of long branches at first, or it may be secured by severe 

 cutting back of the long growths of the young tree. In either case low 

 branches will be secured. Make good selection from these branches to 

 form a symmetrical tree and cut back the growth which comes upon 

 them to cause it to branch in its turn. In this way plenty of good, 

 strong wood is secured low down, and with short distances between the 

 laterals. Strong, upright shoots (wrongly called "suckers") which 

 break out at points where branches are not desired, should be rubbed 

 off or cleanly cut away. Having secured about the right branching in 

 about the right places no strong sprouts should be allowed, and the 

 tree should be encouraged to make smaller laterals, which will be the 

 bearing wood. It must be admitted, however, that this rational plan of 

 restricting wood growth and directing the energies of the tree to fruit 



