THEIR CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 



13 



inches of the ground. As the union of 

 the stocks seems to be the weak part 

 of the tree, where the gum disease usu- 

 ally makes its first appearance, the cus- 

 tom of low budding practically de- 

 stroys the usefulness of the sour seed- 

 ling as far as this disease is concerned. 

 For planting on heavy soils, trees 

 should be budded at least six inches 



We have trees budded on this root 

 growing in ou-r experimental grounds, 

 and while they are somewhat smaller 

 than those of the same age budded on 

 sweet orange root, this is accounted 

 for by the fact that trees budded on 

 Citrus Trifolia roots are very heavy 

 bearers, and therefore do not make the 



Four-year Valencia Late tree and cluster of fruit. 



or a foot above the ground. It has 

 been our experience that trees budded 

 on sweet root are much less subject to 

 this disease when budded at this height 

 from the ground. 



The Citrus Trifoliata is a native of 

 Japan and is the hardiest orange 

 known. It is deciduous; its fruits are 

 very bitter and of no commercial 

 value, but its hardiness seems to ex- 

 ercise a decided influence on the bud- 

 ded tree. It is said to be more resist- 

 ent to cold than any other stock. It is 

 also much prized as a hedge plant, 

 making an impenetrable barrier to 

 man and beast. An erroneous impres- 

 sion has often been created in the 

 minds of some people that because it 

 is extensively used as a stock for trees 

 grown in pots and tubs (for which it is 

 particularly adapted), it dwarfs trees 

 when planted in orchard form. Actual 

 tests have proven this to be a mistake 



growth that trees with less fruit make. 

 It has been proven that they more 

 than make up, in bearing qualities, 

 what they lack in growth. 



We have also experimented with 

 trees budded on this root as to their 

 hardiness and find that they are not 

 only as resistant to gum disease as 

 trees budded on sour root, but that 

 they will stand much more cold than 

 trees budded on either sweet or sour 

 stock. This is on account of their de- 

 ciduous nature, which causes the tree 

 to become dormant, or nearly so, very 

 early in the fall, and it is a well-known 

 fact that the nearer a citrus tree is to 

 being perfectly dormant the more cold 

 it will stand. We, therefore, use this 

 stock quite extensively for budding on 

 the more tender varieties, such as lem- 

 ons, limes and pomelos, and find that 

 it makes them almost as hardy as or- 

 anges. 



