CITRUS FRUITS ] 27 



soil. The first watering usually takes place about the 

 middle of June, and is repeated at intervals of two or 

 three weeks until the soil is well soaked by the autumnal 

 rains. The average quantity of water allowed to each 

 tree is about i cubic metre, and as the trees are watered 

 seven or eight times from June to October, the total 

 quantity of water available for irrigation throughout the 

 summer should not be less than 8 cubic metres per tree. 

 The quantity of water required for young trees is less, 

 but these must be watered earlier and oftener, in fact it 

 is advisable to water young trees every week from the 

 middle of August in order to induce them to make good 

 growth in the latter part of summer and cause them to 

 attain bearing condition and adult size in a few years. 

 Trees newly transplanted are usually watered every week 

 during the first summer. If a water-service under pres- 

 sure is available, spraying the trees by means of a hose 

 will be found very beneficial, if the spraying is done 

 lightly and frequently, but regular watering by spraying 

 is liable to provoke an excessive formation of superficial 

 roots, which will cause the trees to suffer severely in 

 a prolonged drought. After each watering it is advisable 

 to till the surface of the soil, lightly, as soon as it tends 

 to crack and become dry, not only to keep down weeds, 

 but chiefly to check evaporation by establishing a finely 

 powdered layer of soil between the moist lower layers 

 and the dry atmosphere. 



TILLAGE AND MANURING. The ground should be 

 kept well clean of weeds at all seasons, especially in 

 spring and summer, and should be well tilled at least 

 twice in winter, and once in spring (April). The hoeing 

 of April should be deep, and afterwards the ground 

 should be evenly levelled, and all sods well broken up so 

 that the soil may retain its moisture as long as possible. 

 The object of the deep hoeing in April is to open the 

 soil to the action of the air, and at the same time to 

 remove the superficial rootlets which may have developed 



