If sulphate of lime is to be employed, it may be mixed The 



Cultr 



Citrus Fruits 



with the last dressing of nitrate of soda ; and the sulphate Cultivation of 



of iron, finely pulverized, may be put on a few days later. 



If the foregoing directions are acted on, the plantation 

 will have been adequately manured before the trees come into 

 flower, the food materials will be fully utilized, and flores- 

 cence will develop uniformly and be apt for fertilization. 



Manures should not be applied during the flowering 

 period, lest an uneven flow of sap be induced and fructifica- 

 tion be interefered with. 



Earlier or later maturity of the crop depends upon the 

 period at which the fertilizers are applied, since the earlier 

 the nutritive principles are taken up and assimilated, the more 

 quickly they are accumulated in the fruit, and the earlier 

 will its development be completed. 



Accordingly, if early ripening is desired, the applica- 

 tion of the last dressing of nitrate of soda and of the sulphate 

 of lime and sulphate of iron should be advanced; if, on the 

 other hand, it is wished to retard the maturity of the fruit, 

 the application of this dressing must be correspondingly 

 delayed. 



The fertilizers should be evenly distributed over the 

 entire area beneath the branches of the trees, with the ex- 

 ception of a circle of about two feet from the trunk, which 

 should be protected by a ridge of earth from contact with 

 the manures and water. This manner of application is essen- 

 tial, as the fertilizers act almost exclusively through the fine 

 absorbent rootlets. 



Irrigation. 



Citrus trees require liberal supplies of moisture. The 

 exact quantity of water necessary cannot be stated, since it 

 will vary with the character of the soil, the distribution of the 

 rainfall, and the care taken in its conservation in the soil. 



In California irrigation is general, the number of ap- 

 plications varying from three to eight yearly. The best 

 practice can be determined only by the grower himself after 

 a study of local conditions. 



Irrigation by furrows as deep and narrow as practic- 

 able has been strongly recommended by Professor Hilgard. 



