CHAPTEE VII. 



Occasionally one meets with orange gardens which present peculiar 

 difficulties and must be treated according to the nature of the individual 

 case. A Santra plantation in Junnar Taluka, for instance, showed signs ot 

 the yellowing of leaves and dying of branches of groups of trees here and 

 there. The fruits of the trees remained small, prematurely turned yellow 

 and dropped. Analysis of the soil showed large amounts of salts ( see soil 

 analyses given at the end). The well water which was used to irrigate 

 the. plantation was not salty. In the soil around the sickly trees succulent 

 weeds such as are usually found on salty soils ware noticed. This was a 

 clear case of accumulation of salt in the soil. Owing to defective drainage 

 in the soil an extra amount of salt was brougrt "to the surface after every 

 irrigation. Water evaporated from the surface leaving salts behind. Now 

 to correct the defect in the soil, resort must be had to through drainage. 

 To effect this trenches must be dag out round about the diseased trees at 

 short intervals say at fifteen to twenty feet. Each trench must be three 

 feet deep and eighteen inches wide. The trenches from the diseased trees 

 should be connected to one common trench finally leading to the nearest 

 stream or na<a. >ne has to see that irrigation or rain water will actually 

 flow from the plot to the nala. If water remains stagnant in the tranches 

 it will possibly make the case worse. Heavy rains in the monsoons are 

 likely to wash away soils from the sides of the trenches. This can be pre- 

 vented by putting brush-wood in the trenches at short intervals. The 

 di+ticulty of iirigating the trees may be overcome by using small pipes or 

 pieces of corrugated iron sheets through which water can be carried over 

 the trenches. By this method the land can be improved in the course of 

 about two years. 



It occasionally happens that trees are planted in a very clayey soil ; tbe 

 subsoil, which is in ordinary cases lighter, more penetrable and more drain- 

 able, proves to be equally clayey. The trees grow all right for a fey years 

 and give a very good outturn. But soon after they begin to decline in their 

 vigour, young twigs begin to turn yellow and die ; the plants make a feeble 

 attempt to form new shoots lower down but these never make any progress 

 and finally the trees die a slow death, [n this case also trenches made in 

 the manner described above will improve the case. 



When the soil is not so bad as described above nor is it as good as it 

 should be, the plantation may be treated in a little different manner. In- 

 stead of making water channels in the usual manner, long furrows may be 

 made between two rows of trees. At every watering turn alternate lines 

 raay be used and the lema'ning ones may be cultivated with a harrow. At 

 the second watering the dry part may be irrigated and the wet part of the 

 previous turn cultivated. In this way the soil will receive less water the 

 dry pai't will act as a lung and the disadvantages of the clayey soil will be 

 greatly minimised. The soil will be further improved if a green manure like 

 sanu-hemp is ploughed into the soil in the rainy season 



It is a common phenomenon that Santra fruits in certain places do not 

 develop an attractive colour nor do^s the fruit develop to its normal size. 

 Again the fruits of the mrig-bahar (ripening in Febr aary-^Iaroh) in certain 

 localities are scorched on the side exposed to the sun. The cause of this 

 is generally to be found in soil conditions, especially imperfect drainage and 

 aeration. Attention, should be given to these points. 



