34 



Africa we have summer rains, and the ground at the planting 

 season, i.e., during spring, is often dry and hard, and that should 

 the trees be planted under such conditions without the neces- 

 sary attention, they would probably die. During our trips 

 to the East much was heard on this score, and we have thought 

 over the matter, and what should be done if placed under 

 the same conditions. The advice we give to our Eastern 

 friends, and also their fellows in difficulty, which is offered with 

 all due deference, would be as follows : Have your land 

 prepared during your rainy season by a thorough deep ploughing 

 and sub-soiling if possible (in fact, if one is going in for orchard- 

 ing in the East on the deep, rich, rolling lands so abundant there, 

 a subsoil plough might most certainly be obtained), followed by a 

 good harrowing, and later, several stirrings of the soil by the 

 running through of a cultivator. 



\Vhen the following dormant season for fruit trees comes 

 round, the only proper season, by-the-bye, to remove deciduous 

 trees, get your trees, and have them planted at once, presuming, 

 of course, your soil is in condition for planting. When the soil 

 has been carefully packed around the roots, and the hole has been 

 refilled within nine inches of the surface level, empty a couple or 

 more buckets of water into that hole, and when all the water has 

 sunk out of sight, and not till then, have the hole filled up with 

 the remainder of the perfectly dry soil, which has previously been 

 taken out. Every tree should be similarly treated. 



We would suggest, to facilitate watering, that a low sledge on 

 two runners be made, on which could be stood one or two barrels 

 of water, and which could be pulled through the tree rows, by a 

 horse, ox, or mule. The expense would be almost nothing in a 

 10 to 50 acre orchard, if systematically carried out, and each 

 watering would, we feel satisfied, keep the tree in a thoroughly 

 moist condition for ten or fourteen days. The secret of success 

 would be, of course, the removing of the surface soil at each su<-lt 

 irrigation and its replacement in a perfectly dry condition, this 

 acting as a thorough mulch. 



We are satisfied such treatment would result in finding the 

 tree at the advent of the first rains in a healthy growing state and 

 ready to simply jump ahead in the warm, moist atmosphere 

 which accompanies them. 



We visited the district of Albany on behalf of the Government 

 in June, 1895, and the country was suffering from a so-called 

 drought. This drought was simply the dry season of the year, 

 when the whole face of the country is dried up and vegetation 

 withered. We have an exactly similar season in California, 

 when in a square mile of veld not a blade of green grass or a 

 green weed is to be found ; but there we call it the dry season, 

 and as far as orcharding is concerned its ill effects can be 

 circumvented in California by cultivation, i.e., constant tilling of 

 the soil, and we are certain the same treatment here will give th e 

 same good result. We remember testing certain hillside 



