334 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



PIG. 461. FRUITING BRANCH OF SHADDOCK (CITRUS DECUMANA). 



CITRUS (from the Greek name, Kitron). Orange-tree. 

 OBD. Rutacece. Greenhouse evergreen trees or shrubs, 

 having axillary spines and simple leaves, with their petioles 

 usually winged. Flowers white, exquisitely fra- 

 grant. Some plants of the Citrus family are found 

 in most gardens. The flowers are produced at all 

 seasons, and are much used for wedding bouquets. 

 The leaves are of a glossy green colour ; and even 

 the non-flowering plants have a fine appearance. 

 The soil used when cultivating in pots or tubs 

 should be a moderately heavy loam, to which a 

 liberal portion of decayed manure and sand has 

 been added. During the growing season, some 

 liquid manure should be regularly supplied; but, 

 as soon as growth declines, this should be gra- 

 dually stopped. A moist atmosphere should be 

 kept up during the season of growth, as one approaching 

 drought causes the plants to have a starved and stunted 

 appearance. In potting, the soil should be rammed firmly, 

 or the wood will be too soft and sappy to ripen properly. 

 If grown in a greenhouse, the heat must not be less than 

 45deg. in winter ; and in summer, of course, it will vary, 

 the ordinary temperature, with plenty of air at all times, 

 being suitable. Propagation may be effected by seed, 

 cuttings, layers, grafting and budding. The object of 

 raising plants from seed is to obtain stocks for graft- 

 ing or budding. The seedlings should be raised on a 

 hotbed; in the course of six weeks, they will be fit to 

 plant separately into pots, after which they must be 

 replaced in the hotbed, and shaded for some time, but 

 afterwards allowed plenty of air, in order to harden 

 them. In August of the next year, they will be suffi- 

 ciently strong for budding ; after the operation has been 

 performed, they should be placed under a hand glass. 

 In the course of a month, it will be observable whether 

 the buds have taken ; they must then be untied, and 

 allowed to remain in the greenhouse all the winter. In 

 spring, cut off the heads of the stocks, 3in. above the 

 buds, again place them in a moderate hotbed, and by the 

 end of July they will have made shoots 2ft. long. Then 

 harden them off before the cold sets in, by gradual ex- 

 posure to the air. Of most of the following species there 

 are a great number of varieties, more or less distinct. 

 For cultivation of Citrus as a dessert fruit, see Orange. 



FIG. 462. FRUITING BRANCH OF KUMQUAT (CITRUS JAPOMCA). 



