38 ORANGE CULTURE IN FLORIDA. 



position sheltered from the morning sun, to prevent 

 the too sudden thawing after a frost. I would pre- 

 fer shade on the south as well, as the sun some- 

 times breaks out suddenly during a cold snap about 

 noon. Under such circumstances I have known 

 serious damage done to young plants. A still bet- 

 ter plan is to clear away a half or a quarter of an 

 acre of ground in the midst of a tall forest. Around 

 this half acre or quarter acre sink a ditch two feet 

 deep, in order to cut the surface roots of the forest 

 trees. Plow or spade the land deep. Open the 

 rows four feet apart and eight or ten inches deep, 

 fill them with good muck or leaf mould clear of such 

 litter as would attract wood-lice. Over this muck 

 place an inch or two of soil to keep the muck 

 moist. A dressing of ashes or slaked lime will be 

 of advantage, especially if the muck has not been 

 previously well rotted in heaps. Your land can 

 now stand till the trees are ready to be taken from 

 the seed-bed. Some prefer putting the muck, or 

 whatever fertilizer is used, broadcast over the land. 

 But my reason for advising the muck to be put in 

 drills is that if well rotted it will not heat, but will 

 serve to keep the roots of the young plant in a com- 

 pact body. A great deal is saved by this means 

 when you come to transplant to the grove ; the roots 

 having grown in a compact body, very little will be 

 lost by root-pruning. And where the distance from 

 the nursery to the grove is short, and the trans- 

 planting is done when the ground is wet, the en- 



