242 CITRUS FRUITS AND THEIR CULTURE. 



dition, its uneven character will prove to be a consider- 

 able nuisance in after years. It will interfere with all 

 kinds of horse work among the trees. Pains should be 

 taken to have the ground level and smooth. Small, abrupt 

 elevations or knolls should be removed. Long, sweeping 

 slopes are not objectionable, and if they give the right 

 exposure, they are a decided advantage. In the irriga- 

 tion districts they are quite necessary for the successful 

 distribution and disposal of the water. But in those dis- 

 tricts small knolls, two or three feet in height, or even 

 less may act as a barrier over which water cannot be suc- 

 cessfully carried. Grading should be very carefully done 

 before planting, and only after a careful survey of the 

 ground. In fact, the best advice that can be given is to 

 turn this part of the work over to a competent surveyor 



Before attempting to 

 grade the ground, it 

 should be plowed. The 

 depth will depend upon 

 the nature of the soil 

 and the character of 



Fig. 60. Float for smoothing ground. th 6 SUrfaCC. It may be 



necessary to use the 



scraper to remove some of the knolls, in which case the 

 plow should be run somewhat deeper on the higher por- 

 tion. If only very slight inequalities are present, they 

 may be disposed of by harrowing after plowing and then 

 following the harrow with the float or planker shown in 

 fig. 60. 



This is made of six pieces of 8x2 inch plank, seven 

 feet long. Two of these are rounded off at each end and 

 a hole is bored in one end of each piece. These two pieces 

 are then notched as shown in the figure. The notches on 



