Cultivation of the Orange and Lemon. 123 



water had been given three or four days before. The 

 ground appeared as if it had been just irrigated. It 

 was no wonder the poor orange trees looked wretched 

 and dying. The whole ground was water-logged, and 

 hardly fit for even plantains ; it might have suited 

 rice. 



In the Saharunpur Botanic Garden, which is irri- 

 gated by canal water, I noticed the same unhealthy 

 condition in the citrus trees. It appeared to me the 

 soil got too much water. Mr. Gollam observed that 

 all the orange trees everywhere about Saharunpur were 

 in a similar condition. I do not know whether all these 

 also were irrigated by canal water. 



The suntara orange tree does not appear to mind 

 excess of water occasionally, provided the soil be well 

 drained. In the Khasia hills, the suntara orange gar- 

 dens are several times during the south-west monsoon 

 flooded, it is said to the height of six feet, but the 

 drainage, after the water retires, is so good, that the 

 trees do not suffer by these floods. 



In one garden near Delhi, owned by one Mohamed 

 Shah, near the bridge called Anda moghul ka pul, I 

 saw the following interesting mode of cultivating the 

 suntara orange tree in combination with other plants. 

 The garden was irrigated by well water, and, of course, 

 the usual slovenliness and indifference about mixing up 

 trees, &c., was there also in full force. 



In this garden the orange trees were mostly shaded 

 by bair trees. It must not be supposed, however, that 

 there was any system of planting. The bair trees 

 appeared to have germinated spontaneously, and at a 

 certain age been grafted in the usual way with the large 

 cultivated Zizyphus. Natives say that the orange tree 

 does best under this tree, because its time of pruning, 

 shooting, and fruiting suit the times of the orange tree. 



