124 



Oranges and Lemons of India. 



Moreover, the suntara orange tree is more of a bush 

 than a large tree. In this particular garden, a third 

 plant was combined with the bair and orange trees, 

 viz.: the Jasminum sambac, or bla. I shall, there- 

 fore, enter into some details about the management of 

 this particular garden, however rude its method may 

 be. 



When the bair trees have been grafted and grown 

 to a certain size, suntara orange trees are planted 

 among them, and between the latter again, the low 

 bushes of the bla jessamine are planted. The 

 strongly-scented flowers of the latter are much appre- 

 ciated by all natives, and, therefore, find a ready sale, 

 while the large, egg-shaped bair fruit are devoured in 

 great quantities by natives during their season. 



The grafted bair trees shed their leaves towards the 

 end of winter. At the beginning of spring they are 

 severely pruned back, and after a month or so they 

 begin to shoot out again. Without this severe pruning, 

 natives say the bair tree does not fruit satisfactorily. 

 Pruning hardly describes their method sufficiently 

 amputation would be the better term. At that time, 

 the orange trees, freed from the bair tree shade, get a 

 good deal of direct sunlight. This enables them to 

 ripen their younger wood for the production of next 

 season's flower twigs. During the winter the soil is 

 turned and kept dry for about two months. When the 

 orange trees flower and the fruit sets, manure is given, 

 water saucers round the trees, and water channels are 

 made, and the ground irrigated three or four times a 

 month. In winter, while the fruit is still on the trees, 

 they are watered about twice a month. The orange 

 trees and the jessamine bushes flower about the same 

 time, the latter continuing longer in flower. The 

 owner of this ground said that canal water is injurious 



