148 THE PRINCIPLES OF PRUNING 



while some trees have the red-rust, causing the fruit to split 

 and drop. This disease, however, will rapidly disappear as 

 the roots and tops become more evenly balanced. As some 

 trees were flowing more sap than others when the last 

 freeze struck them, so some were hurt much worse than 

 others, even though standing side by side in the grove. 

 The present condition of the trees, however, is, in the 

 main, very satisfactory, and the fruit-bearing wood should 

 give us a fair crop another season say 20 or more boxes 

 where we now count one. The rapid growth of this new 

 fruit -producing wood will tax our ingenuity to the utmost 

 to keep it from being crushed by its own weight, as these 

 sprouts have, in many instances, but a thin shell of live 

 wood to give them strength as against the wood fiber from 

 the wood of the tree, as is the case with the tree in its 

 normal condition. These sprouts, growing at an angle of 

 some forty-five degrees, when weighed down with fruit will 

 have to be artificially supported with the greatest care. * 



" Profiting by the experience of the past, I would change 

 but little in the work done to bring out my orange grove to 

 the best advantage, and in the least possible time. If all 

 the trunks of the trees had been well wrapped the morning 

 after the second freeze, or better yet, the day before, if the 

 Signal Service would give us the notice in time, it would, 

 no doubt, prove of invaluable benefit. 



"Then I should advise the following treatment: Cut off 

 the lower branches and cut top immediately above. The 

 trees treated in this way, as before noted, are alive all 

 around the trunk, and the branches and sprouts thrown out 

 seem to be more firmly united with the trunk than any 

 others. Cut all trees less than six years set close to the 

 ground, and draw the dirt away from the collar, so as to ex- 

 pose the surface roots slightly to the sun. As soon as prac- 

 ticable, plow the grove, breaking as many roots as may 

 come in contact with plow, and have a man follow with 

 keen grub-hoe, and cut off all such roots smoothly. 



