36 ORANGE CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 



I may be considered tedious in this matter, but experience 

 has taught me that this is the critical juncture in the life and 

 future usefulness of an orange tree. 



Bagging trees consists in removing them with a ball of earth 

 adhering to the roots. This ball of earth is covered with some 

 kind of material tied snugly and closely to the ball with twine 

 or bailing rope, to prevent the earth from cracking or from sep- 

 arating from the roots. The best material for bagging is bur- 

 laps, second-hand grain bags being generally used. The size 

 of the ball of earth is governed by the size and age of the tree 

 to be removed. The earth must be cut away near enough to 

 the trunk of the tree to get the benefit of a mass of fibrous roots 

 to be left with the ball. From eight to twelve inches in diam- 

 eter, and from twelve to sixteen in depth, is generally as large 

 as it is possible to leave the ball. If the ball be too large, its 

 weight causes it to break away from the roots. Nothing but 

 practical experience can enable one fully to determine the 

 proper size of the ball of earth for the several sizes of trees. 

 Those taken up in this manner do not require so careful super- 

 vision as those taken up by the former method. They must, 

 however, be handled and lifted about carefully, and not be 

 thrown or tumbled around in the manner most agreeable to the 

 average freight-handling railroad employe. 



If the earth be badly cracked, or broken away, then the object 

 sought in bagging will be lost, and with it a large portion of the 

 best roots of the tree. 



When planting bagged trees do not remove the bagging, but 

 plant it with the tree ; it soon rots, and does the tree no harm. 

 An attempt to remove the bagging may break the ball, or sub- 

 sequent handling, while putting the tree in place, may destroy 

 all the benefits sought to be derived from this method. 



All trees should be pruned a week or two before being re- 

 moved from the nursery, to enable them to recover from the 

 shock always resulting from severe pruning. I recommend 

 cutting the limbs back severely at this time more than at any 

 time before or after. 



The condition of the soil at the time of removing the tree is 

 very important. It should be in good order, thoroughly damp 



