THE SICILIAN LEMON INDUSTRY CULTURE. 



211 



the lemon trees prevents the further cultivation of annual 

 crops, the work assumes a regular character. 



Irrigation. Wherever possible, irrigation takes place at 

 regular intervals through the summer months. In the moun- 

 tains this is done by gravitation from the mountain streams, 

 and the irrigation ditches are always a prominent feature in the 

 lemon grove. Usually each tree stands in the center of a basin, 

 formed by a small 

 mound of soil, and 

 into this basin the 

 water is run at in- 

 tervals. On the 

 lower lands I found 

 artificial means of 

 raising water were 

 used, and I was 

 struck with the ex- 

 tent and complete- 

 'ness of the steam 

 pumping plants in 

 some of the larger 

 plantations. I 

 think there must 

 have been many 

 miles of concrete 

 channels. These 

 channels were 

 sometimes five or 

 six feet above the 

 level of the ground, 

 and were carried on 



Concrete walls Sicilian lemon tree, showing method of pruning. 



about eighteen 



inches thick. When it was necessary to cross one of the road- 

 ways which divided the grove into regular blocks for conven- 

 ience of gathering the crop, and other work, an earthenware 

 inverted siphon was used, carrying the water under the road 

 and up the other side. Except for the siphons, these channels 

 reminded one of the old Roman aqueducts on a small scale. 

 The first irrigation is given in June, when the fruit from the 



