BUDDING AND GRAFTING ORANGES 



439 



the young tree should harden its wood before cold weather. Nor 

 is it desirable that the growth be too rapid. A good growth o 

 sound wood is better than extra size. 



Length of Time in Nursery. Seedlings are usually budded after 

 being one or two years in the nursery, or at two to three years 

 from the planting of the seed. At a convenient time in the winter 

 the lower shoots and thorns are removed from the seedlings, so 

 as to leave a clear stem of about six inches for the convenience of 

 the budder. 



BUDDING THE ORANGE 



The orange root is the best foundation for an orange tree, and 

 the seedling sweet orange has been the main reliance. The seed- 

 ling of the Florida sour orange has been used to some extent to 

 escape gum disease. It has not been entirely free, though conceded 

 to be less subject to the trouble. Oranges have also been worked 

 upon pomelo seedlings, which force a strong growth, root deeply 

 and are satisfactory. Qf course many lemon, and recently many 

 pomelo trees, have been worked over to the orange, but in these 

 cases the orange root was below the other wood. All lemon roots 

 are not suitable for the orange. The Japanese practice of dwarfing 

 with the citrus trifoliata has never prevailed in this State. Recently 

 the trifoliata stock has been used considerably to secure earlier 

 ripening of fruit, and the tree claimed to be sufficiently free growing, 

 but experience favors the other roots for standard trees. 



Orange top on lemon trees eighteen months after budding. 



