27 



to be sprayed for scale. The next question is how to 

 keep the soil moist. In this it is also possible to imitate 

 nature, but it is not always practical. The air and soil 

 in the forest are humid -because of the dense shade and the 

 leaf mold covering the ground but in the grove the shade 

 must not be dense, and enough mulch to effectually pro- 

 tect the soil can seldom be obtained. The remedy is 

 continual cultivation during the dry season, but experi- 

 ence has shown that that method does not fill all the re- 

 quirements. Irrigation is frequently necessary and in 

 many localities it is one of the best paying investments. 

 Nature also teaches a lesson in feeding plants and in 

 the case of citrus trees the lesson is a most valuable one. 

 A self-planted seedling tree growing in uncultivated soil 

 does not suffer from die-back, gummosis, foot-rot, etc. 

 It takes up no more food than it can readily digest. It 

 does not grow fast, but nature is not in a hurry. The 

 fruit may be too soft to ship or too sweet to suit the 

 palate of some people, but it suits the mocking bird and 

 the wild parrot and nature is satisfied. 



The budded tree planted by hand and forced into quick 

 growth by constant cultivation of the soil is under many 

 disadvantages. If the soil is rich enough to produce a 

 tree it is usually too rich in nitrogen to produce a 

 healthy tree. This may cause no harm if the soil is not 

 cultivated, but in that case a young tree would not grow 

 fast enough to suit commercial demands, and it would 

 not survive because of the artificial" conditions under 

 which it is placed. In cultivating virgin soil the nitrogen 

 is liberated faster than the other plant foods and the 

 tree becomes unhealthy from improper food. If it sur- 

 vives and bears fruit it will usually not be firm enough 



