VI THE ORANGE I47 



Propagation. — In the West Indies, orange-trees are for Seedlings. 

 the most part raised from seed, and no better oranges. can be 

 grown in any other part of the world than those produced 

 from some of these seedling trees. In Florida and other 

 parts of the Southern United States, the oranges are 

 mainly propagated by budding sour stocks, for the sour Budding 

 orange has become wild in some parts of those countries. ^°^^ stocks. 

 In Europe the best oranges are grafted, and as a grafted Grafted 

 fruit is very variable in the variety grown from its seed, it °''^"ses. 

 has been said that oranges will not " breed true," and graft- 

 ing or budding is necessary to preserve the characteristics of 

 the fruit. This, however, is a fallacy as far as the West The seed 

 Indies are concerned, for in these countries the seeds for the Jj^^tht^west 

 most part breed true and no other method of propagation is Indies. 

 adopted. 



The seeds should be planted in nurseries prepared in the Nurseries. 

 manner described in former chapters ; or, if the cultivation 

 is not to be carried out on a large scale, it is perhaps better 

 to sow them in boxes raised off the ground, as rats and mice 

 are particularly fond of them. The seeds must be planted presh seed 

 fresh from the fruit, for they lose their germinating power necessary. 

 on drying, and they cannot be carried long distances unless 

 they be preserved in earth, for, strange as it may appear, 

 seeds kept in earth will remain fresh much longer than those 

 left in a dry place above the soil. This is a wise provision Seeds lie 

 of nature whereby seeds, which have been dormant in the f^g earlh'ibr 

 soil for years, wake into life as soon as the conditions are long periods 

 favourable for plant life. One orange seed often contains Several 

 several embryos [see next page] and this is why it happens one^seed.'" 

 that when the seeds are planted at distances several seedlings 

 are found afterwards growing close together. The seeds Distances 

 must be sown three or four inches apart, and there should be |^"r^e*le.<; 

 from six to nine inches between the rows. As the tap root 

 is long, the nursery beds must be dug deeply so as to loosen 

 the sub-soil. The seeds will soon germinate, and the plants 

 can be put out in the fields when they are a year old. 



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