The Growing of the Trees 



9 



San Di'mas, California 



The Growing of a Citrus Fruit Orchard. 



THE several operations necessary to the production of 

 nursery trees is a phase of citrus culture with which 

 the average planter of an orange or lemon grove has 

 little to do, he usually finds that his chief interest in the rearing 

 of a successful orchard takes its inception in the purchase of trees 

 from the nurseryman. In spite of that fact, however, the pro- 

 duction of good trees appeals to him from an educational view 



ONE-YEAR-OLD SEED BED PLANTS. 



point: it affords an insight to the care essential for the growing 

 of profitable trees, and also gives emphasis to the importance 

 of planting only reliable true-to-name nursery stock. The 

 growing of good plants along commercial lines is at best a matter 

 fraught with some risk, much care, experience and knowledge 

 of plant growth, as well as an appreciation and an enthusiasm 

 for the business. When we allow for the fact that it takes from 

 three to four years to produce a merchantable citrus tree, and 

 that it requires three to four additional years to bring the tree 

 into bearing, the importance of good stock is at once obvious. 

 To these basic considerations the cost of land and care must be 

 added in order to fully appreciate the momentous undertaking of 

 planting and bringing an orange grove into profitable bearing. 



Allowing for these conditions (which must be met before the 

 success of an orchard can be assured ) it will not be out of place 

 to give a graphic description of the methods which have made 

 the trees produced by The San Dimas Citrus Nurseries famous 

 wherever citrus fruits find congenial conditions. For the most 

 part the methods here described are general in character, though 

 with us they have proven prolific of the best results in the growing 

 of citrus trees sure to yield bountiful and profitable crops, provided 

 the conditions of soils and climates are at all favorable, and where 



TWO-YEAR-OLD SEED BED PLANTS. 



intelligent care and management has been given the trees. 

 us view the subject at closer range. 



Let 



EXTRACTING SEED. There are several methods in general 

 use for extracting seed, but the most rapid way is to use some kind 

 of a home-made machine for thoroughly crushing the fruit, then 

 using a screen of coarse mesh for separating the seed from the 

 pulp. It is very necessary that the seed should be thoroughly 

 washed and cleaned free from pulp. If not thoroughly washed 

 and cleaned it is apt to sour the soil where it is planted, causing 

 the young plants to "damp-off" after they have germinated 

 and started to grow. 



