ORANGES AND LEMONS IN MESSINA. 497 



ing is in April, after which the land is trenched and a basin is made 

 around each tree. 



Fertilizers. These groves are badly fertilized, as there are no good 

 fertilizers here. Stable mannre is so mismanaged that it furnishes" 

 bat little plant-food. 



Fifty-five pounds of stable manure are applied annually to each 

 young lemon tree. These gardeners are now finding out that this 

 amount is too great, although the manure is of an inferior quality. 



Lemon groves in bearing are manured every three or four years ; 

 55 pounds of cow or stable manure to the tree. 



Some gardeners put the manure in the irrigation trench, and let the 

 water spread it around the trees ; others scatter the manure around 

 the trees, turn it under, and then irrigate. Experiments are being 

 made with sulphate of ammonia. 



The best time to fertilize orange and lemon trees is from April to 

 May. To obtain bastard fruit the trees are fertilized in October. 



Pruning. A tree is never pruned until it is four years old ; its suck- 

 ers and badly placed branches only having been cut away up to that 

 time. Trees are generally pruned in March, after the crop has been 

 gathered, but no precise date can be given. These trees are always 

 pruned high from the ground ; their lowest branches are at least 7 feet 

 above the soil, except when they are directly exposed to winds from the 

 sea, in which case they are kept low that they may escape, as much as 

 possible, from the salt spray. Pruning should not be practiced in sum- 

 mer, as, at that season, the wounds are hard to heal and are apt to pre- 

 dispose the trees to gangrene and other diseases. 



Picking Lemons are gathered from October to August; oranges 

 from November to April. Lemons are picked whilst immature for 

 foreign markets, and should not weigh less than 80 grams each. Lemon- 

 juice and essence are extracted from inferior lemons. The greatest 

 care fs necessary in gathering the fruit not to bruise it. After the stems 

 have been cut close the fruit is wrapped in tissue-paper and carefully 

 packed in boxes containing from 300 to 360 lemons and from 160 to 

 L'OO, 240, 300, and 360 oranges. 



J'tanting. One hundred and sixty-two trees are planted to the acre. 



Propagating. The lemon is now budded on the bitter orange stock 

 ( Citrus bigaradia). Prior to 1870 the seedling only was budded, but 

 this tree having been destroyed by the gum the hardy bitter orange 

 stock has taken its place. The several varieties of oranges grown are 

 also budded on the bitter orange stock. 



Varieties. The best varieties are budded j seedlings never reproduce 

 their own variety. 



Orchard*. The orchards are generally small, averaging from five to 

 seven acres. The high prices that ruled a few years ago induced small 

 land-owners to plant out orchards, but prices having fallen and diseases 



