10 BULLETIN 445, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



At the end of six months to a year, if grown in the nursery, the 

 young trees are ready for transplanting. The tender growth is re- 

 moved and the plant dug with a ball of soil around the roots. If 

 they are to be kept any length of time before planting in permanent 

 locations or are to be offered for sale in the markets, as is often the 

 case, the trees are placed in small baskets, about 6 to 8 inches in 

 diameter and 8 to 12 inches in depth, made from splints from the 

 woody leafstalks of the dende palm {Elaeis guineensis Jacq.). These 

 baskets take the place of the clay flower pot and are widely used. 



PLANTING AND CULTURAL PRACTICES. 



The cost of uncleared lands suitable for orange culture near the 

 city varies from $10 to $100 per acre, and farther away, from $3 to 

 $15 per acre. The expense of clearing is frequently more than met 

 by converting the natural growth of timber into charcoal, which can 

 always be sold at a remunerative figure. Immediately after clearing, 

 the orange trees may be set and mandioca (Manihot esculenta Crantz) 

 planted between the rows, or the ground may be cultivated to man- 

 dioca for a year before the oranges are set out. Mandioca matures 

 in one year. The cost of planting, cultivating, and harvesting the 

 crop is about $20 per acre and its value from $30 to $40 per acre, 

 leaving a sufficient profit as a rule to cover the cost of planting and 

 caring for the orange trees during the first few years of growth, after 

 which the cultivation of mandioca in the orchard is discontinued. 



It is customary to plant from 80 to 100 trees to the acre, though 

 on rich soils this may be increased to 120. The market price of 

 budded trees varies from 65 cents to $1 each, according to size. In 

 planting, the crown of the roots is barely covered with soil. In dry 

 seasons it is sometimes necessary to water the young trees by hand 

 for a few weeks, but beyond this little or no irrigation is practiced. 



In most groves the only cultivation consists in clearing the land of 

 weeds two or three times a year with a heavy hoe. Labor for this 

 purpose costs 30 to 60 cents a day. Sometimes the work is let out on 

 contract at the rate of $3.30 per acre for each cleaning. Hoeing is 

 usually done during the dry season, when conditions are most favor- 

 able for killing the weeds. 



The most healthy, vigorous, and productive orchard observed in 

 Bahia was planted to Angola grass {Panicum harbinode Trin. ; PI. 

 IV) , which prevents soil erosion and is at the same time an important 

 source of income as a green forage. Manure is frequently applied 

 to stimulate the growth of the grass, the oranges, no doubt, sharing 

 in the benefits of this practice. In most of the small groves little or 

 no manure is applied directly to the trees ; in some of the larger ones, 

 however, the practice of applying manure or other fertilizers has 

 become common in recent years. Several groves in which the trees 



