THE ORANGE IN CALIFORNIA — PROPAGATION. 85 



Collecting the Seed. — There are various ways in vogue, but 

 in the one most commonly used the fruit is piled in heaps or 

 put into barrels to rot. ^^'hen it has decayed sufliciently to 

 break easily when handled, it is crushed in a tub or barrel and 

 the seeds are washed out. A coarse sieve is used; the soft sub- 

 stance of the fruit passes through, leaving the seeds in the sieve. 

 This operation is carried on in a place where water can be used 

 freely, as considerable is required to do the work properly. 



Keeping the Seed. — To insure best results, the seed of the 

 orange should not be allowed to dry after being taken from the 

 fruit. If not ready to plant then, they should be put in moist 

 sand. In this way they can be kept until everything is pre- 

 pared. 



How to Put the Seed in Sand. — Take a shallow box, say 

 five inches deep and twenty or thirty inches square; fill it half 

 full of moist sand, then put the seed on top, about two inches 

 deep. On top of the seed place considerable sand and mix 

 the sand and the seed together with the hands. This is done so 

 that the sand will stick to the seeds and prevent them from 

 adhering to each other. Then fill up the box with sand and 

 let the seeds remain until they are to be planted. The boxes 

 can be stacked one upon another. 



Taking the Seed Out of the Sand. — The seed-bed having 

 been prepared, take the top box and dump its contents into a 

 coarse sieve. This must be done with care, so as not to bruise 

 the seed. Then shake the sieve; the sand will pass through, 

 leaving the seed in the sieve. 



The Seed-Bed.— The seed-bed should be inclosed with 

 boards, eighteen or twenty inches wide, set on edge, about four 

 or six feet apart. The bottom should be floored, so as to 

 prevent the ingress of gophers and other rodents. Laths are 

 nailed on top, leaving a space of one half inch between them, 

 to protect the seed from being scratched up by birds. A cover- 

 ing of thin muslin is put on top of the laths to prevent the 

 young plants from being scorched by the sun. If the weather 

 be cloudy, it is well that the covering be removed to allow the 

 seed-bed to get warm. It is better to plant the seed broadcast 

 but not too thickly, as the plants will grow slender and not so 



