208 STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 



and observation, extending from the coastal region well up into 

 the mountains, and I have verified them as far as possible by 

 reference to the scanty literature on the subject. This is almost 

 entirely confined to more or less brief references to the subject 

 in British and American consular reports. The most complete 

 account of Sicilian lemon culture I have seen is that by Acting- 

 Consul de Garston, made in 1895. Some of the statements in 

 some of these reports appear to me to be a little misleading, in 

 consequence, I think, of the writers' not being familiar with 

 fruit culture, and so misunderstanding the information given 

 by growers, but they are valuable in many respects. 



The Nursery. — For convenience and clearness, I will divide 

 the life of the tree into two periods. These are clearly marked, 

 but very unequal in duration. The first is the nursery period, 

 and extends over from five to six, and sometimes seven years. 

 The second is the management of the tree in the lemon grove. 



The usual care is taken to secure a suitable plot of ground 

 for the seed-bed, but I did not find the practice followed by our 

 nurserymen of raising seedlings in frames to be in operation. 

 Formerly young trees were largely raised from layers or cut- 

 tings, but this practice is almost discontinued, because the trees 

 are considered less robust and more subject to disease. Up to 

 within the last twenty years the stocks were raised from lemon 

 seed, but now the bitter orange. Citrus bigaradia, is almost 

 always used. I think it is called Cedrangoli amari by the 

 Sicilian growers. The dry seed from this stock is, I believe, 

 sold at from 1.50 lire to 2.00 lire per kilogram (a kilo is about 

 2.2 pounds, so that the seed costs roughly 8d. per pound). The 

 bitter orange is a free, vigorous grower, and possesses a hardy 

 constitution not subject to disease. The seed-bed, having been 

 carefully prepared of sandy loam, is divided into rectangular 

 plots, each surrounded by a raised border or bank, so arranged 

 that water can be run into each for irrigation purposes and the 

 plot flooded. About a quart of orange-pips are sown on a plot 

 about ten feet by two feet, and are covered with about one inch 

 of sandy soil. The pips are planted in spring ( March or April ) , 

 and are frequently soaked in water before sowing. When sown, 

 the plot is well watered, and it is kept moist during the whole 

 of the summer until the first autumn rains, by watering every 

 four days at least. The young plants show in about two 



