ORANGES IN INDIA. 



151 



are dotted about at intervals iu a gently rolling couutry where the tine 

 soil has been collected from the exposed and disintegrated trap rock. 

 This soil forms a stiff loam from 2 to 3 feet iu depth, containing about 

 7 per cent, of lime and 1^ per cent, of vegetable matter. The subsoil is 

 open, nodular limestone mixed with clay, and gives excellent drainage. 



Gli7nate.— The climate of Nagpur is shown iu the following table, 

 which is compiled fi-om the Governmeut Meteorological Eeports. It 

 may be described as comparatively hot and moistfrom June to Septem- 

 ber, cool and dry from October to February, hot and dry from March to 

 May. 



It must be noted that the temperature given in the following table is 

 taken from a barometer shaded from direct sunshine and from radiation 

 at night. The increase obtained by exposing the barometer to the suu 

 averages 59.8° P., and the decrease from exposing the barometer to the 

 open sky at night varies from 12.8° in January to 2.7° in July. 



Table showing the climate of Nagpur, India, where very fine oranges are ;, 



grown. 



Months. 



January 



February 



March 



April 



May 



.rune .•. . 



July 



August. 



September 



.October 



November 



December 



Dui-ing fire years 



Temperature (degrees F.). 



Maximum. Minimum. Avera;^e, 



97 

 105 

 101 



lie 



108 

 94 

 94 



83 



116 



Kaiu-fall. 



OS. 6 '■ 



Hl.O 

 88. S 

 93.1 . 

 8S. 7 ' 

 79.1 I 

 7!i.3 ! 

 77.2 

 70.7 ! 

 67.1 

 78.7 



Jjichets. 



0.61 

 0.42 

 0.63 

 0.45 

 0.83 

 8.99 

 12.94 

 8. K2 

 7.02 



U.41 

 0.34 



79.0 



44.51 



There are two distinct seasons in which the trees will flowerand ripen 

 fruit, and to obtain high-class fruit the cultivator must elect which sea- 

 son he will work a particular break or division of the orchard, be- 

 cause the trees will not bear properly at both seasons, and the attempt 

 to make trees bear fruit at both seasons has been the destruction of 

 many plantations in other ]>arts of India. The finest fruit is obtained 

 from flowers that open in June and July. This is on the market from 

 February to May. The other flowering takes place iu February and 

 March. This ripens fruit from December to February. 



Irrigation. — The trees are kept dry during May or December, ac- 

 cording to the season at which fruit is wanted. At other seasons irri- 

 gation is carried on sufiicient, with the rain fall, to provide 4 inches of 

 water over the entire surface. The water is drawn from wells 30 feet 

 deei> by means of a leathern bucket which contains about 25 gallons, 

 by a pair of oxen that walk down an incline plane, pulling a rope that 

 passes over a pulley. The cost of drawing water by this means is 1 



