518 FKUIT CULTURE IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 



uers of each one he digs out round ditches, with some well-manured 

 animal compost, mixed with the earth. It is proper, however, to note 

 that the young trees are always to be kept free from sprouts, and watered 

 and manured diligently. This operation is done as follows : 



Every fifteen days the ground is removed from the bottom, and the 

 grower around the tree forms two circles, one of a foot and the other 

 of two feet in diameter. Then he removes the ground from the base of 

 the tree about 5 inches deep and fills it with manure, covered with the 

 same ground. This operation is also recommended for large old trees. 



In the fifth year the said trees of bitter-orange seedlings are grafted 

 iut) lemons, or oranges if desired. 



Fertilizing. — A lemon grove must at least be dug three times a year ; 

 that is, on the first of January, pretty deeply, and the ground ma- 

 nured, if possible, in all its extension; (2) in the month of April for 

 forming the conclie (compartments) and gutters for watering in the 

 hot summer ; (3) in the middle of June, for weeding. In the fifth year, 

 the young bitter orange trees will be grafted. 



Grafting. — Although no inquiry is made about grafting, yet I may 

 give some details of the methods used ia Sicily. Grafting is done in 

 becco di flauto (beak of flute), by spacco (splits), or by scudo (shield). 

 This last one is generally practiced in this island, and the proper sea- 

 son is in the month of October or May. The first method is called 

 "arf occhio dormente^' (sleeping eye), because it is necessary to await 

 the coming spring season to see whether the grafting has turned out 

 well. The second is practiced by smarter agriculturists, and is called 

 occhio vivente (living eye), for the reason that should it fail, in the coming 

 fall it is operated again. The shoots are to be chosen from the best 

 and most vigorous adult trees, and so at the end of the seventh year 

 you will have a good producing young lemon grove, fruiting all the 

 year around. 



A fifteen-year old tree generally produces 500 lemons, while at 

 twenty it yields over 1,000. Professor Oassella states that he has seen 

 several very large old trees producing as many as 10,000 fruits per 

 year. 



Pruning. — Pruning is done according to the growth of the tree. 

 The method used in Sicily is a tronco rovesciato (capsized cone.) This 

 form is practiced from the time the tree is young by cutting the main 

 trunk, and letting the lateral branches grow, in order to have free ven- 

 tilation and free sunlight, and to effect the fruits to maturity. 



The height of the trees varies according to locality and usage of the 

 country. In Messina, for instance, they are left pretty high, while in 

 this province they are kept low, on account of strong winds, which 

 sometimes prevail around Mount Etna. 



PicMng. — The regular season for picking lemons in this district com- 

 mences iVoin October in low lands, and in November on high lands, up 

 to tlie end of January. That is called il primo taglio (first cut), and the 



