Pruning the Orange. 361 
with the roots has been urged. The use of water in planting 
citrus fruit trees is especially desirable. Transplanting should 
be done just as the growth is starting in the late spring or early 
summer, and this is the opening of the dry season and rains can 
not be expected. Therefore when the roots are arranged and 
the top soil lightly tramped around them, water is run in the hole 
and the earth compacted around the roots by water settling. 
After the water has settled away, the hole is filled and the sur- 
face left loose to prevent evaporation. 
These instructions apply to the planting out trees which are 
taken up with long roots and puddled. In planting out balled 
trees, the sack is not removed, but after the tree is embedded 
in the earth, the tying rope is cut. The sack soon decays in the 
soil. 
Orange trees can be successfully transplanted at different 
times of the year, but the best time, as just stated, is after the 
ground gets well warmed by the spring sunshine. The date at 
which this condition arrives depends upon locality. Experience 
seems to indicate that the young orange tree is in best condi- 
tion to transplant just as the new growth is starting out, and 
preferably when it has not grown out more than two inches. 
Great care must be taken that transplanted orange trees do 
not become dry after planting. The methods of irrigation are 
described in Chapter XV. Good cultivation should also attend 
the orange from its first planting onward. This subject 1s fully 
discussed in Chapter XIII. 
PRUNING THE ORANGE. 
All the considerations urged in Chapter XII in favor of 
low-headed and strongly-branched trees apply to the orange, 
though the habit of the tree in growth and bearing requires dif- 
ferent pruning policies. The orange tree is more disposed nat- 
urally to assume a good form than most other trees, and for this 
reason most experiened growers declare their belief in pruning’ 
as little as possible, which is unquestionably good policy, provid- 
ing attention enough is given to securing a shapely and con- 
venient tree and to overcome the tendency in the young tree to 
run out very long shoots which result in unsymmetrical shoul- 
ders with hollows beneath them, or to assume a weeping habit, 
which interferes with irrigation and cultivation and prevents the 
development of good bearing space above. It is so easy to 
bring the orange into good shape by a little hard thinking about 
what shape is desirable and a very little timely cutting and pinch- 
ing to secure it. 
The orange tree should assume a compact wall of foliage. 
The interior of the tree is merely the framework to support this 
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