30 



dollar to me " ; wliilst another remarked, " No, I want my trees to 

 grow properly. I can do without a little extra money now, and later 

 on the trees will be all the better for it." In no case were the 

 branches of full bearing trees seen sweeping the ground. 



An Ideal Appearance. 



An ideal appearance is obtained when the lowest of the outside 

 brandies of an old tree do not approach it nearer than eighteen inches 

 or two feet. This admits of the free circulation of air round the 

 trunk, also the sun has some opportunity of access, and this factor is 

 of importance in that sunlight is the greatest enemy of the bacterial 

 world, and thus prevents to a certain extent the advent of such a 

 trouble as collar rot. The old-fashioned plan of allowing the outside 

 branches to sweep the ground, under the impression that the shade 

 derived therefrom kept the soil cool, is all wrong. What does happen 

 when this occurs is that scarcely any circulation of air can take place 

 under the tree ; the space round the trunk is dark, and affords a 

 delightful breeding-place for insects, besides favouring the develop- 

 ment of all bacterial and fungoid troubles to which the orange is 

 subject. All dead wood should be removed annually, also water 

 sprouts, unless one should occur where the formation of another bianch 

 is needed ; it may then be cut back and encouraged in the right direc- 

 tion. The trees should not be allowed to become too dense. One often 

 sees an orange tree with a perfect wall of foliage from top to bottom; 

 there is no chance to see inside the tree, the leaves are so thick. This 

 kind of tree is all right to look at, but all wrong hovo. the point of 

 view of healthiness and profit. The trees should be kept fairly open 

 so that the inner branches may be encouraged to bear, and it is well to 

 recollect that fruit so borne is always the largest and latest and nearly 

 always fetches the highest prices. A good plan is to keep the tree so 

 that one can easily see well into the interior of it. This admits also, 

 should occasion arise for spraying against insect of fungus pests, of 

 every part of the tree being easily reached with the spray. 



The best time to prune is after the crop is off; the weather is cool 

 then, and a little exertion is not as conducive of fatigue as during 

 the heat of summer. When pruning use the best tools you can get 

 and do the best work you can, leaving no stubs an inch or two long, 

 but cutting in all cases close up to the limb of which you remove a 

 portion — all cuts over cne inch in diameter should be painted over ; 

 any kind of paint will do. The object is to exclude the air and so 

 prevent decay. 



Fertilizing the Orchard. 



Possibly less attention has been given to this than to any other 

 matter in connection with citrus culture in South Africa. Whilst it 

 is admitted that there are instances in which individual growers have 

 made careful study of their soil and its requirements, the majority 

 have gone on from year to year without much thought about correct 

 methods of fertilizing the orange grove, giving perhaps a yearly 

 dressing of kraal or stable manure from sheep, goats, oxen, or horses 

 indiscriminately. Possibly also credit has been taken from this 

 ■' gift " to the land and a sense of satisfaction experienced at having 

 done the " square thing " by the trees. It is unfortunately a fact that 



