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trees sicken, perhaps die. Don't make basins round the trees for the 

 water to run into and sink away; this method is the best known for 

 inducing " collar rot," and this disease kills more citrus trees than 

 all the others in Africa put together; besides, the feeding roots of the 

 tree require water, not the trunk, and they are away out in the 

 middle of the row. 



Furrow and Check Systems. 



The best method in use at present is that known as the furrow 

 system,. The late Professor Hilgard, of California, one of the leading 

 men of the world to-day on soil matters, advises deep and narrow 

 furrows. Three or at the most four are ample; they can best be 

 drawn with a plough running as deeply as possible and followed by 

 the water as soon as practicable. After irrigation is finished a harrow 

 can be driven over the dry portions of land and the wet soil covered 

 over so as to reduce evaporation to a minimum. 



Somei cultivators, chiefly of American manufacture, have furrower 

 arrangements which may be attached to the machines, and these are 

 capable of drawing three furrows at once ; one can also make such an 

 article from a couple of 3 by 9 planks. The disadvantage in their use 

 is that they do not go down as deep as the plough. 



What is known as the check sy stern has some advocates, but 

 this is not considered suitable for South African conditions. What- 

 ever system of irrigation is adopted the one important point to bear 

 in mind is to get the water as deeply as possible into the land, and by 

 after-cultivation to retain it as long as possible. Frequent use of the 

 cultivator means less work in connection with irrigation, and this fact 

 is worth bearing in mind. Cultivating is far easier than irrigating, 

 and this ought to appeal to most of our citrus growers in these days of 

 scarcity of labour. 



Pruning. 



Although the orange requires less attention in the way of pruning 

 than most other trees, it is still necessary to do a little work in this 

 direction. Left to itself it usually assumes a svmmetrical form, and 

 as far as the shape of the tree is concerned there is little to be done. 

 Efforts are sometimes made to induce a tree of willowy habit to grow 

 upright, but as a rule little alteration of the natural form of an orange 

 tree is either desirable or necessary. There is one point in the 

 tendency of the outer branches of the tree to grow downwards which 

 needs correcting. Even this particular feature is not without its use, 

 for young trees, if left alone for the first five years of their lives, will 

 nearly always put out a number of branches carrying quantities of 

 fruit, the weight of which causes them to sag down to the ground. If, 

 therefore, these are removed, or not allowed to grow, that much crop 

 and a corresponding amount of money is lost. Against this must be 

 set the fact that if these branches are not allowed, or are removed, the 

 tree attains its natural form and grows more quickly, upwards. 

 During a recent visit to California the writer spoke to several different 

 growers on this point ; their replies in nearly all cases were indicative 

 of their financial status. Said one: — "Yes, I know I ought not to 

 allow the branches to drag on the ground, but that lot is worth a 



