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stakes, and the tree set so that when the operation of planting is com- 

 pleted it exactly fills the middle of tlie centre notch. Planting should 

 be done after the following fashion : The top soil taken from the hole 

 should be first replaced and brought up into something of a cone shape 

 in the centre of the hole. The roots of the tree should be trimmed 

 with a sharp pair of shears in order to remove all that may be bruised 

 or broken, and then placed on top of the cone and more top soil thrown 

 over them until they are well covered, the planter keeping the tree in 

 the notch of the board all the time. He then removes the l)oard, gets 

 into the hole and tramples the soil firmly round the tree, especially at 

 the ends of the roots. If the root system is large it is well to work the 

 soil in around the roots with the fingers, nothing else does quite as well ; 

 after this is completed a little more top soil is put iu and water run 

 into the hole and allowed to remain until it has all soaked in. This 

 may be done a second time if the soil is light and porous, then after 

 all the water has disappeared finally the hole may be filled up with 

 surface soil taken from Jiear at hand. 



The tree should not stand after planting is finished as low as it 

 stood in the nursery. It is quite easy on all trees to see the mark 

 made by the contact with the soil and defining accurately on each tree 

 the exact height at which it has previously stood. After planting, 

 water should be given as needed, and the ground kept loose round the 

 tree. The top should be cut back in a corresponding degree with the 

 root pruning. 



Cultivation. 



The rainfall throughout the principal orange growing districts in 

 South Africa occurs during the summer; in the so-called winter 

 months rain is seldom, if ever, seen. Cultivation is, therefore, under- 

 taken so as to best allow of the absorption of as much moisture by 

 the soil during the rainy season as is possible and the retention thereof 

 during the dry season, when harvesting of the crop takes place. 



The citrus family, all of them, appreciate thorough cultivfition 

 and clean tilth. The growth of v/eeds in a citrus orchard should not 

 be permitted; each individual weed acts as a pump extracting water 

 from the soil for its sustenance. 



When a "cover" or " g-reen soiling crop" is grown that is 

 another matter, as it is specially planted for a specific purpose. 



In order to prepare the soil for the admission and retention of as 

 much of the summer rainfall as possible, at least one deep ploughing 

 should be given annually. It should take place after the fruit is 

 gathered and before the rains set in if possible ; usually there is plenty 

 of time to arrange the annual ploughing between these periods. 



Assuming that the crop is harvested by the end of August or the 

 middle of September, there remains, as a rule, a period of six weeks 

 in which to attend to ploughing. It is best to use a single-furrow 

 plough and set it to 8 or 10 inches deep for the middle of the rows. A 

 smaller one should be used when ploughing round the trees in order to 

 avoid cutting more roots than necessary and also to enable one to get 

 closer to the tree than can be done with a large plough and a heavier 

 team. 



Horses or mules should be used for draft purposes. The ox should 

 have no place in an orchard of any kind, and especially a citrus one. 

 This statement is one which is eminently sound, and made wittingly 



