10 

 The way the oranges are feathered in the Khasia Hills is 

 this. A man with a net "bag open at the mouth by acanering, 

 and slung on the hack hy a strap passing over the right shoul- 

 der and chest climhs a baiahoo ladder, plucks the oranges and 

 puts thera into the, hag. Before descending with the hatchet 

 knife sticking in his "belt, all the dead and unproductive vrood, 

 and the twigs where they appear too thick are thinned out to 

 adiriit light into the heart of the tree. Mosses and parasite 

 growths are removed at the same time. The orange trees 

 receive no other liandling than the above v;hen they coxae, into 

 hearing. The y are never systematically pruned, or thinned, 

 and are allov/ed to retain just what fruit they set, and yet 

 the crop turns out wanting neither in size, flavor, nor abun- 

 dance. Contrast with this the elaborate summer ax\ci winter 

 pr'jining of the Prench and Trenoese gardens, and the systematic 

 cultivation of the gardens of Florida and dalifornia. 



Heavy rain in April when the trees are in blossom is very 

 injurious, Muc). damage is also cp.used at times by hailstones 

 destroying -t-he blossoms and young fruits, 



Khasia oranges can be preserved in rood coniltion for 

 many months by placing them on a bamboo trellis s\ispended from 

 the roof of the house with the wind blowing through. The 

 fruits must be soiind, fully ripe and ^Tery carefully plucked, 

 so as not to be bruised or Injiired in any way. They are 

 placed thinly in the trellis, no two fruits being allowed to 

 touch each other. Prom time to time; the fruits are turned 

 over, and those which appear unsound are thrown awajr. Treated 



