198 HORTICULTURAL MANUAL. 



are not cut, as noted in section (74). In budding, the old 

 plan was to shove the bud upward, as practised sometimes 

 in spring-budding at the North (76). But those who 

 practise the usual plan of shield-budding have quite as 

 good success and the bud can be inserted lower down. 



193. Top-working the Orange. — In orange-growing cen- 

 tres in this country the iirst plantings of the gulf region 

 and west coast were mainly seedlings, and seedlings are 

 yet set in orchard with view to top-working. In top- 

 working old seedling orchards the usual plan is to cut back 

 one half of the top at one time and insert buds in the 

 young shoots that start from the stubs. This is repeated 

 the next season on the other half. The top-working of 

 young seedlings set in orchard for stocks is done by budding 

 on the side limbs and at top the season after setting, as 

 practised in top-working young apple-trees (89). Grafting 

 is not often practised with the orange, for the evident 

 reason that the leaves, even if cut back in part, are apt to 

 dry the scion before it has time to unite with the stock. 

 But under glass it is nearly as easy to graft as to bud the 

 citrus fruits. 



194. Cultivation. — During the early period of American 

 orange-growing in a commercial way the advice was given 

 to keep up clean cultivation through the season and to 

 rely mainly on commercial fertilizers. The natural out- 

 come of this system has been the same as when practised 

 with the deciduous fruits (135). With increased experi- 

 ence it was found that humus as well as fertilizers must 

 be given to the soil. Growers now recognize the need of 

 adding barn-yard manure, straw, or other refuse, or to 

 grow leguminous cover-crops (126), to give the needed 

 fresh humus and nitrogen to tlie soil. 



The orange is a gross feeder that throws out wide- 

 spreading roots with an yinusual supplv of root-hairs and 



