125 



Orange and Grape Fruit. The results with the Navel Orange 

 were not (1906) satisfactory, but the Grape Fruit was very- 

 successful (Williams, Rep. Bot. Dept. Oloke-Meji, 1906, in 

 S. Nigeria Govt. Gaz. Dec. 11th, 1907, p. 16). 



The sweet lime and citron are used in India. Trees on the 

 sweet lime stock have sweeter fruits with thin adherent skins, 

 while those on the citron stock have loose jacketed fruits,]come 

 into bearing more quickly, and have a somewhat longer life. The 

 seedlings are ready for budding when about two years old, at 

 which time they are about 2 feet high. Planted out a year or so 

 later they bear fruit in the fourth year from budding (Agric. 

 Journ. India, January, 1907, p. 64). 



At the Orange Conference (see Bull. Bot. Dept. Jamaica, 1902, 

 p. 8) in Jamaica, December, 1901, the best stock was considered to 

 be the Seville orange. 



Seedlings when about 18 inches high (six months old) were 

 transplanted from the nursery beds to distances of 4 feet by 13 feet, 

 or 7,0 '0 trees per acre. Budded three months later, or when nine 

 months old, they were considered ready for planting out in 

 permanent places when 15 to 18 months old. 



The common sour orange for budding the better sorts has also 

 been recommended in Dominica as being the most vigorous and 

 better able to resist " collar rot " or " mal-di-gomma " (Hesketh 

 Bell, Cult, of Orang. Dominica, Pamph. No. 37, 1905, Imp. Dept. 

 of Agric. W. Indies, p. 22). The same system has also been 

 adopted in Jamaica. 



According to Stubbs (The Orange and other Citrus Fruits, 

 pp. 19-20) the choice of sweet or sour orange stock resolves itself 

 into a question of "mal-di-gomma" or no "mal-di-gomma." 

 This disease he states "has caused the abandonment of sweet 

 stock in all the orange-growing districts of Europe " ; and that 

 " it invariably appears sooner or later in every orange-growing 

 district where sweet stock is used." He also states that " the sour 

 stock has the objection of frequent attacks when in the nursery 

 of 'leaf scab,' though when once budded all danger is over, as 

 the sweet top is proof against the disease." 



Apart from the uncertainty of fruit developed from seeds in 

 the first instance, the liability of the sweet orange to "foot rot," 

 " stem rot," " collar rot," " sore shin," or " mal-di-gomma," as the 

 disease is variously called, should be a sufficient objection to its 

 use as a stock, giving preference to that of the more reliable sour 

 orange for this purpose, and perhaps other stocks, the merits of 

 which I am here unable to discuss. 



Grafting does not appear to be nearly so generally practised as 

 budding, although the orange is regarded as an easy subject on the 

 usual principles. The Sicilians and Calabrians bud their trees, and 

 adopt " grafting by approach " as a secondary measure. (See 

 Cons. Rep. Ann. Ser., No. 1770, Palermo, 1896, p. 30, where the 

 budding is described as the " Scutcheon Method of Grafting.") 



A rich deep soil, with thorough drainage, is essential to success 

 in orange cultivation. More attention should perhaps be given to 



