Book I. 



ORANGE TRIBE. 



775 



I never set the orange-trees out of doors during summer ; for, from thirty-eight years' experience, I find 

 it is much against them, in the climate of Scotland. In hot weather I keep them in the back of the 

 vinery, under the shade of the vines, or behind the stage of the green-house. Orange-trees delight to 

 be in the shade in sunny weather ; they here grow freely, and keep a fine dark-green color. From the fre- 

 quent waterings over the leaves in summer, the pots require less water, but they must be carefully attended 

 to, and when the plants are making their young shoots, the pots or tubs require a good supply of water. 

 From October to March, I give them a gentle sprinkling over the leaves once in two or three weeks, 

 but only in fresh weather, taking the opportunity of a mild day, when there is a little sun, and always in 

 the forenoon." {Caled. HorL Menu iii. 303.) 



5939. For the management for Italian plants, destined to grojv large trees and produce 

 crops of fruit in boxes or tubs, ttie treatment requires to be more particularly detailed, 



5940. The following are Miller's directions : — Having furnished yourself with a parcel of trees, prepare a 

 moderate hot-bed of tanner's bark, in length and breadth according to the number of trees to be forced, 

 then put your trees into a tub of water upright, about half way of the stems, leaving: the head and upper 

 part of the stem out of water, the better to draw and imbibe the moisture. In this situation they may re- 

 main two or three days, according to their plumpness when you received them ; then take them out and 

 clean their roots from all filth, cutting off all broken or bruised roots, and all the small fibres which are 

 quite dried by being so long out of the earth, and scrub the stems with a hard hair brush, cleaning them 

 afterwards with a cloth ; then cut off the branches about six inches from the stem, and having prepared 

 a quantity of good fresh earth, mixed with very rotten neat's dung, plant your trees therein, observing 

 never to put them into large pots ; for if they are but big enough to contain their roots it is sufficient at 

 first planting. Wrap the stems round with hay-bands from bottom to top to prevent the sun from drying 

 their bark : plunge the pots in the bark-bed, watering well to settle earth to their roots, frequently re- 

 peating the same all over their heads and stems, being very careful not to over- water them before they 

 have made good roots, and shade from the sun in the middle of the day. If they have grown kindly 

 they will have made strong shoots by the beginning of June ; at which time stop them to obtain lateral 

 branches to furnish their heads ; harden them to admit the.ir removal into the open ground in July ; 

 house them about the end of September ; and, during winter, water frequently but moderately, guarding 

 against frost. In the following spring clean the stems and leaves of the plants, top-dress the earth, and 

 mulch, with rotten cow-dung, round the edges of the pots, taking care that none touch the stems. 

 Remove to a sheltered situation in the open air by the end of May. As the trees advance, stop strong irre- 

 gular-growing shoots in the summer season, to force out lateral branches, to fill the head, and render it 

 regular and free from weak trifling branches. The trees will require to be shifted and new-potted, every 

 other year, in April. In performing the operation, having drawn the trees out of the pots, cut off all the 

 roots round the outside of the ball of earth, and take away all mouldy roots ; then with a sharp iron in- 

 strument, get as much of the old earth from between the roots as possible ; then set the root of the tree 

 into a large tub of water, for about a quarter of an hour, to soak the under part of the ball of earth, 

 then clean the stems. Repot the trees, and water, letting them remain in the house till they have 

 taken root. 



5941. The operation of shifting, when the plants become very large, is much facilitated by adopt- 

 ing boxes which admit of being taken to pieces, as already described ; the balls of earth can thus be 

 slid from one box to the other instead of being lifted out of the box. Where the boxes do not separate, the 

 tree and ball must be lifted out by fixing one end of a rope to the stem of the tree, and passing the other 

 over a pully suspended from a triangle. This mode is recommended by Van Osten, while some French au- 

 thors recommend a carriage -lever and rope. The tree and ball of earth are thus, by either mode, suspended 

 in the air, the latter is examined, the roots pruned, &c. ; and this done, the same or a larger box is placed 

 directly below the ball, with a proper quantity of compost at the bottom, and into this the tree is lowered, 

 and the sides filled with earth, &c. The worst thing attending this mode is the liability of injuring the 

 bark of the stem by the noose of the suspending rope. 



5942. Henderson shifts oranges only once in two years, and frequently after a longer interval. " I never 

 shift any plant till the pot is very full of roots. In shifting the oranges, I always take as much of the 

 exhausted mould away as I can ; and, on account of the light and free nature of the compost used, 

 it comes easily from among the roots. The best season for this operation is about the beginning of 

 March. Having turned the plants out of the pots or tubs, pick as much of the old exhausted mould 

 from the ball as you can, without injuring the roots. They should be shifted into the pots or tubs 

 only one size larger, and some of the plants will perhaps do better if replaced into the same pots again. 

 Let the pots be all clean washed and dried before any plants be again put into them. Put a piece 

 of crockery or broken pot over the hole in the bottom of the pit, with the convex side down ; then 

 cover the bottom, above the piece laid over the hole, three quarters of an inch thick, with char 

 made from pit-coal, broken small, about the size of peas. This both forms a drain, and prevents the 

 entrance of worms. On the top of the charred cinders place a layer of dried moss {hypnum), which 

 prevents the compost mould from getting down amongst the char, and lets the water pass off freely 

 from the roots of the plants. The bottoms of the pots being prepared in this way, put in a little of 

 the compost ; then introduce the roots of the plant into the pot, and fill it up with the compost, ob- 

 serving to keep a little of the mould betwixt the side of the pot and the roots. The plants may be 

 set partly into the peach-house or the vinery, and some into the green-house, which will give a 

 longer succession of their flowers. The orange- trees that are placed in the vinery or peach-house, if 

 there be any fire-heat used at the time, must be watered as soon as put in ; but those put into the 

 green-house where there is little heat, may stand a day without getting any. After that space they 

 may get a moderate watering ; and this may be repeated once a-week till the weather become warm, 

 when they will require it oftener. Those placed in the vinery or peach-house will require watering 

 very frequently, according to the degree of heat kept in the house." {Caled. Hort. Mem. iii. 304.) 



5943. Renovating old trees in pots or boxes. Where orange-trees have been ill ma- 

 naged, and their heads become ragged and decayed. Miller directs to restore them by 

 cutting off the greatest part of their heads by March ; drawing them out of the pots or 

 tubs, and shaking off the earth from their roots ; then cutting away all small fibres and 

 mouldy roots ; and next soaking and cleaning their roots, stems, and branches, planting 

 them in good earth, plunging them in a hot-bed, and treating them as directed for trees 

 received from abroad. 



5944. Management of the citron tribe as standards. Prepare foreign plants as directed above, and instead 

 of planting in pots, plant in the border or floor. This must have been laid dry by proper drains, and if on 

 a wet sub-soil, floored, to prevent the roots from penetrating into it. On this, lay the sort of earth, or com- 

 post, most approved of, to the thickness of three or four feet; care having been taken in constructing the 

 house, that all the walls (excepting the north wall, if the house be opaque on that side), flues, paths, &c. 

 be supported on pillars or piers, so as the compost may extend under them, and ten or twelve feet without 

 the house, according to circumstances. Plant the trees either in squares, or better in quincunx, allowing 

 six or eight feet between the trees, which will give thirty-six or sixty-four square feet to each plant. This 

 distance will suffice for several years, and afterwards every other tree can be taken out After planting, 



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