October 1915 



IHE (JARDEN AND FIELD. 



Planting Orange and Lemon 

 Trees. 



Writing on this subject Mr. 

 S. A. Cock, in a recent issue of 

 the Victorian Journal of .\gricul- 

 lure, says : — 



The trees are renio\ ed from the 

 nursery after the winter's growth 

 has harflened, and been balanced 

 by a subsequent root growth. This 

 is the condition for new head 

 growth. Just before this starts, 

 the fine roots on one side of the 

 tree, and the tap root, at a fair 

 depth below the surface, are cut 

 with a sharj) spade ; the earth is 

 then returned to thie cut surface, 

 and 'the trees allowed to form 

 crown growth on the cut rootlets 

 and tap root. This usually takes 

 a fortnight ; then the remaining 

 roots can be cut, and the tree re- 

 moved. This treatment prevents 

 shock to the young trees in re- 

 mo v^al. The soil is then shaken 

 from the roots, and the roots 

 dipped mm.ediately into thin mud 

 puddle, and then the roots of the 

 trees packed tightly in the boxes 

 in moist sawd,ust and despatched 

 without delay to the grower. The 

 grower, on receiving the package, 

 should remove the hessian cover- 

 ing, and keep the packed trees in a 

 cool shaded situation, occasionally 

 sprinkling the trees, to keep the 

 package moist, until ' eady for 

 planting. 



When planting is to take place 

 the trees should be renr.oved from 

 the package as rocpiired, and the 

 roots thoroughly washed of mud 

 juiddle ; all broken roots shoiild be 

 removed by cutting with a sharp 

 knife, and the roots thrown into 

 balance as much as possilile. The 

 tre«os should then be wrapix-d in a 

 wet sack, and each tree kept cov- 

 ered till planted. Tlie hole exca- 

 vated for the reception of the trees 

 should be large and fairly deep, 

 3ft. nearly in in diameter and to 

 to 121 inches deep. The soil is then 

 returned to the centre of the hole 

 in the form of a m.ound and on 

 this the tree is {)lanted. 



— Planting. — 



The tap root of the tree should 

 then be placed in the moimd and 

 earth returned, the small roots 

 carefully placed, as equally spaced 

 as possible, and more soil return- 

 ed, until the roots are covered. If 

 the tree is standing too low it 

 should be gently worked up 

 through the soil, returning more 

 earth until the roots are covered. 

 Planting a little deep and working 

 the roots up through the returned 

 soils is a system generally adopt- 

 ed in planting. The tree should 

 stand in the hole, when planted, 

 with the surface soil mark on the 

 stock (indicating the depth it 

 stood at in the nursery) standing 

 6 inches above the ordinary soil 

 level. The tree should then be 



staked and tied ; the stake should 

 be made of rcdgum feet long and 

 1% inches scpiare. IP hardwood 

 stakes are used, theV should be 

 dipped in tar, for a depth of ift., 

 befoTe driving in the ground. The 

 stakes are placed on the south- 

 west, the windward .side of the 

 tree, about 6 inches away, and the 

 tree tivd to the stake with sacking 

 or hay band, at a height of i foot 

 from the ground, tying tight on 

 the stake and loo.se aroimd the 

 tree. The hole should then be 

 fdled up with water, and when the 

 water has drained away, the re- 

 mainder of the should' .should be re- 

 turned ; the soil will then assume 

 the shape of a mound 6 inches 

 high. This will compact to about 

 3 inches above the ordinary soil 

 level, and will keep the scion well 

 above any wet soil surface. The 

 water placed in the hole at plant- 

 ing time consolidates the earth 

 around the roots, and does awav 

 Mvith the harmful practice of 

 tramping with the feet, and the 

 stake holds the tree firm' in its 

 position. 



It requires two men to plant 

 trees properly— 'one to hold the 

 tree and fix the roots, the other 

 to return the earth as required. 

 Two men should dig the holes, 

 plant, stake, and water, also re- 

 turn the earth on i acre of trees 

 per day. P'anting is work that 

 requires care and attention, and 

 it does not pay to rush. 



— The Pot Ball and Method. — 



Other methods of planting are 

 the ball and pot system. The 

 balled trtees are removed with the 

 earth undisturlied aroimd the roots 

 of the trees, and the ball of earth 

 is tied in a piece of hessian, and 

 requires to have only the string 

 cut at the time of planting ; the 

 hessian soon rots in the ground. 

 These roots, if properly lifted, re- 

 quire no pruning at planting, as 

 the roots previously cut and 

 crowned with callus, receive no 

 check. A potted tree is the ordin- 

 ary tree lifted from the nursery 

 with bare roots, placed in a pot, 

 packed with ni?w earth, and new 

 root growth forced by bottom 

 heat under glass for about three 

 weeks, and then the growth hard- 

 ,ened off under ordinary glass con- 

 ditions for six or eight weeks, and 

 still further hardened under ordin- 

 ary cover, and sent out for plant- 

 ing. In planting out, the tree is 

 simply removed from' the pot and 

 planted in the soil. These trees 

 generally require no head pruning 

 ing at planting, as they receive, no 

 root check. In commercial or- 



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Emerald (Vic), Australia 



