Extract from "Orange Culture" hy the Rev. T. W. Moore, p. IH. 

 A late maturing orange has already been mentioned in these pages, but there is an early variety 

 that nursery men pass over in their catologuea, yet which should not be despis^ed. Like the Lemon 

 grown in this state its treatment has not been such as to bring out its merits. Under no circumstance 

 is it as good an orange as the ordinary Florida Fruit, when the latter is matured. But the " Thornless 

 Bell" is edible in September, and is best when gathei-ed then before it yellows on the tree. When 

 permitted to turn on the tree it looses that sufficiency of acidity which it possesses earlier and which 

 prevents its being insipid — the common objection to it. Instead of a thick rind it then cures with a 

 skin as thin as that of the imported Sicily orange, and with which it will probably compare favour- 

 ably as to general quality. Let it be understood that all that is claimed for this " September Orange" 

 as it might be designated, are its early ripening qualities and its wonderfully prolific nature. 



The Cultivation op the Orange. 



To the Editor of the "Oleaner." 



Sir. — I had not the pleasure of listening to Dr. Neish's lecture on the " Cultivation of the 

 Orange," but I have had great enjoyment in reading it, as it was reported in the Gleaner of 22nd 

 inst. It is not often the privilege of a body of agriculturists to listen to a lecture like his, on a sub- 

 ject to them of special interest in which the historical, statistical, scientific and highly practical phases 

 are so judiciously blended. It is to be hoped that the lecture will be freely and widely published. 



Dr. Neish is of opinion that some of the seedling orange fruits grown in the island " are so good 

 and so suitable for our trade that they are not likely to be surpassed" by those of imported trees : and 

 he only recommends our cultivators to give trial to one exotic subvariety, viz., the " Selecta" of the 

 St. Michael. A plant of St. Michael fruited here last year, but I regret to say the fruits were, in 

 every respect, inferior to the ordinary Jamaica sweet orange. The majority, before maturity, burst 

 their rinds and even when ripe were comparatively sour. It does not follow that what is an excellent 

 variety in the Azores will continue to present the same degree of excellence, under somewhat changed 

 life-conditions, in the Antilles. Fruits, like men, are, specifically and individually, much affected in 

 character by the cultured or scholastic influences of their environs ; and I think with Dr. Neish, that 

 to improve the orange-trade interests, one of the first steps to be taken is to select stock plants of the 

 best known sweet orange trees in the island, bestow on them distinctive names, and then propagate 

 them, true to character and names, by budding and grafting, that they may be "generally distributed 

 throughout the island." " With a special view to ascertain the best native kinds" Dr. Neish very con- 

 siderately suggests, that, " it would be advantageous to bring about a competitive exhibition of fruits." 

 A considerable sum of money, even Government funds, might be most profitably expended in this 

 service, in oUering liberal prizes for a series of sets of fruits, representing degrees of comparative 

 quality, each set proved to have been gathered from a certain tree. The trees bearing the marketable 

 fruits of the first class might then be ascertained, and with the permission of the proprietors, every 

 effort at propagating the plants should be made. 



Under the head of propagation, Dr. Neish has explained at some length, a means of layering 

 orange tree branches, of moderate thickness, by which they are induced to develop roots, and in time 

 might, of course, be severed from the tree and established in the soil on their own respective individa- 

 alities ; but even Dr. Neish thinks the plan has little besides simplicity to recommend it and, very 

 properly, advises those interested to propagate the sweet orange by means of grafting and budding, — • 

 for the theory and modus operandi of which he also refers the interested cultivator to horticultural 

 works. The propagation of certain sweet orange plants, as well as improved varieties or individuals of 

 other tropical fruit and economic trees and shrubs by these means, is very important, because, unfor- 

 tunately, in the case of several, it cannot be done faithfully to type by means of seed. 



And now, if I may be allowed to supplement what has been brought forward by Dr. Neish, I 

 would beg to recommend and describe, briefly as possible, a system (by no means new) of inarching or 

 grafting by approach, by which propagation of such plants may be ensured, and which, by its simpli- 

 city and perfect adaptability to the atmospheric and other cultural conditions obtaining here, recom- 

 mends itself, above all other modes of grafting, to the non -professional operator. 



Procure seedling orange plants, sweet or sour, one to two years old, from the thickness of a goose 

 quill to half an inch in diameter. Place them singly in good soil, well compressed in bamboo pots and 

 nurse them until properly established. They will then be ready as stocks on which to inarch the im- 

 proved or favourite variety. Tie each pot separately to a branch of the favourite, strong enough to 

 bear it up, and at the same time, at a point from which the middle portion of the stock can easily, and 

 without much pressure, reach and lie parallel to a twig or small branch of the tree of or about the 

 same diameter. The operator should now cut away leaves and spines, if present, at and near to the 

 point on the stock above indicated, and then with a sharp thin bladed knife, cut out of both stock and 

 scion a longitudinal slice, from two inches to 2| inches or even 3 inches long, gradually d deponing, 

 about the middle of each cut, to near the pith or half-diameter, at the same time taking care that the 

 cuts may be so straight and in width, at least, equal, so as to readily allow their surfaces to meet with- 

 out resorting to too much force. So important is it that the cuts on both stock and scion should be, at 

 least, of the same width that, theoretically the corresponding inner or lower edges of their barks 

 should, when opposed, come into perfect contact ; and with the biginner it will be as well for him to 

 consider this as being absolutely essential to success. Having thus fitted stock and scion, they should 

 now be bound together with threads of cotton or worsted, or with shreds of calico or bast from the 

 inner bark of the mahoe tree. The tying material must not be drawn so tightly as to either cut into 

 or bruise the bark, the object being merely to keep the edges of the wounds in contact. In addition 

 to such tying, it is nearly always necessary to wrap the wounds with shreds of calico, previously satu- 

 rated with a solution of wax, oil, etc., purposely to keep out rain as well as to exclude desiccating air. 



