8 



grower, and not the plants or situation. As far as my observa- 

 tions go, an altitude of from 800 to 2 500 feet seems to be the 

 ideal one for Orai'ges, with one drawback, and that is, that the higher 

 the grove the later the fruit, an i the early orange or grape fruit cer- 

 tainly seems t be the one that catches the quattie. The earlier we 

 get our fruit without impairing the quality, the better, and it seems 

 to me therefore, that what we ha\e to do is to look for the orange 

 best suited to low altitudes. 



Propagation and Treatment in Grove. 



By Ron. T. H. Sharp. 



Having been asked to read a paper on Orange ' 'ulture, [ do so basing 

 it upon five years' experience not onlv in establishing orchards but in 

 reading and learning from others. Prior to this date little or no at- 

 tention had been paid here to orange culture ; bu the misfortunes in 

 Florida have given us an opportunity which has been taken advantage 

 of. namely the establishment of oiange gioves. 



It would take too long forme to deal with the pros and cons of each 

 itfm, and therefore, I shall simply state what may be u>eful in prac- 

 tice to suit Jamaica. 



Seed. 



The best seed for stock is from the thoroughly ripe Seville orange, 

 grown in the C la rem on t district of St. Ann. There the seed matures 

 to a large size and germinates readily. 1 have used from that district 

 over 40 U quarts supplied by Mr. Sutherland. 



A simple method of obtaining good seed is to squeeze the oranges 

 over a rough crocus bag ; then by holding the bag at one end and 

 shaking it, the large round seeds will be thrown forward, while the 

 deformed ones and other matter will stick to the rough bag. 



You should be careful to prevent the seed fermenting either by 

 keeping it exposed in a cool place at nig It, and d tying it during the 

 day, or by immediately using it. 



Nurseries. 



Beds 5 feet wide should be made up and the Seville orange seed 

 placed in drills 4 inches apart in the step and ltf inches wide in the 

 row ai d 1 inch deep. Three rows should occupy one bed leaving a 

 foot out at boih ends. Then cover with banana trash for 10 days, af- 

 terwards removing it. 



As soon as the seedlings are about I s inches high, six months old 

 and ihe thickness of an ordinary black lead pencil, they should be 

 lifted carefully, half the tap root cut off, and planted out in rows 4 ft. 

 x 18 inches, giving about 7,000 trees to the acre. 



All weak seedlings should be thrown away. 



Budding. 



Three months after the seedlings have been planted out, they should 

 be fit to take the bud, and six months later, when the plants are 15 

 months old they should be ready for planting out. Fifteen to eighteen 

 months old trees are the best. 



Angular wood is the best to bud from, although round wood is ge- 

 nerally recommended. It should not be too young because it would 

 then shrink. If it is too round and old it will not be sufficiently suc- 

 culent. A happy medium is what you want. 



