10 



SELECTIO NS FROM ANNUAL REPORT OF DIREC- 

 TOR OF PUBLIC GARDENS, &c, FOR THE YEAR 

 ENDED 31st MARCH, 1900. 



The Superintendent of Hope Gardens reports results of experiments 

 in budding on various stocks in continuation of his report of last 

 year : — 



Sweet orange on lime stocks — These trees continue to grow well. 

 They fruit regularly, and are perfectly free from scale insects and all 

 forms of disease. Th y receive ao attention in the way of cultivation, 

 except that, being in the nursery, they never suffer from drought. 



Sweet orange on rough lemon stocks still look well. 



Sweet orange on sour stocks also look well. 



Sweet orange on sweet stock— Of the 18 trees originally planted out 

 at Hope, three only have been allowed to live ; these are looking well. 

 The other 15 showed signs of various diseases and were destroyed. 

 Sweet orange is a bad stock at Hope. This is an important fact to no- 

 lice, as at one time many people were trying to persuade owners of 

 properties to cut down what they cA\ their " wild" trees and have them 

 budded. In many cases the so-called " wild" trees produced delicious 

 fruit, and to cut down such trees for the sake of budding them with 

 varieties known by name only would be absurd- 

 ly avel oratges have done equally well on sour stocks and rough, 

 lemons. 



Tangierines also look well on both stocks. 



Grape fruit on rough lemons are looking very well. 



Shaddocks also are doing well. 



It m y i rove interesting to record here the growth made by differ- 

 ent citrus fruits on different stocks. The figures quoted below are for 

 trees buddtd at Hope in July and August, 1896, on stocks not more 

 than one year old, and transplanted to the places they now occupy irx 



September. 1897 : — Height. Circumference. 



Grape Fruit on rough lemon stock 12ft. 13ft. 



Shaddock 10ft. 12ft. 



Lemon Imperial 10ft. 13ft. 



Sweet Orange on Sweet Orange Stocks 8ft. 6in. 9ft. 



" Eough Lemon " 7ft 6in- 13ft. 



" Sour Orange* 8ft. 6ft. 



Tangierine Eough Lemon " 10ft. 8ft. 



Navel " " " " 10ft. 10ft. 



Budding.— Our experience of budding io Jamaica has taught us that 

 a strong stock growing rapidly, a healthy fresh bud, and a sharp knife 

 are absolutely indispensable With these 95 per cent, of buds put in 

 ought to grow. Without these 95 per cent, will fail. If the stock 

 receives a check after the bud is put in, the bud will suffer, and pro- 

 bably die. Fine dry weather and artificial watering are the best at 

 Hope for budding. One constant rule is, if the sap of a st ck is not 

 flowing sufficiently to allow the bud to lift the bark without help from 

 t he knife or finger, that stock is not budded, but left until the bark 

 does run easily. 



* These are a year younger than the others. 



