April, 1910.] 



337 



Horticulture. 



moisture. It is for this purpose that I 

 recommend that the soil should be 

 trenched, or subsoiled, to a depth of 

 eighteen inches before planting. The 

 removal of the excess water through the 

 soil and subsoil to the under drains 

 opens millions of little waterways which 

 the roots of the trees may penetrate for 

 food and moisture. By the removal of 

 the water which fills the spaces in the 

 soil, the air, so necessary in the prepar- 

 ation of plant-food, as pointed out, 

 enters the soil to do its work. The rain- 

 fall enters the well-drained soil at the 

 points where it falls, carrying the ferti- 

 lity washed out of the air and that 

 which has been brought to the surface 

 by the capillary action of the soil and 

 subsoil and the best of manures and 

 fertilisers which have been applied down 

 into the soil where they may be utilised 

 as food to the growing tree. The film 

 of moisture covering the particles of 

 soil is sufficient for plant growth and 

 has an upward capillary flow carrying 

 soluble plant food to the tiny rootlets 

 as it moves towards the surface. When 

 the rainfall comes there is a downward 

 flow of water performing a like mission. 

 In a well cultivated soil we have free 

 access of water, heat and air so neces- 

 sary to plant growth ; while all applied 

 fertility in the way of manures and 

 fertilisers is made available. Culti- 

 vation also prevents the growth of grass 

 and weeds which invariably robs the soil. 



The Best Methods op Cultivation. 

 The best method of cultivation is to 

 turn up the soil during the rainy season 

 once a year, and to keep the soil well 

 stirred to a depth of five or six inches 

 during the rest of the year. The roots of 

 the trees should be encouraged to go 

 lower than the five or six inches of culti- 

 vation, as it must be distinctly under- 

 stood that the roots of the Citrus family 

 must not be damaged in any way. Train- 

 ing the roots to keep down is very simple 

 if the trees are planted in deeply trench- 

 ed or subsoiled laud as has been recom- 

 mended, and if cultivation in the form of 

 ploughing and subsequent stirring up of 

 the soil is carried on year in and year out. 

 If this is thoroughly and systematically 

 done it will be found that the roots will 

 prefer the congenial well-drained, moist 

 soil below, which supplies it with abund- 

 ant assimilable plant- food, rather than 

 the dry surface soil. Also trees having 

 a foothold in sufficient underdrained 

 soil are not likely to be injured by severe 

 droughts or long continued rainfall. 



Ploughs and Cultivators. 

 Where possible a suitable plough 

 should be used for turning up the soil 

 43 



once a year, and it is pleasing to note 

 that ploughs of a reasonable type have 

 at last been introduced iuto Ceylon, 

 thanks to Messrs. Walker, Sous & Co. 

 It is important to remember that 

 different soils and conditions require 

 different types of plough, so that one 

 must not condemn a plough he has pro- 

 cured because it does not suit his con- 

 ditions. I remember the case of a 

 splendidly constructed Ransomes, Sims 

 and Jeff ries double furrow plough which 

 was found useless in turning up lands of 

 modern cultivation in Australia, while 

 no doubt it would have done excellent 

 work on an Euglishfarm which had been 

 subjected to centuries of cultivation. 

 The plough, although entiiely built of 

 the best steel and iron got bent beyond 

 working order, the cause being that it 

 was far too light in construction for 

 the heavy, newly-tilled soils of Aus- 

 tralia. There are many points to be 

 considered in buying a plough— the 

 nature of the soil, the depth to which 

 one intends to plough, the draught 

 power available, etc., etc. It is best for 

 the mvice to get the best advice procur- 

 able before he buys his plough. It must 

 also be remembered that the best 

 plough and the best draught power will 

 not do the best ploughing if handled 

 by an incompetent ploughman. Every- 

 thing depends on the man behind the 

 plough. Ploughing looks simple enough 

 to the onlooker, and many nave argued 

 with me that there is nothing in it, and 

 that it is very simple. Let anybody 

 who holds such an opinion try plough- 

 ing for an hour or so he will find that 

 the harmless looking implement can 

 become an instrument of torture, and 

 play many pranks with him. It takes 

 months and years for a man to learn to 

 plough, so that if a person wishes to turn 

 up his soil, cutting every inch of it to an 

 even depth, he must train the most 

 intelligent men he has and make them 

 stay with him by paying them better 

 wages as ploughmen. He will find that 

 he will not be a loser by it as he will 

 undoubtedly get better yields from his 

 land than from badly ploughed land. 

 Of course these remarks do not apply 

 only to orange cultivation but to all 

 cultivation. 



AFTER THE PLOUGH HAS DONE ITS WORK, 



preferably twice — that is to say, ploughed 

 and cross-ploughed — and the rainy season 

 is over, then should be introduced the 

 " Planet Junior Cultivator," or any 

 other implement of the same stamp. 

 These machines cau now be procured 

 from Messrs. Walker, Sons & Co., and 

 Brown & Co. This implement is for the 

 purpose of breaking up the surface 



