THE CULTIVATION OF CITRUS FRUITS IN THE WEST I N DIES. 4:il 



NURSBBIBS. 



Owners of Citrus groves should always possess their own nurseries, 

 and, as far as it is possible, raise their own stock. A portion of the 

 intended grove should be selected as the site for the nursery. Tbe plants 

 then raised in these nurseries will be accustomed to the conditions 

 prevailing in the grove when they are planted out in their permanent 

 places, and will suffer little or no check upon removal. It is a well- 

 known fact that before a plant can thrive its root system must adapt 

 itself to the soil in which it is grown ; therefore, by selecting a por- 

 tion of the intended grove for this purpose, the physical conditions of 

 the soil in which the seedling plants are raised will, for all practical 

 purposes, be the same as the remainder of the grove. The root system of 

 the seedlings raised in such nurseries will therefore be of that formation 

 required for the successful growth of the plants in their permanent 

 quarters; whereas if the young plants are raised in a nursery rich in 

 organic matter, and transferred to a grove where the soil is of a stiff 

 nature, they will receive a great check, necessitating a more or less com- 

 plete change in their formation. 



The site chosen for the nursery should be sheltered from heavy rains 

 and high winds. The portion selected for the seed beds should be 

 sheltered from the direct rays of the sun. The soil should be well tilled 

 to a depth of 2 feet, and all lumps carefully broken up. The position 

 should also allow of natural drainage. Beds should then be made 5 feet 

 wide, these fceds being divided by a foot walk, soil being t hrown from 

 the walks upon the beds to raise them so as to receive a better drainage. 

 Beds wider than 5 feet should not be made. This width allows of the 

 manipulation of the plants without treading on the beds. The usual 

 length for each bed should be about 20 feet ; but this is purely a matter 

 of convenience, and should depend upon the size of the nursery as 

 a whole. 



The planter must decide for himself what particular stock will best 

 serve his purpose, and in this matter he might be guided to a great extent 

 by the experience already gained by those owners of Citrus groves nearest 

 to his intended settlement, modifying, of course, the advice given for his 

 own particular conditions and requirements. He may be assisted some 

 what in this decision by considering the few notes on " stocks " which 

 follow. 



Having carefully decided which stock to use, seeds of the perfectly 

 ripe fruit should be obtained and sown in drills 1 inch deep and 2 inche 

 apart in beds previously prepared, the drills being made 6 inches apart, 

 the most suitable time for sowing being about October. These heds will 

 require weeding from time to time. The weeds should be thrown in the 

 walks and trampled under foot. 



After each season the beds should be levelled down and the walks 

 forked up. in remaking, the new beds should be made o\er the old walks, 

 and the new walks where the old beds formerly stood. The weeds irhiob 

 have been thrown in the walks during the year should by this time be 

 fairly well decayed, and should be thoroughly worked into the soil of the 

 new beds. 



