58 
THE CULTURE OF THE ORANGE TREE. 
trivance, to make room by raising the glasses. 
Cuttings may still be struck of such wood as 
may not be actually growing when selected. 
May. — In a collection of orange, lemon, 
citron, and lime trees, kept always in a mode- 
rate temperature, there will mostly be found 
some blooms ; but this month there should be 
a general blossom on all of them, if they are 
properly attended to. Where there are evidently 
many more bunches of flowers than ought to 
be left to bring fruit, those which are the 
worst placed should be taken away in pre- 
ference to those near the outer surface ; but 
unless the flowers ai'e wanted, such as they, do 
no harm on the trees. It is all very well to 
protest against a tree bearing too much fruit, 
but the time to prevent that is when the fruit 
sets, for they do not generally set more than 
the trees will perfect, and the flowers are 
interesting on the trees. Nevertheless, a 
bunch of orange-blossom is so acceptable in 
a bouquet, that whether it be to carry out, 
or to decorate a vase in the drawing-room, it is 
quite a star. All we object to is picking 
individual blooms, under the impression that 
the tree is the better for it ; however, that is 
not the case, and you ar;e just as likely to pick 
a bloom that would set, and leave tliose that 
would not, as you are to do the reverse. Not 
that we object to nipping out small weakly 
flowers from a bunch, if there is no other 
employment for a person, and perhaps if there 
be but two or three plants to look after, it may 
be done with advantage to their appearance, 
because those that are left would be more of a 
size; but we cannot look upon it as a necessary 
operation for the benefit of the tree. The 
trees now require more liberal watering, 
greater care as to temperature, which should 
be advanced a little, and well secured by 
closing, lighting fires, and hanging mats, be- 
cause the trees are more tender while growing 
rapidly, which they are this month. In fine 
bright warm weather give plenty of air, 
and however much you may be recommended 
to turn orange trees out of doors, be not in 
any haste to do it. They may be required for 
ornament on the lawn, or by the house, and 
therefore are removed ; but let no one move 
them out of doors for their health, because 
they are always the better for being kept within 
their house, protected from high winds, sy- 
ringed daily over all their foliage, closed when 
necessary against the external atmosphere, 
wdth the advantage of receiving all the air 
w^hen the weather is favourable enough. 
Orange trees are great and noble ornaments 
out of doors, but for fruiting, flowering, grow- 
ing healthy, and keeping in good condition, 
they have no business in the open air, exposed 
to wind and rain ; for although a gentle breeze 
and mild shower would be beneficial, heavy 
rain and high wind are downright injurious, 
and when once removed to the open air, they 
cannot have one without the other. The 
advantage under glass is, that they can be 
protected from what is injurious, and get all 
that is beneficial ; for the syringe is a good 
substitute for a mild shower, and there can 
always be air enough admitted when the 
weather is mild. During this flowering month 
the syringing must be applied with the finest 
rose, so that it falls on the plants as fine nearly 
as the dew itself. Shift seedlings that have 
filled their pots with roots to those of a size 
larger. 
June. — Watering is of great importance to 
the trees this month, and the temperature in 
the night should not be less than fifty or fifty- 
five degrees ; and whenever it is up to 
seventy-five by sun-heat, pains should be 
taken to keep it at that, as near as may be, by 
shading with a transparent cloth, giving a 
free air all through the house, syringing the 
ground, and other cooling means. When the 
fruits have set, they may, perhaps, be four or 
five times as numerous as they should be ; in 
this case, thin them while very small to about 
double the quantity that should remain, and as 
these swell and show which are the best to 
leave, they may be reduced to the proper 
quantity. This is far better than thinning 
the blooms before the fruit sets. Look over 
the grafted stocks and the plants that were 
inarched, and examine whether the former 
have growMi, and the latter have united. The 
graited stocks should have all the growth of 
the stock removed, so as to throw the strength 
into the graft ; and the inarched plants, if 
united, should have the grafted branch cut 
from the plant it belongs to, and the top and 
all the other growth of the stock cut away, 
that nothing but the inarched branch should 
grow. If any of the trees have strong grow- 
ing shoots advancing more vigorously than 
the I'est, cut them clean out if they can be 
spared, or materially shorten them if they are 
Avhere stuff is wanted ; for if a branch which 
thus takes a lead be left unchecked, it will 
actually grow almost to the extinction of the 
other portions of the tree. With regard to 
watering, if any of the tubs or pots are found 
to retain the water too long on the surface, as 
if the drainage was not free, or it runs down 
the side and not through the ball, a small 
pointed but smooth iron rod should be thrust 
down in two or three places in the middle 
ball of earth in the latter case ; but the drain- 
ing must be examined in the former case, and 
remedied at once, for no tree can by possi- 
bility be healthy long together with an imper- 
fectly drained soil to grow in, and all the 
mischief may be done before the tree shows 
it. Look well, therefore, that none of the tubs 
