The Hawaiian gazette., 1874-04-01

crowded with little, sour, half-ripened,
perfectly worthless fruit, to the injury of
the careful grower. Now, in our latitude,
anything like two or three hundred large,
rich, perfect oranges on tree in its teens,
should satisfy the cupidity of even dia-
mond salter. Orange trees can be bought
now by the thousand, and at very low
price, thus, parties wishing to plant ex-
tensively can be easily supplied and with
out loss of time. But my object in writ
ing this sketch is to encourage the new
conner, the man of little means, but sturdy
of arm and will; and more so our girls,
painting for extended sphere of labor. To
these l would say, obtain few of the
best favored and largest ripe oranges,
select the plumpest seed and plant it fresh
in boxes with perforated bottoms and
sides, about eight inches high, filed up
with rich, mellow soil that will not bake,
dropping the seeds five inches apart and
covering one inch-keep the box in a
I warm room and the soil damp. When
the young plants appear give plenty of
air and sunshine, and sprinkle them every
evening with slightly tepid water-if
there is no frost apprehended, and the
nights are warm, keep your boxes out of
doors, sheltered from wind and burning
sun; screen made of unbleached muslin
will answer for both. Fork over the sur
face between the plants occasionally, and
mulch it towards midsummer with well
decomposed manure. The seedlings
should attain the height of 12-ls inches
| during the season-but be not to ambi-
tious to stimulate an exuberant growth /;
rather shorten the rampant shoots and
secure a stocky symmetrical growth.
During the winter keep them in dry,
airy place, with a temperature never un
der SO degrees and not over 60 degrees,
and in the spring transplant them to
larger and deeper boxes. This is the
time to graft them oyer-if you know of
tree bearing superior fruit, or a particu-
lar foreign variety from which you could
obtain scions-otherwise let them be, as
the fruit is reproduced true from seed.
Seedlings are the thriftiest and hardest,
make larger and finer trees, and, if care
fully shortened in, and the forming of
fruit buds promoted by nipping the ends
of shoots-will bear early enough All
the grated foreign varieties are more ten
der, of slender, stunted growth, and the
few oranges they bear year or two ear
lier do not amount to much, generally
Except in very favorable localities, the
seedlings should remain in boxes the
second year, affording greater facility for
sheltering them during the winter, and be
transplanted out in the open ground the
third year. The time of the year for
transplanting small trees is immaterial,
provided it is not done during the scorch-
ing midsummer days, but, like other ever
greens, they should always be lifted with
the earth adhering to and covering the
roots in lump. After transplanting
they should be copiously watered to set
tie the ground, and the trees shaded from
the sun for week and more. In choosing
the site for an orange grove, former obser
walton is necessary to indicate the spot
exempt from hard freezing. A few feet
of elevation above the surrounding sur
face, few feet to the right or left of the
prevailing currents, make vast difference
in the climatic peculiarities of given To-
cation. This was well understood by the
Digger Indians; their ancient camps
along the banks of creeks, in the innumer-
able little valleys among the hills, are
just the places; they invariably combine
mellow soil, enriched by the offal of the
camp, with nearness to water, and are
always the most cosy and sheltered hooks
in all the country. In these hooks vines,
tomatoes and melons will remain green all
the winter, and young plants are not in
jured by spring frosts. Next, free sup
ply of water is essential. The holes for
the reception of orange trees should be
four feet in depth and the same in diane
ter, with layer of old bones at the bot
tom six or eight inches deep, filled up half
way with the richest top soil, well pulver-
lied and well drenched with water till
thoroughly settled. The tree with the
adherent ball of earth is placed in the
centre couple of inches higher than it
stood before, and the hole filled in. The
general rules as 20 further treatment and
pruning must be adhered to-
In most part of our State the tree when
young VIE require more or less shelter
during cold spells; anything that will
prevent current of air around a plant,
after sunset, and consequent reduction of
or sudden thawing after the
freeze, will answer Thus, boughs of
evergreens or even brush stuck around,
or frame of poles covered over with
racks, the shelter of wall with
an overlapping roof, can all be made use
e, i Al