The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-06-26
How to Grow an Usage Orange Hedge.


There are two methods of raising the |
Usage Orange, one from seeds and the
other from cuttings of the root. The
tree is dipceous; that is, some of the
plants are male, bearing only staminate
flowers, while others bear pistillate
flowers and seeds, but both are alike
available for hedge purposes. Each
fruit produces large number of seeds,
about 5000 of them filling quart meas
ure. The tree is closely related to the
Mulberry and its large orange-shaped
berry is an aggregation of numerous
seeds with their pulpy adherent mat
ter closely compressed together and adj
herent.
1t will not do to SOW the oranges or
fruits in the soil in their natural state,
as it would be great waste of seed and
the plants would come up in thick clus-
tiers. The proper way is to buy the
seeds of some of our leading seedsmen
who have them by the bushel. The seed
is mainly procured in Texas or Arkan-
sas, and is obtained by washing the ripe
fruits in water until all the pulp is
washed away; the seeds are then dried
and are ready for market. The seed
should be sown either in autumn or
spring, choosing a good piece of we'll
MANFRED garden soil, well spaded and
pulverized. Open drills with hoe-as
you would for peas-from six to eight
inches apart, sow the seed about two
inches apart and cover them about an
inch and half deep. When sown in
the autumn, they will not make their
appearance until next spring. When
the plants are up all they need is an oc-
casional hoeing or stirring of the ground
and to be kept carefully clean of weeds.
If the soil is very strong and rich, they
may be suitable for transplanting after
one years growth, but they generally
require two years. growth for this pur-
pose.
The best season for planting hedges
is as early in the spring as the ground
is mellow enough to work well. Spring
planting in our northern ATTITUDES is to
guard against the heaving out of the
young plants by the coming out of the
frost at the breaking up of winter.
Southwark, where this does not occur,
autumn planting succeeds very well.
The line of fence or hedge should be
laid out and plowed and finely pulver-
lied two or three feet wide; then stretch
line for any convenient distance and
dig out trench eight or ten inches
deep, keeping its upright or firm bank
next the line; then on the opposite side
dig another trench six inches from the
first line, and in these two trenches sci
the young plants twelve inches apart,
breaking joint in the second row with
those of the first line; that is. set the
plants of the second row midway of the
spaces between the plants of the first
row. As the plants are set, fill the earth
into the trenches and press it firmly
round the stems of the plants with the
foot, and, finally, level the whole OF
nicely with rake or hoe.
Previous to planting, the plants from
the seed-bed should be carefully sorted
out, and those of corresponding size ant
strength planted together. Each plan
should be cut down, before planting
to within two inches of its ground lint
in the seed-bed, and all the larger root
shortened back about one-third of thei
length. Care must be had not to ALLOW
them to become dried by the wind o
sun. The season after they are plante'
each plant will throw up several shoots
these are to be shortened back tn
ensuing spring to within six inche
of the ground; and then for the en-
suing five or six years the growth o
each year is to be shortened back +
twelve inches, making the hedg
five and half or six and a hal
feet hioh AT the end of the term
The hedge should be kept gradual
trimmed on the sides as it grows. I
make it thicken, observing to so trim
, that the sides have sloping form, an
not perpendicular one. The slopin
form gives the light and rain a bette
] opportunity to act on the foliage tina
! does the perpendicular one, and s
, prevents the hedge from becoming bar
, at the bottom, and also prevents the to
of the hedge from being broken {
. spreading out of shape owing to til
weight of heavy SHOWS in white
e Early in the spring or in the autumn
1 the best season for trimming hedg
: summer trimming in this climate, ov
4 ing to our intense summer heats, is
o WAYS injurious, as the plants are t.
2 suddenly checked in their growth, an
Q are rendered liable to attacks of milde
V or other diseases.
e No weeds, especially coarse-growir
4 ones, should be allowed to grow ne
4 the hedge; they are sure to injure
and often produce gaps in it by smotl
ering its growth. 1t is only vexation al
vanity of spirit to plant hedge unle