The Florida agriculturist., 1885-02-04
Transplanting Orange Trees.
Editor of The Florida Agricultural:

Editor of The Florida Agricultuist:
As the season is now at hand when
millions of young orange trees will be
transplanted from the nursery to the
grove, few words as show best to do
it'' may prove of great advantage to the
large number of new comers who are
not familiar with the process. The fact
that | have transplanted more than a
thousand trees in my own grove, in the
manner / describe, without losing sin
gle tree, is evidence that the ''way" is
from fair to good' if not the best.
The proper distance apart depends up
on the object in view when planting the
grove. Ii this is done for the benefit of
posterity and the best good of the tree,
then thirty feet each way is none too far
apart for seeding trees. The orange is
eminently "child of the sum- and the
more sunlight and air it gets, the finer
tree it will make, and the more fruit it
will bear The fruit being produced al
most entirely upon the extremity of the
branches, it will be found that when the
branches of different trees mingle togeth-
er, they will act as though they were the
inside branches of one tree and produce
but little fruit. The disadvantage of
close planting can be seen in nearly all
the old groves, where the trees were
placed at from ten to fifteen feet apart,
the branches forming dense mass with
little fruit, except on the outer row of
trees. If the grove is to be made on
new pine land great care should be taken
to burn all the limbs and chips, or at
least keep them far away from the or
ange tree, as they quickly become in
tested with millions of wood-lice, one of
+ba lonnaro11c nnnn1iQC thp 11JantnT,
in pine lands has to guard against, as
their work is hidden, and often unsus
pected, until too late for a remedy. If
on hammock land, where the growth is
principally oak, the trees can be cut, the
logs and limbs piled up and left to rot on
the ground. There is no better fertilizer
for the orange than decayed live-oak
wood and leaves. If the stumps are to
be dug, it is far better to dig them do1Un
than to dig them Up. Dig hole at one
side and under the stump, so large and
deep that when the roots are cut ON the
other side its own weight will carry it
to its proper place, the upper roots be-
ing so far below the surface the plow
will never hit them. Any orange tree
standing near large stump of this kind,
will very soon show that it has some
thing to feed upon which agrees with it.
No trees of any kind should be left
standing in the grove. The effect will
be foHnd injurious, and only injurious
from beginning to end.
The age at which tree is transplant
ed has much to do with its growth. AS
rule the younger it is the better the
chances for success. At ten years from
planting, thrifty four year old will
make a larger, better and more product
i've tree than one eight years old, plant
ed at the same time. When the nur-
sery is near where the grove is to be
made, but few trees should be taken
from the ground at time, and in any
case the roots should never be allowed
to get dry. The wind and sunshine
should be kept from them by at once
covering with sacking or moss. Ii the
trees have been transported from a dis
tance, they should, as soon as received,
have their roots placed in water or very
moist earth In the soft soil of Florida,
it is unnecessary to dig the hole any
larger than is required to place the roots
in their natural position. If the hole is
dug deep and the bottom filled with sur
face soil, it will be an advantage Put
no fertilizer of any kind around the roots
of the tree when setting out. The first
business .of newly set tree is to form
new roots, and no better medium can be
found for this operation, than clean, un-
adulterated Florida sand. See that the
''collar" of the tree is at least from two
to four inches higher than the ordinary
level of the grove. No single cause has
contributed so largely to the premature
decay" of orange trees, as too deep
planting. Have the roots placed as near
ly as possible in their natural position,
and be sure the dirt is packed closely
around them, leaving no open space.
When the hole is filled and the roots all
covered, tramp the earth down closely
with the feet around the tree. Make a
circular ridge of earth about one foot
from the body of the tree, forming bas-
in deep enough to hold two common
buckets of water. Now if you have bone
meal OF, any other SJGaC acting fertilizer,
sprinkle it freely as you please on the
.Saufdce of the ground. Give the tree two
buckets of water Mulch the tree, the
heavier the better, with dead grass, oak
leaves, fine straw, or marsh grass. The
-4grove" will need but little care during
the remainder of the winter, but when
the hot, dry days of spring come, look to
them, and whenever you see the leaves
"rolling up" for two or three days in
succession, give each tree two buckets
of water, and follow up the same plan
throughout the summer. Never water