Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-05-08

something to have set ones self right
with the publicly. G. Kelly. IN San
Francisco ArgonaWt.
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INDOOR ORANGE CULTURE.
Some Suggestions Relative to the Guilt.
walton and Grating of the Orange Plant.
The culture of orange trees in their
native cline and the raising of speci-
men tree or two for the adornment of
q home in winter are very different
matters. But to successfully real a
healthy orange tree from seed to fruit
bearing is the ambition of many who
never expect to attain to much greater
proficiency in horticulture. Aside
from the rich glossy foliage and
golden fruit. the crop of bloom which
a thrifty tree will bear makes it
Ia thing of beauty" while the pleas
ure OF raising, grating and training
it affords as much pleasure to the
grower as the tree itself when grown.
The ever-varying changes which occur
from the time the tree sprouts until it
brings forth its ''crop Of gold" are an
interesting SIuuy.
The seed may be sown at any season,
in soil of almost any texture, if it is
we'll drained and loose, though per-
haps the best and nearest approach to
it's native element is q loamy or
peaty sand. Until the seeding tree is
a year or two old little can be done
but to keep it in a thrifty condition and
trained to the proper shape for graft
ing. The tree should be trained to one
stem if it is to be grated singly or but
once, and no very large branches
should be allowed to grow. 1t is more
convenient to graft an orange tree
when quite young, say n II two
years old, as the branches are then less
woody and more supple, and thus
easier to manipulate.
Though spoken of in a general way
as grating, there are different methods
of changing the variety of an orangeor
lemon tree. ~ Grating proper, by
inserting a cion cut from another tree;
(2) budding, as peaches and other trees
are budded; (3) 'tin-arching," which
consists of uniting the branches of the
To perform the last successfully the
bark should first be cut away from both
branches at a suitable height to form a
shapely head for the young tree, and
about two inches in length on each
stem. These two prepared surfaces
should be pressed fatty and firmly to-
gether and bound tightly with soft mat
ting, which should be covered closely
with grating or other wax to exclude
water and air. After the trees have
been united about six weeks, the parent
tree may be severed from the young
one, and when the graft begins to grow
freely the bands may be cut loose. The
newly grated tree should never be
placed in q high heat or a strong sun
shine. This method of propagating
orange trees is the safest for the anna
teur, as there is scarcely any danger of
failure if the operation is reasonably
we'll performed. Even should it fail,
the work can be repeated, as there is
usually enough of the tree left.
The proper time for ''in-arching'' the
orang is when bJth trees are in a
growing condition, as the sap is more
active and the parts unite 10 readily
than at any other time. The branch or
part marched on theyoung tree should
be of recent growth.
When the graft begins to grow
strongly the branches Of the natural
stock may be cut away by degrees un-
til nothing remains but the new top.
The new head may be trained in any
desired form, though the globular
shaped head is perhaps as good as
any. This form a best be obtained
by starting the branches from a com
mon center and keeping them judi
ciously shortened in. The Mandarin
variety of orange can be trained very
prettily in this way. 1t is one of the
best varieties for pot culture, and is
lilliputian in every respect-has small
flowers, small leaves and small fruit,
but of exquisite flavor. The large va
rieties of oranges are much coarser in
growth.
The lemon tree makes a very stray
Cling growth, and it is difficult to train
it to form a pretty head. Its propaga-
ton is identical with that of the Or
ange.
The insect enemies of the orange tree
when grown indoors are the scale lice
and the mealy bug. The former is the
most insidious, as it is scarcely appar-
ent to an ordinary observer. It has
the appearance of a thin dark yellow
or brownish spot, from one-eighth to
one-fourth of an inch in diameter, and
so closely does it cling to the leaf that
it can only be removed by hard rub
bling or with a thin st:ck or knife blade.
Sponging the trees occasionally with
tepid water containing a little soap
(whale oil is best), will tend to prevent
the accumulation of these insects and
slso keep the tree in a fresh, healthy
condition.
The mealy bug is a small slug from
one-sixteenth to one-eighth of an inch
in diameter when grown, b%utverymuch
smaller in its younger stages, covered
with a loose fiowcry or downy white
substance, in which the young and old
insects are imbedded. A small brush
is the best thing for it's removal, in adj
dition to the sponging recommended
for scale lice. The latter usually at
tacks the under side of the leaf, while
the mealy bug is commonly found I'M
bedded in the leaf axis and in crevices
in the bark. When the mealy bug is
present in large numbers, as in green
houses. a solution of kerosene and milk