The Florida agriculturist., 1889-05-15
PREPARING THE LAND.

FhEfARlNG IHE LAND.
In preparing low, heavy hammock for
an orange grove many simply dig up the
ground where the trees ito set into low
mounds; then fall the trees and let the
larger ones lay where they fall for several
years. After the orange trees are set they
work about them with a hoe, enlarging
the circle OF prepared ground each year
until all is gone over. In the the mean
time the weeds are cut occasionally with
bush scythe, and this is all the cultiva-
tion the grove gets until most of the nat
ural growth has rotted and gone back to
the ground. Groves certainly do well on
such land under this treatment, and pos
sibly it is as good as any; at least it is
not as expensive as some other methods
The writer, in clearing his gray hammock
land, cleans it up thoroughly, piling the
logs and brush to one side to rot for fer
tilizer, plOws it and cross plOWs it several
times over and plants a crop OF cOWpeaS
to turn under before setting the trees, and
he is content with the outcome. The
methods in practice range all the way be-
tween these two. st
KIND OF TREES TO SET
Many of the older groves in this section
were made by getting sour trees of from
one and three-fourths to three inches in
diameter Ell hteen inches above ground
from the woods. These ere cut off from
one to three feet from the roots, a sprout
allowed to grow, and this v as budded as
soon as large enouyh; then the top was
cut away or bent down so as to force
the bud into early growth. Where these
trees are used the bare trunks should be
shaded and the sprouts budded should be
h-lIN %I<lt -
the stump. After the bud has got to be
an inch or more in diameter the stump
should be cut away on slant close down
to the spr lut and after being smouthed
with knife it should be covered with
the following preparation, which is the
best thing for this climate that have
ever used, as it forms with one or two
coats hard, firm cove ing that will re-
main and keep the wood sound until the
wound is entirely healed over: Rosin,
pound tallow, ounces melt and mix
and add alcohol, 6 ou~ ces, and spirits of
turpentine, l ounce. Put into a wide
mouthed bottle and cork tight; apply
with brush.
Asking your indulgence for short di.
gression would say that the cambium
layer seems to form under this prepara-
tiOD and when limbs of an inch or less in
diameter are cut away and it used,a lay
er OF bark will often form over the wound
and under the wax in few weeks.
To return; this cutting away of the
stump should be just before the heavy
growth of June puts cut. Treated in
this way the stump remains. sound and
soon disappears into the body of the
tree, strong trunk is formed and a
profitable crop of oranges follows within
four or five years from setting. better
tree, although not as quick to fruit. is a,
sour Seeding reset from The nursery and
budded. y H8R
The sweet Seeding is used to consid-
erable extent in this way, but is not con-
sidered as desirable, not being as rapid
grower, as hardy or as free from dan
gerous diseases as the sour stock.
If either of the foregoing is reset into
the grove after it has been budded year
or two much time will he gained and Ia
Dor saved, al,h ugh they should have
been reset once before this to shorten up
the top and increase the numbered feed
ing roots.
The question of bud0ed trees VS.. sweet
seedlings has been argued many times
through the agricultural papers of this
State and in the minds of the great ma
jOritY (among whom the writer may be
counted) the question has long been set
tied in favor of the budded tree but ad-
vocates of the Seeding groves can still
be found throughout the State and one
even upon this committee. The ground
has all been gone over SO thoroughly,
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