The Florida agriculturist., 1907-10-16

except two or three AS soon as
these sprouts make their first green
leaves, they should be grated without
any delay. If these sprouts are allow
ed to run out long they will not be 3,
we'll suited for grating Of course
the long scion should be carefully pro-
tected from drying out as in the case
Of smaller trees. And more than this,
it will need almost immediate protec-
ton from wind storms, as the scion
will be almost sure to grow very
rapidly and for some months will be
very tender If this fact is overlook
ed, serious loss will be almost sure to
result
In some cases, we may think it best
not to cut away the entire top of the
tree at once. We can retain a portion
Of the top and encourage the growth
of sprouts we'll down near the ground
These can be grated in like manner
and the top cut away at piece-mea1,
but always fast enough to. encourage
the growth of the graft But if nei-
ther Of these methods seem at once
available, the soil should be removed
for few inches about the trunk of
the tree exposing the mass of roots.
While the bark of the tree is very
thick and 'unmanageab1e above the
ground, it will be found thin and
pliable upon the roots Out of the
mass of roots exposed, we can select
the most available for our purpose,
grating the long scion directly upon
root Then rake back the soil and
protect the top of the scion in the
usual way
This method applies directly to the
millions of Jungle mango trees scat
tered all over the tropical world and
offers an almost cOstless method for
every home owner in the tropical
world to lay the foundation Of choice
mango orchard. [ think it is far from
wise for us to assume that J. T. Farris,
instructor of agriculture in the Gov
ernment gardens of jamaica did not
have good reasons for proposing the
planting of mango orchards with seed
ling trees to be afterwards changed to
choice varieties. Probably we should
find the reason in that thirty-six years
which were devoted to marching.
Perhaps he found that such enormous
growers as the mango were not quite
suited to pot growing. Perhaps he
found that twisted wad Of roots was as
the years went on, serious menace
in a climate always liable to hurri-
canes. The larger and older the trees
the greater the danger. Perhaps he
found that marched trees when dis
tributed over the island were never
multiplied by the owners but were
permitted to grow old and even decay
as single choice trees. It is no answer
to this charge that the people were
too stupid.
The method was too complicated
and expensive for the general planter.
We need something that easily comes
within the reach of all AS now per-
formed neither budding or marching
serve that purpose These processes
here in our region both confront the
peril of the cold wave and the scarcely
less menace Of the wit1d-storm in all
the tropics. These processes both be-
long to the expert or specialist for
reasons that need not now be given
will never be generally adopted.
For a thousand years or more, Il
we'll regulated orchard has never been
planted by either of these methods
unless we are to except some very
recent efforts, which would certainly
be counted beyond the reach of the
common planter
While there has been within my