The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1907-09-11

First, by the old Indian method OF
marching This was at first a seem
ing necessity. But the serious objec-
tions are: It is very slow and costly.
marched trees must be pot grown. Their
roots are inevitably curled into a wad.
AS the tree gets age and size, it is
liable to be blown out of the ground.
This has proved one drawback in my
planting. Besides, the tree must nee
essarily be marched well above the
ground, hence is liable, in our climate,
to utter ruin by frost. Or if planted
low enough down to meet that objec-
ton, is liable to die by fungus decay.
The second method is by budding. This
method is liable to most of the objec-
tions urged against marching. The time
consumed to properly put the tree upon
the market renders this method very
costly. The work must be done above
the ground. And at the same time the
roots are twisted into Wad.
Both these methods consume much
time and are costly, and, from the very
nature of the case, must remain so.
And neither of them can be safely adopt
ed wherever there is danger of occasional
cold waves.
We have, then, only the third method
which [ venture to call the common
sense method of grating, or what the
surgeon would call seeking natural
union ''by first intention" Having thor
oughly tried the former two methods,
we of the northern portion of the man
90 belt in Florida are shut up to the
latter. And we find it abundantly suf-
| q 6 oS4
uatiOn.
Some of the advantages of this COM
mon method may be noted.
l. By planting the Seeding trees in
the orchard where it is to grow we avoid
first of all the punching or wadding Of
the roots. This Wadding of the roots
will always prove a peril, growing al
ways from year to year with the in
creasing age of the tree.
2. This method will decrease mani
fold the cost of planting out an orchard.
3. 1t will dispense with the call for
nursing the marched or budded trees
for months in greenhouse or nursery
rows by an expert before they can be
planted out.
4. The work can be placed in the
hands of an ordinarily intelligent man.
5. More immediate results can be at
tanned than by any other method
6. This method of grating can be
applied to an old fruiting tree as well
as to a young one.
7. This method of grating can be
safely applied to the mango, wherever
the Seeding may fruit with reasonable
regularity, with no special danger of
losing the variety.
No special care would be required or
expert skill to carry this method of
grating up the mountains of India as
far as the jungle mango grows, or into
any warm corner where the planter de-
lights in having few mango trees, just,
it may be, for home use. Now, if you
doubt this, just call ON some of my
neighbors and ask them how long it
has taken them to grow grated trees
five or six feet high from the ground
up, and see if you care to know how
old trees may be transformed into trees
of the best fruit ''in the world" Some
of my very dear friends that [ like
very much indeed, have very kindly
wondered why I did not cover some of
my Mulgoba mango trees with a thou
sand marches or more. Why, my friends,
you do not suppose that [ was dull
enough not to see the point. There
might have been a little money in it.
But [ would have told my friends all
over south Florida that [ did not know
anything better for them than to trundle
their Goals to New Castle when [ knew
that there were far better ones in their
own back yards at a fraction of what
thew were paving Now please don't