THE SOIL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 27 June 1911, Page 3

THE SOIL.

CARE OF OLD CIT3US TREES. THE SURFACE ROOTS. • The lemon flourishes so well in Kelson with-car© audi-proper culture.that th'eve should be more trees and a larger trade in local lemons than there are.' The paroled hints .to local lemon growers, cOntained in a ii article on tho caire <-'f old trees by Mr. Jamios Purser, of Castle Hill (N.S.WO, ; i" the oydmey "Daily Telegraph" may jproVe of value,. Mr. Purser sayS :■=» 111 these days much, information is given on the .art and -science of cultivation of the la.ivd. Much ddpendw upon proper workings, especially :*\ r 'jtro'rt'H*..'ti;on of tlJ* ditferclht kinds of faints, aild (vtaot-he kind of implement used, for such cultivation. For instance, w e will take the orange and Temoli trees, laa-geJy cultivated, throughout the Western' and Northern •districts, 50 mile,*, from Sydney. Now, these two kinds of frrrlts are •supplied with meine fibrous roots than any other trees. They branch out from mam roots, or arteries of the tree, in all directions, see'k'jug food and moisture 'for the .sustenaiiioe of the trees, .something .'Jri.ke the many -small veins in a man's body which, hm throughout just under the skin. Just so these, fibrous .roots erf thi3 orange-tree make from the main aitery Of the tree for the surface of the soil. In an old orange orcnard that has been properly caired 'for they will be found under the surface, where they lie, taking in food and moisture from the atmosphere a.nd chemi.cr.lLs, which may, naturally or otherwise, have bean placed in the sail. Certainly it requires sufficient ra.in, or the art of irrigation, to fertilise the whole thing. This fibne is just as iTccessrory for the ■health and vigour of the tree as the •leaves, which feed upon, the atmosphere. If you were to cut all the leaves from an oLd orange-tree, and when' it made •fresh leaves cut them off, in time you would stop the free from bearing fruit, .".iid it would eventually .sidken and die! •Just so with fibrous roots; you constantly cut t'h-em cif from coming to the surface for food, and you h-olip to sicken the tree. There are some who will telil you that 'by deep working these fibrous iroats can be kept down, but such an idea is against all natural laws. The main roots can be kept down—in fact, that is •their the fibre must am-d wall come to the surface. You can prove this .by placing some vegetable manure, say 10ft. away from' am -cCd orangetree, where not a vestige of .roots can be ■found. In a few months you will find' it fuOl df fibrous roots, 'but no large matin roots. Much care is required m cultivating these eld orange and lemon trees sa as not to destroy too many of the fibrous roots. A disc harrow wau'lU 'be useless amongst such trees., or even a heavy "Planet Junior." The mulch sudh .trees witCi a liitttle mew mould mixed with any decayed vege'table matter, and thou run. a light, c'h:saltoot.h -harrow over the surface, is ,gci.:d treatment. Although somewhat expen-sive,-there is no imipleimeint to beat the hoe for working- cCd orange a nidi lemon ■trees, as long as weeds and 1 -rubbish are kept down, accompanied by some mullc-h. and the diead wood cut out. This is. eCI the work 'Such trees .require; no, deep working Whatever. What I ha.ve here stated js from positive facts, after 60 yeara' experience of fruit-growing, and if necessary I can prove all I have stated. I have some orange trees raised by my father before I was born.v -which' were bearing 70 years ago, and are in good health, to-day. carrying no leas than 15-' bushels of oranges. They are layers from the old Parrairia.tta. orange. "To prove my assertion of shall low working of cfld orange tirees., I have two trees, one common aud one Emperor mandarin, crowing : ;n , a hard yard, they 'have net been worked for very ma.ny" years, or pruned or manured-; still ttoev bear good fruit every year". Both are "layers, amd the Empeiw mandarin is a -perfect picture with croodi fruit. So long as the weeds ar-e kent down, and soil around the trees is enriched, and fibrous roots kicpt intact, the tree will do well, and bear wcC'i/jand live, how long I can't say.