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:ICULTL

ROEDING'S

FRUIT GROWERS'

GUIDE

By GEO. C. ROEDING

FRESNO, CALIFORNIA

Copyrighted 19 19 by Geo. C. Roeding

ROBBING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

MAIN LIBRARY-, 'SHICUl.TURE DEFT.

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Roeding's Fruit Growers* Guide

BEGINNING RIGHT

Fruit growing is a business, pure and simple. It had a very important bearing on our winning the war. The purchases of dried fruits in California alone, exclusive of canned goods for the men who were at the front, aggregated .$25,000,000 of the crop of 1918. Vegetables, canned and dried, formed another very important ad- junct in the diet of our men, and the purchases ran up to millions of dollars. Intensity in farming operations is being encouraged now more than ever before. A man who planted fruit trees and intercropped with vegetables during the period of the war certainly fulfilled his obligation to the Government. He not only provided for the future when he planted his orchard, and increased the value of his land, but in addition to this he was encouraged to go to the expense of install- ing a pumping plant for developing water, building ditches and, where necessary, cement pipe lines, with much more care and thoroughness than he would have done were he devoting his attention merely to the raising of vegetables alone. It is becoming more and more apparent in these days that a fruit grower should specialize. This does not mean that a man living on a farm should not have a small orchard, berries, vege- tables, alfalfa, a cow, poultry and hogs. It is being demonstrated, however, that with our diversified cli- mates and soils certain localities are better adapted to one variety of fruit than another. This point should never be lost sight of. There is far too great a tendency on the part of many people to* plant the fruit which has been bringing the highest prices for several seasons, utterly disregarding the fact that both soil and climate may not be conducive to make the venture a success.

PREPARATION OF THE SOIL

It is of the utmost importance that the land be put in first-class condition to receive the trees. Too great an emphasis cannot be laid on this one point. The subject is worthy of careful analysis. If the orchard is to be planted where irrigating is to be practised, careful attention must be given to grading so as to permit the water to run in furrows or to be properly distributed in checks around each tree to be irrigated. When scraping the land great care should be exercised not to remove the surface of the soil to too great a depth, for where this is done it causes the trees to grow poorly and neither thorough cultivation nor irrigation will overcome this trouble for years to come. Where it is necessary to take off the surface soil to a foot or more in order to permit a high piece of land to be irrigated it is far better, to pump the water to the higher elevation and distribute it in this manner. In other words, in preparing land which is to be irrigated, bear in mind that every point of the field should be graded, not leveled, to permit every foot of it to be covered with water. Nothing will do so much to promote the success of an undertaking as

to commence the work of leveling, plowing, and the instal- lation of the irrigating system early in the fall months. One point I want to be very emphatic on and that is, do not attempt to plant trees and vines on a commercial scale, where irrigation is to be practised, without know- ing where the supply of water is to come from. If the water is to be supplied by a canal system, have the main and lateral ditches large enough to carry a suffi- cient volume of water to permit the irrigating of the land as expeditiously as possible. Many people make the mistake, where they do not understand engineering, of attempting to do the work themselves without any ex- pert advice, thus causing themselves an endless amount of trouble through the fact that their ditches are not properly located, the banks not having sufficient slope and, in many instances, caving in. It is important to have the weirs, where there happens to be a heavy fall in a ditch, properly located to prevent washing of the banks. Where a cement pipe system is to be installed, even greater care must be exercised to have the pipe lines on a grade and the stand-pipes properly located to get the best results. The diameter of the pipe is de- termined by the volume of water to be carried and by the fall it has. Far better to err on the part of having the pipe system too large than to make the mistake of having it-too small aad not be in a position to convey the quantity of water which is available to the trees. If the water is to be pumped the engineer should deter- mine the location of the plant and see to it that it is large enough to provide the necessary water for the piece of land to be irrigated. An engineer is an impor- tant factor in a case like this and his charges for services rendered will be many times repaid in having the plant installed in such a manner as to secure a maximum of efficiency at a minimum of expense. There is probably no other institution in the world which has more reliable and authentic data on the installation of irrigating sys- tems or, for that matter, any other subject pertaining to agricultural and horticultural work, than the United States Department of Agriculture. Bulletins may be obtained therefrom at from five to ten rents each on any subject pertaining to farming operations by writing to the Division of Publications, Washington, D. C. After all the details relative to the irrigating of the land to be improved have been carefully considered, its preparation for planting is the next step in line. Deep plowing and particularly subsoiling will do much to promote the rapid growth of trees and vines. It may not be practical during the fall months to plow deeply, due to lack of rain. However, if possible after the leveling is finished, plow the land and finish with a buck-scraper. The Fresno scraper is probably the best all-around implement for rough grading, but for the finer work, filling up small holes and for smoothing, there is nothing like the first-named tool. Shallow plowing should always be done when conditions are

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RO£DING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

most favorable. By all means plow and harrow the land just before planting.

Drainage should be given consideration, particularly if the land is low and liable to have water stand too closely to the surface during the spring and summer months. In California, where, as a rule, there is no substrata of clay, tile drains are the best. In soils where there are stratas of hardpan with intervening spaces of soil between, it becomes necessary to lay the tile on redwood boards which are grooved out to hold the tile in place. Should this not be done in soils of this character, when there is a superabundance of water in the ground it becomes a loblolly and the tile sinks out of place. It is necessary to have sump boxes (not less than five hundred feet apart) made out of two-inch redwood boards, to take care of the deposits of silt and sand from the drain pipe. If made of cement, they should not be less than three feet in diameter, the red- wood boxes should be three and one-half feet square. The bottom of the sump should be at least two feet below the pipe. Where the pipe line is within three to four feet of the surface of the ground and is laid to within twenty-five to thirty feet of the trees or vines, it is necessary to clean this pipe line out frequently dur- ing the summer months. A steel brush will have to be dragged through it to remove the roots, which are sure to enter between the sections of drain tile. The brush also stirs up the silt, which will invariably collect in the bottom of the pipe. The practical way to handle this is to keep a No. 8 galvanized wire in the drain at all times. When the cleaning operation is to be carried out this wire is used to draw a three-eighths inch woven wire cable through the drain. To this is attached the steel brush. A windlass is placed in the next box and the brush is drawn through. There should be a swivel on each end of the brush. It is necessary to attach the galvanized wire to the brush to pull it back, as it may be necessary to repeat the operation of drawing it through several times before the drain is clean.

SELECTING NURSERY STOCK

One point should never be forgotten in purchasing trees, and that is, that as far as appearances go one tree may apparently be as good as another. A little thought on the part of the purchaser will convince him that, although nursery stock may be classed as merchandise in the ordinary sense of the word, there are many im- portant factors that may mean the ultimate success or failure to the planter in his undertaking. California soils demand a variety of roots. To plant a prune on peach root, on soil which might be very wet during the greater part of the year, would mean the loss of the tree most likely just as soon as it came into bearing. The selecting of buds from the trees producing the very best quality of fruit and which are vigorous and healthy, should never be lost sight of. There are some stocks which may be apparently all right so far as growth goes, but which will die just about the time the orchard comes into its prime. This is very noticeable where any va- riety of citrus tree is budded on the lemon root. The tree dies without any apparent reason. It is a well- known fact among experienced nurserymen that the

lemon should never be used as a stock owing to its tendency to do this. A conscientious nurseryman fully realizes the responsibility resting on his shoulders and if he is going to fulfill his duties to the purchaser of his goods, he is going to strain every point to have them as represented. It is very easy to practise a deception, because it takes three years for the buyer to learn whether or not the trees delivered to him are true to name. Therefore, be as careful in the selecting of a nurseryman as you would be your physician. The per- sonality and reliability of the firm with which you are dealing should never be overlooked when buying trees. The firm that never relaxes its attention to every detail, from the planting of the seed to the time the trees are properly packed and shipped, is the one to favor with your business.

TIME TO PLANT

Fall planting is never desirable in California, because the growing season often extends into the month of November. It rarely occurs that frosts are severe enough toward the latter part of the month to check the growth. The roots of trees dug before they have fully matured turn black, and the tree either starts very slowly in the spring or does not grow at all. The best time to set deciduous trees is from January to April 1st. All evergreen fruit trees should be planted from February to May 1st, although in many localities, particularly sections of the state where the summer climate is cool, planting may be continued later than this.

A safe rule to follow is to plant deciduous trees when dormant and those which are classed as evergreens as soon as the sap commences to rise in the spring.

TREATMENT WHEN RECEIVED The trees when received at point of destination should be immediately unpacked and the roots laid in a trench and well covered with soil, which should then be thoroughly wet down. If delayed in transit, thereby becoming dry and suffering from exposure (the bark showing signs of shriveling), it is a good plan to immerse the trees in a tank overnight and the following day bury root and top completely in damp soil for a few days until they become normal, when they may be with safety planted out. Should trees be frozen while in transit, place the package in a cellar or some other place free from frost until thawed out, when they can be un- packed and heeled in, preparatory to planting. Trees treated in this manner will not be injured by having been frozen.

It is quite practicable to ship trees when dormant to other localities where the weather or seasonable con- ditions might not make it advisable to plant on arrival. When the trees are received, place them in cold storage. The temperature should be maintained at from 32 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit. The shipment should be exam- ined and if found to be in good condition, the contents should remain undisturbed in the case or bale until the time for planting arrives. This method of handling trees is thoroughly practicable, so much so that it is possible to ship trees to the antipodes during

ROBBING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

the winter season and have the shipment on arrival there placed in cold storage until the opening of the planting season.

PREPARING TREES FOR PLANTING Just immediately before planting be sure to examine the roots carefully, and cut away to a smooth surface all bruised, lacerated and broken roots and rootlets with a sharp knife or pruning shear. The cut on the larger roots should be sloping and made on the lower side of the root. The tree can now be said to be ready for its permanent orchard home.

If planting is delayed through circumstances beyond the control of the orchardist and a warm spell should intervene in February or March, causing the buds of the trees or vines to start, remove them from the trenches, shake out all the dirt from the roots and ex- pose them for two hours in the early morning on a calm day to the rays of the sun. This will cause the small, white rootlets which have started, to dry up, and if the trees are heeled in (wetting them down, of course), in a shady place their dormancy may be prolonged several weeks.

HOW TO PLANT

Planting System. — There are a number of methods of planting an orchard, but vineyards are usually set in the square system. In order to eliminate much of the •confusion that seems to exist in the mind of the planter when deviating from the rectangular or square system, we are submitting plans drawn to a scale and are out- lining under each one of them the plan of procedure. It is very important in laying off the ground to have straight lines, not only for the purpose of retaining sym- metry in the orchard but also for the many other ad- vantages in cultivating, irrigating, etc.

Explanation of Diagrams. — The planting distances are represented by the figure 1, all other related dis- tances by multiple parts of 1, so that any desired dis- tance on any of the diagrams may be obtained by the simple process of multiplying the desired • distance by the distance indicated on diagram.

Square System. — One of the advantages of this sys- tem is that it permits cultivation in both ways, espe- cially when the trees become larger. The trees are not equally distributed over the ground, however.

The first step to be taken in this and the following plans is to have the base lines at right angles. In planting a large place, these lines should be obtained by a transit. By studying the plans and observing the directions herewith given, the method of procedure is readily understood.

SQUARE PLANTING

Rule: Square Method.— Multiply the distance in feet between the rows by the distance the plants are apart in the rows, and the product will be the number of square feet for each plant or hill; which, divided into the number of feet in an acre (43,560), will give the num- ber of plants or trees to an acre.

Lay off the base lines A B and A C along two sides of the planting field in such a manner that the angle at A

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is an exact right angle (90 degrees), and set stakes on said base lines the desired distance apart. Care must be exercised to have all stakes on true lines.

A right angle can be formed in the field by the fol- lowing method :

Lay off 30 feet from A along base line A B on the dia- gram; then a point on base line A C will be 40 feet from A and 50 feet from the other end of the 30-foot length.

After setting the stakes along the base lines at plant- ing distance apart, the next step should be to set stakes along secondary lines drawn parallel with base line A B, and such distances therefrom as will be multiples of the planting distance required, and at the same time no further apart than permitted by the length of the planting chain. This should preferably be of stranded wire No. 19 gauge and provided with numbered metal tags designed to be inserted at desired distances apart.

Experience has demonstrated that a 250-foot chain is the most serviceable. The chain should be stretched for several days before using to prevent too much varia- tion in the field.

The chain should be provided with a ring and about two feet of surplus length of wire on each end for easy manipulation and stretching. • Iron stake pins should be used to hold the chain in position. To do this prop- erly it is advisable to lay off a temporary base line B D from end B of base line A B and at right angles thereto, setting flags on such temporary base lines at distances to correspond with the spacing of the secondary lines.

With the flags as a guide, lay off the planting stakes on the secondary lines, starting always from base line A C. Then all that is required to complete the staking will be to stretch the chain between similar points on the secondary lines and set the stakes at each tag on the chain previously adjusted.

Quincunx System. — The 'only advantage in this method of planting is in connection with using a filler temporarily, to be dug up as soon as there is any indi- cation of crowding. This permits of double the amount of trees to the acre than in the square system.

ROBBING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

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Proceed to stake the field in squares. Then without the aid of a chain, place a stake in the center of each square. This is readily determined by sighting along the two diagonal rows of stakes at right angles to each other.

Rule: Quincunx Method. — Multiply the number re- quired to the acre "Square Method" by 2. The result will be the number of plants required to the acre by this method.

Hexagonal System. — This is the only one in which the trees are equidistant in every direction, every tree being at one point of an equilateral triangle.

The name "Septuple," sometimes applied to this system, refers to the fact that the number of trees in each group unit is seven. Note hexagon on diagram.

To illustrate the plan to be followed, we will consider that the trees are to be set 24 feet apart. Then on base line A B set stakes 24 feet apart. On base line A C set stakes 0.866 times the planting distance apart or every 20.784 feet (or 20 feet 9 inches).

The first stake on the intermediate line, shown by the hollow circle on the diagram, should be 12 feet from the base line A C and 20 feet 9 inches from base line C D.

In using this method of staking, tags of two different colors should be used, one starting at zero and the other .50 times the planting distance from the zero end of the chain.

For the convenience of the planter we are giving herewith the distances between rows of trees, parallel with base line A B on the diagram, to correspond with various planting distances:

As an illustration, if trees are planted 18 feet apart on base line A B, the following row would be 15 feet 7 inches and correspondingly greater distance where the trees are to be planted further apart. Base line A B 18 ft. Secondary line 15 ft. 7 in. from A B Base line A B 20 ft. Secondary line 17 ft. 4 in. from A B Base line A B 22 ft. Secondary line 19 ft. ^ in. from A B Base line A B 24 ft. Secondary line 20 ft. 9 in. from A B Base line A B 28 ft. Secondary line 24 ft. 3 in. from A B

Base line A B 30 ft. Secondary line 26 ft. 0 in. from A B Base line A B 36 ft. Secondary line 31 ft. 2 in. from A B Baseline A B 40 ft. Secondary line 34 ft. Sin. from A B

Rule: Hexagonal Method. — First, figure the number of trees required per acre by the "Square Method," us- ing the same planting distance; then divide by the decimal .866. The result will be the number of plants required to the acre by this method.

Alternate System. — We will assume that the plant- ing distance is to be 24 feet apart, and then all stakes on base line A B will be 24 feet apart. The alternate stakes on this line will be for temporary use only. In setting stakes on lines parallel with base A C, the tags of one color should be spaced 24 feet apart, commencing at the zero end. Tags of another color (for use on alter- nate lines) should be spaced 24 feet apart, commencing at a distance of 12 feet from the zero end of the chain.

Rule: Alternate Method. — The number of plants re- quired per acre by this method is the same as that re- quired by the "Square Method" with similar planting distances.

Planting Distances. Distance

apart each way

Standard Apples 25 to 30 feet

Standard Pears. : 24 to 30 feet

Dwarf Pear 12 to 15 feet

Strong-growing Cherries 24 to 30 feet

Duke and Morello Cherries. 18 to 24 feet

Standard Plums and Prunes 24 to 30 feet

Peaches and Nectarines 24 to 30 feet

Apricots 24 to 30 feet

Figs 25 to 40 feet

Olives ' 30 to 35 feet

Citrus trees 22 to 30 feet

Walnuts 40 to 60 feet

Almonds 24 to 30 feet

Grapes 6x6, 6x12, 8x8 and 8x10 feet

ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

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NUMBER OF TREES TO THE
Distance	Square	Quincunx ]	rlexagol
8ft.	680	1360	785
10ft.	435	870	500
12ft.	302	604	349
14ft.	222	444	255
16ft.	170	340	196
18ft.	134	268	154
20ft.	109	218	124
22ft.	90	180	104
24ft.	75	150	87
25ft.	70	140	80
26ft.	64	128	74
28ft.	56	112	.64
30ft.	48	96	55
32ft.	43	86	49
36 ft.	34	68	39
40ft.	27	54	31
45 ft,	22	44	25

Alternate 680 435 302 222 170 134 109 90 75 70 64 56 48 43 34 27 22

Note. — All of these figures are not exact for planting one acre, but are intended for the planting of a multiple of acres.

BLASTING THE HOLES

Much interest has been manifested of late years in dynamiting the holes prior to the planting of the trees. It is absolutely necessary to do this in hardpan soils in order to plant trees at all.

It has been the practice not to blast where the hard- pan came within three feet of the surface. Actual experience has demonstrated that not only striking and remarkable development in the growth of trees had been secured by blasting where hardpan was found, but in any soil of a heavy, compact nature. It does not take much of a stretch of the imagination to comprehend the fact that a thorough disintegration of the soil, per- mitting the roots to ramify in every direction, will pro- mote a rapid root and top growth. The drilling of the hardpan is .carried on very expeditiously nowadays by the use of a power drill mounted on a wagon.

IMPORTANT DETAILS

As has been suggested previously, above all things have your ground in the very best condition of tilth. The importance of this one point cannot be dwelt upon too forcibly, for it not only insures more rapid work on the part of the men setting your trees, but in addition to this, not having any clods to contend with, the fine loose soil packs around the roots, when tramped in. If for any reason there should be no water available for settling the trees there is less likelihood of their drying out.

A stake about half an inch square and one foot long, split out of redwood, will be found to be a very conven- ient size^as a marker for the setting of the trees. Dip about six inches of one end in whitewash. They can then be readily seen, and should any of the stakes be out of line it will be noticed at once. Before digging the holes it is necessary to have a tree setting board. This is easily made out of a piece of 1x4 six feet long with an inch hole at each end and a notch in the center. Place the notched center against the stake where the tree is to be planted and push a stake into the ground through the holes at each end of the planter and remove the center stake. The hole may now be dug and this should not be less than 18 inches in diameter and 18 inches deep. After the hole is dug, replace the board over the end stakes in its former position, then plant the tree with the trunk end resting against the center notch in the board and it will be in identically the same place as the stake which was removed to dig the hole.

In setting out, one person should hold the tree in an upright position against the notch in the tree setter, while another shovels or fills in the loose soil around it, first spreading out the roots and rootlets in as natural a position as possible. The surface or friable soil should be put in first among the roots, care being taken to fill in every interstice, thus bringing all the roots in direct contact with the soil. When the hole is two-thirds full, firm the earth thoroughly about the roots, but before doing this draw the tree up to its permanent position. The top three to four inches of soil should not to be tramped.

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A basin should be scooped out around the tree which will hold at least fifteen gallons of water, and unless heavy rains should intervene to fill it up, water should be applied either by bucket or by irrigation. The fol- lowing day draw in loose soil to fill up this basin, reduc- ing it to a fine condition of tilth and do not tramp in. Guard against setting too deeply, but allow for the settling of the soil, so that when once established the tree will stand about as it did at the time of removal from the nursery rows, or at the outside not more than three inches below the surface of the soil. In the hot interior valleys of this state, it is also very important to protect the trunks with tree-protectors until they can. supply their own shade.

ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

BRINGING AN ORCHARD OR VINEYARD INTO BEARING

Just in the proportion that the orchard receives in- tensive and intelligent care, will it give corresponding returns on the investment of capital, time and labor. Above all things, do not plant too many varieties if you desire to be a factor in the business. As an illustration, it is a mistake to have a different variety on each acre, for when this orchard comes into bearing there are so many varieties and so limited a quantity of each that the commercial packer of dried or canned fruits does not feel inclined to pay what the fruit is worth, because there is not enough of any one kind to make it an object for him to handle it.

The handling and marketing of fruit has assumed such vast proportions that there are always commercial institutions eager enough to enter a new field and ex- ploit it as soon as the production is large enough to en- courage the building of packing houses for the handling of any particular product. Another serious mistake on the part of many growers is to endeavor ^o harvest big crops when their trees are only two years old. This is an unwise policy and in many cases sacrifices the tree, resulting in its not producing profitable crops when it should be in its prime, and in consequence of this requiring extraordinary care to restore it to its proper vigor. Tlie care bestowed for the first two or three years in cultivating, pruning and irrigating, where the rainfall is insufficient to carry the trees through the long dry summer months, is the foundation for the upbuilding of an orchard which will redound to the credit of the owner and give him ample returns for his intelligent care and years of hard work.

Next to the thorough cultivation there is nothing which is more vital to the life of a tree than proper irrigation. It is difficult to lay down specific rules on this point, but there are basic ones which can generally be observed in the handling of most deciduous trees, with some exceptions, and instructions pertaining to such cases will be. dwelt on under proper heads.

MUST BE CUT BACK

After a tree is set never fail to cut it back. This is now the general practice among the most successful orchardists throughout California, and is the result of years of experience* The following winter from three to four branches, properly distributed around the body of the tree, should be allowed to remain to form the head, and each one of these branches should have at least one-half of their growth removed, cutting away all laterals from them also. These leaders will eventually form the framework of the tree. The first year's pruning will result in the trees making an immense growth and also induce them to grow stocky. The second winter heavy thinning will have to be fol- lowed and the pruning should be done with a view of causing the framework branches to spread out. There may be some variation from these instructions, there- fore it is advisable to read carefully the information given under each head. The many advantages of this method of pruning are : (1 ) it makes a low-crowned and a more stocky tree, affording an umbrageous head, and

thus protecting it from the hot rays of the scorching summer sun; (2) it enhances the carrying capacity of the tree, thus avoiding artificial props when maturing a crop of fruit; (3) it expedites the harvesting of the crop by rendering it more accessible to the pickers, thus economizing time and expense; (4) it prolongs the life of the tree by reason of conserving its vital forces and rendering it less liable to damage in the breaking of limbs and taxing its strength by carrying its fruits "close in."

IRRIGATION

During the first season for deciduous trees in districts where irrigation is practised, water should be applied not less than four times during the year. For the first two years it is not necessary to irrigate all of the ground between the rows. A space six feet wide will answer the necessary requirements in nearly all cases.

The planter should never lose sight of one important fact, and that is, if the orchard or vineyard can be maintained in a thrifty, vigorous condition thorough cultivation is recommended as being preferable to an irrigation.

THE APPLE

In the temperate zone no variety of fruit is so widely distributed or has been more extensively planted than the apple. The list of varieties is amazing. "Down- ing's Fruits" alone lists about 3500 sorts.

Varieties are variable as to localities, and in planting in sections where apple culture is pursued commercially the advice -as to the best varieties to plant should be sought from experienced growers. Broadly speaking, the hot interior valleys are not suitable for commercial apple culture, on a large scale, as the very rapid and early maturing of the fruit does not seem to be con- ducive to long-keeping, as found in tried localities where .conditions are favorable for perfecting fruit having long-keeping qualities. Nevertheless, it is a fact that where moisture is readily maintained in a soil by either irrigation or by sub-irrigation, many varieties are of such exceptionally large size, present so fine an appear- ance and are of such excellent flavor that more attention should be given to their culture.

SOIL AND SITUATION

The best soil for this fruit is a deep, rich loam which will allow the free extension of the roots and is exempt from stagnant water. An extremely light soil should be avoided. Apples do exceedingly well in all the coast counties, as well as in the upper foothills and mountains of the Sierra Nevada. In adjacent states and terri- tories to the north and east, apple culture is more gen- eral, and may be safely followed whereverHhe soil and climate is favorable. The keeping qualities and the flavor and coloring of our mountain-grown apples at elevations of 3000 to 5000 feet or more, are indeed hard to surpass.

California's great apple center is located in the vicinity of Watsonville. There exists in that section a combination of soil and climate which causes 'apples not only to be of good quality but excellent keepers.

ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

POINTS TO BE OBSERVED

It is the consensus of opinion among commercial growers that trees should be planted from twenty-five to thirty feet apart in orchard form. Crab apples may be planted closer. Trees should be .cut back to twenty inches from the top of the ground after being set, except in the higher altitudes, where the snow in settling would cause the branches to break off, thus making it advisable to head the trees at not less than two feet from the ground. Apples are very much sub- ject to sun scald and to the attack of the flat-headed borer the first few years after trees are set out. When headed low, protected with tree protectors, permitting of free circulation of air, and by giving the stem a coat- ing of whitewash to which has been added soap and crude carbolic acid, little danger need be apprehended from either of these evils. The wash is made in the fol- lowing manner: Dissolve one-half gallon of soft soap in one-half gallon of hot water, adding one-fourth pint of crude carbolic acid. When mixing add five gallons of hot water and enough lime to make a mixture the consistency of paint.

SHAPING THE TREE

In forming the head of the tree no branches closer than one foot from the surface of the ground should be allowed to grow. The following winter they should be cut back at least one-half and thinned out so as not to leave more than four branches to form the framework, and these should be distributed in such a manner as not to crowd one another as the tree develops. Each one

A four-year-old Apple tree with a well balanced head.

The same tree with the leaders and laterals shortened in. It has reached the point where it is in shape to produce a crop of fruit.

of these branches should be regarded as a subdivision to maintain the wood supply to eventually form a per- fectly vase-formed tree. The second winter not more than two laterals should be allowed to grow from the framework branches, and if there is a tendency to crowd, not more than one, and its growth should again be shortened very severely. The tendency as far as possible should be to prune to an outside bud for the first two winters' pruning. With the head now prac- tically formed, the orchardist must shape the tree in accordance with its 'development, leaving and shorten- ing in the inside laterals if they show a tendency to spread out, or if the inclination is to assume too upright a form, cause them to spread by leaving the outside laterals. The cutting back of the trees and judicious thinning prevent the long bare branches so noticeable in trees which have not been systematically pruned every winter. The effect of this method of pruning is to cause the structural branches to be sturdier, the load of fruit is carried closer to the trunk and even with a very heavy crop of fruit the necessity of propping is eliminated very largely. Props are an expensive item and they also interfere very materially with the harvest- ing of the crop, so that a method of pruning which will dispense with them is worthy of very careful consid- eration.

ROOTS

The stock generally used for budding or grafting the apple is Mains communis, common apple. These stocks

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ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

are raised from seed. Much interest has been mani- fested in the Wooly Aphis resistant roots. After twenty years of careful experimental work, it has been fully demonstrated that the Northern Spy root is absolutely resistent to the attacks of this insect. Trees growing in badly infested districts are entirely free from it, thus proving conclusively the value of the Northern Spy root. It is only reasonable to suppose that these trees should command a higher figure than those budded on the seedlings, when the additional expense incurred in handling is taken into consideration. In the first place it is necessary to have mother trees growing in the nursery to supply a crop of roots. They are permitted to grow for several years, when they are dug up and all the roots fit for grafting are cut off and the trees are again planted for the purpose of supplying another crop of roots. These roots are in turn grafted with Northern Spy scions and the grafts are planted in beds. The fol- lowing year they are transplanted to nursery rows and the Northern Spy stock is budded. The several opera- tions, therefore, extend over a period of three years before the trees are marketable. It is practicable to produce dwarf apple trees by budding them on dwarf apple stocks, commonly known as Paradise or Doucin stocks. These are produced by layering. The demand for apples on this stock is very limited. Trees grown on this root may be planted as close as six feet apart. They come into bearing within three years after plant- ing. For gardens or for suburban homes they will prove to be a valuable acquisition.

THINNING

Fruit growers fully realize that it is just as important to thin their apples as any other class of fruit. Where apples are allowed to grow in bunches many of them are undersized, and in addition to this, the difficulty of thoroughly spraying the fruits touching each other gives the codlin moth a good chance to get in its work, thus causing a good part of the crop to be wormy. If there was no other incentive, this alone should be a sufficient inducement to thin. The life of the tree is conserved by relieving it of its heavy burden of fruit.

GATHERING AND STORING

This is a problem which confronts every grower of fruit. The safe rule is to gather summer and early fall apples when they have attained full color and before they become soft. Care should be exercised not to break out the stem. Winter apples should be mature but not ripe. When the seeds show that they are turn- ing slightly brown, it is a safe indication that the fruit is ready to pick. The external appearance of the fruit is usually a good guide as to the time of gathering. All late winter varieties should be gathered when too hard to yield to the pressure of the thumb and always before heavy autumn frosts. An old plan, and one which is followed even to this day by many orchardists, is to pile winter apples under the trees covering them with leaves, allowing the rains to fall on them. For family use there is no serious objection to this method, for in

nearly all cases the apples when taken from their cover- ing are smooth and plump. The commercial practice- is to pick and sort the apples, carefully removing all diseased and inferior fruits, place them loose in boxes and then transfer to a fruit house. This should be con- structed so that a fairly uniform temperature is main- tained. The ventilation should be good and the boxes should be stacked so that there is a circulation of air. In the mountains, where stone is to be had readily, there is no better material than this for an apple house, as it resists any sudden changes in temperature.

It is quite true that the apple will withstand rough handling far better than many other fruits, but even admitting this fact, it is nevertheless just as much to the interest of the grower to give every attention to all the details necessary to the careful handling of apples as with any other class of fruit.

COMMERCIAL VARIETIES

Alexander, Arkansas Black, Black Ben, Delicious, Early Harvest, Esopus Spitzenburg, Gravenstein, Jona- than, Red Astrachan, Rome Beauty, Smith's Cider, Stayman's Winesap, White Astrachan. White Winter Pearmain, Winesap, Yellow Bellflower, Yellow New- town Pippin.

Period of ripening of varieties in an average apple section. Listed in the order in which they ripen.

June

Red June, Red Astrachan, White Astrachan, Duchess of Oldenburg.

July

Early Harvest, Alexander, Gravenstein.

August Maiden's Blush, Red Beitigheimer.

September Fameuse, King of Tompkins County, Bismarck.

October

Jonathan, Rhode Island Greening, Rambo, Red Bellflower or Marshall Red, Yellow Bellflower, Winter Banana, King David.

- '*\'*" --V*. .'V*

November

Ben Davis, Gano of Black Ben, Arkansas Beauty, Arkansas Black, Baldwin, Delicious, Esopus Spitzen- burg, Grimes Golden Pippin, Lawyer, Mammoth Black Twig, Missouri Pippin, Northern Spy, Rome Beauty, Smith's Cider, Stayman's Winesap, White Winter Pearmain, Winesap, Yellow Newtown Pippin.

CRAB APPLES

August Red Siberian, Hyslop, Yellow Siberian.

September Whitney No. 20, Transcendent.

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THE PEAR

The pear is a fruit cultivated throughout California and the Pacific States generally, extending into Mexico. Like the apple, there is an endless list of varieties. Unlike any other variety of fruit we grow, there is one variety, the Bartlett, which may well be termed the King of Pears, because it meets every demand for shipping, canning and drying. It has held its sway as the leading, all-purpose pear for a great many years, and where it can be grown successfully, it will undoubt- edly continue to do so for many years to come. It is of English origin and dates back to the year 1770. Its correct name is Williams' Bonchretin, which name was lost after it was introduced into the United States. Enoch Bartlett, of Boston, Mass., cultivated and dis- tributed it and it took his name.

There are other desirable varieties, of course, many of which are very meritorious and worthy of being cul- tivated. As fruit growing develops, experience and market conditions will cause a number of varieties to be reduced to a point where only those having qualities that will make them valuable commercially will be grown to any extent. The elimination of all varieties of pears not up to a standard perfection, making it profitable for the commercial fruit grower to produce them, is the order of the day.

SOIL AND SITUATION

It does well in all soils with the exception of those which are extremely sandy. It thrives better in alkali soils than probably any other variety of deciduous fruit and therefore is being planted in vineyards and orchards where the vines and trees have been killed. If there is any one thing that has militated against the planting of pears on an extensive scale in the great in- terior valleys of California, it has been the blight. Like all fungus diseases, its control has been a very difficult matter and it is only by the utmost care and vigilance on the part of the grower in cutting out the diseased sections of the trees and by the disinfection of the prun- ing tools that the disease can be controlled. In all the

The method of pruning a one-year-old orchard pear tree. Note the simple device used for pushing the framework branches away from the body of the tree.

A three-year-old Bartlett Pear tree. Note the strong leader in center and numerous laterals. In later years, when the tree is heavily laden with fruit, the laterals are pre- vented from breaking by supporting them with wire fastened to the strong leader.

coast counties of California, from the County of Mon- terey northward and west to the Coast Range, climatic conditions are very favorable for the growing of the very finest pears, bounteous crops being harvested an- nually. In these sections the blight has never been con- sidered a menace, because there are orchards in the Counties of Alameda, Santa Clara and Solano, fifty years old which are vigorous and healthy. Experience and actual demonstration are, after all, the best answer to any argument that might be presented against the growing of pears in the sections referred to.

By planting varieties which ripen in succession in the early summer months until the late fall one may have pears on th3 table during the entire year.

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ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

DISTANCES APART AND STOCKS

Trees must have ample room for develop- ment if crops of any consequence are to be har- vested from them when they reach a bearing age.

Growers are becoming more impressed with this fact than ever before. Crowding a lot of trees on an acre does not mean more fruit. As an actual fact it not only means less, but in addition to this the vitality of the tree is impaired to such an extent that it never reaches its prime vigor. Twenty feet apart is entirely too close to plant pears on pear root; never closer than twenty- four feet is better, and in very strong, deep alluvial soils, well supplied with moisture, there will be no objection to even planting thirty feet apart. Pears on quince root may be planted much closer, because the quince has a decidedly dwarfing tendency on the tree. - Not only has it this effect but it also causes the trees to come into bearing when three years old and holds them in check to a great extent without impairing their vitality. Trees worked on quince are well adapted for use in small gardens where there is not much room. For orchard planting trees should not be set closer than fifteen feet apart. That the trees are long-lived and that a crop failure is almost unknown is aptly illustrated by the famous A. Block orchards in Santa Clara, where the old monarchs, fifty years old and two feet in diameter, still con-

A five-year-old Bartlett Pear tree with head formed and well supplied with fruit spurs.

A general view of an eight-year-old Bartlett Pear orchard, pruned along the lines recommended.

tinue to bear heavy crops of fruit annually. Pears on quince root are very much more expensive to grow than a pear on pear root. First of all, the quince trees must be grown from cuttings. These are planted in beds and the following winter they are planted in nursery rows. Many varieties of pear lack affinity with the quince root and if budded directly on it, the bud will frequently break off in the nursery rows should there be a high wind. When planted in the orchard, the trees may fall over at any time. The only safe plan, then, to follow, is to secure trees that have been double- worked. This means that the Beurre Hardy, which makes a better union on the quince than any other variety of pear, is first budded on this stock and when the tree is grown it is in turn budded to any variety of pear desired. Four years of constant care are required, therefore, before the trees are ready for sale.

All the old pear orchards in California are on the French pear root. This is being superseded very rapidly by the Japanese pear, because of its wider adaptability and on account of its being less subject to the attack of blight. P^ven the root of the French pear is attacked by blight. This is, in itself, a bad feature which should discourage the use of this stock in all future plantings.

PRUNING AND SHAPING

The very marked tendency of the pear to send its branches straight up requires a method of pruning which not only holds the tree under control but will promote fruit spurs from the point where the frame- work branches diverge from the body of the tree to the very top. It goes without argument that this is the desideratum which every pear grower would like to achieve.

For a number of years, while passing in the train from Lawrence station to San Jose on the Southern Pacific

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13

Railroad, my attention was directed to the Bartlett pear orchard of Bracher Bros., two miles from the aforesaid station. The symmetry of the trees gave evi- dence that the pruning was being carried on along lines which not only maintained active growth in the trees but strong, vigorous fruit spurs, capable of carrying very heavy crops. The oldest orchard is over twenty-five years of age. It is in the very best of condition, as far

looked; in other words, the branches should be forced outward without interfering with their upward course. In 1920 the current season's growth on these branches should be pruned back at least one-half, with the ex- ception of the terminal, which should have its growth shortened one-third. A few side limbs should be allowed to remain, not overlooking the fact that they should be shortened in. In 1921 the same method

Irrigating a young pear orchard by the furrow system. This method of only partly covering the ground with water answers the purpose very well while the trees are young.

as vigor and fruitfulness -is concerned and fully exem- plifies the rare good judgment exercised in pruning. It is not uncommon for the one-year-old budded pear trees in nursery rows to attain a height of ten feet. Cut off this top, so that when the tree is set it will not stand more than twenty inches from the ground. Well- grown pear trees have plump buds all the way up the stem, every one of which will start. This, therefore, should eliminate any doubt in the mind of the grower that the tree will not start if cut back as severely as this. In midsummer just before the wood begins to harden, from four to five branches, well distributed around the tree, should be selected and strips of wood slightly notched and from three to six inches long, should be used to push the branches away from the body of the tree. These will eventually be the framework branches, and the idea of pushing them out is to open up the tree tc develop! the goblet form.

For the sake of argument let us consider that the or- chard to be pruned was planted in February, 1918. In January, 1919, four branches regularly distributed around the stem of the tree should be selected, counting from the terminal one at the tip end to constitute what will eventually be the head of the tree. All of these branches must be cut back to at least six inches. If any of them show a tendency to hug too closely to the body of the tree, the wooden braces should not be over-

of shortening in the leaders and thinning them where necessary should be followed, increasing the side limbs to balance the tree, and shortening them in. In 1922 the same method of shortening in and building up the frame of the tree should be followed. In later years the general policy of pruning continues, with the only alternative that its extent is regulated by the growth of the tree. This method of pruning and thinning results in making a fine symmetrical, vig- orous tree with an even distribution of fruit spurs throughout. The fruit is evenly distributed over the entire tree and in years of enormous crops the leader is used as a support to string wires to the lateral branches and to prevent them breaking down with their load of fruit.

THINNING

Practically the same reasons for thinning the apple are applicable to the pear. It is of the utmost impor- tance to thin pears because of their very marked ten- dency to grow in bunches. Another point, particularly with the Bartlett, which is shipped more largely than any other variety, is "the very decided advantage of having early fruit because it has attained its size, thus securing the benefit of the very highest prices. Less wormy fruit, greater longevity of the tree, because its vital forces are not drained, are most excellent reasons

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ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

for doing this work whenever it is necessary. Bear in mind that it is not advisable to thin until the fruit is well set.

GATHERING AND RIPENING

Pears, to secure the very best in them and high-class delicious fruit, should never be allowed to ripen on the tree. Tree-ripened fruit is mealy, without juice, and is, in fact, entirely lacking in quality. The time to gather is indicated by the change in color from the de- cided green stage and the fact that when the pear is elevated slightly its stem parts readily from the branch to which it is attached. One of the great advantages in favor of the Bartlett is the fact that it can be picked as soon as it reaches the standard size of two and a quarter inches, packed in boxes, and shipped to the eastern markets, maturing en route and being ready for sale as soon as it reaches its destination. It is out of the question to handle winter pears like apples. They must be wrapped and packed tight in boxes, or placed in drawers closed tight in a room where the temperature only ranges from sixty to seventy degrees Fahrenheit. The pear, not having the"" oily skin of the apple, will shrivel up in- stead of ripening when exposed to the air. Pears which have been properly ripened are exceedingly melting, buttery and juicy.

The drying of pears is a very important industry in many sections of California. The fruit is allowed to re- main on the trees until it has attained its largest size. The pears are then placed on trays or shelves under cover, and as" soon as they show color, they are halved. A loaded car of trays is run into the sulphur house, where they are exposed to the fumes of burning sulphur for four hours. The fruit is then exposed to the sun for a period of ten days, depending on the weather. The finest product is very inviting. The flesh is white while the skin is of a light golden color. Lake county has a reputation for producing the finest dried pears in California. One of the advantages of drying pears is that fruit unfit for shipping or canning can be used for drying by cutting out the defects.

IRRIGATION

No absolute rule can be laid down for irrigating. Where irrigation is practised at least from two to three irrigations, starting in May and continuing up to Sep- tember, should be given to maintain good active growth in the trees for the first few years. For the first three years, where the roots are confined to a narrow space, a back furrow on each side of the row and three feet from the trees, with a cross check six feet below to back up the water, will provide all the water that is necessary

• ps>«..^

These old monarchs are pear trees on the A. Block place near Santa Clara. These trees on quince root are only fifteen feet apart, nevertheless they are still in their prime and are constant and regular bearers.

ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

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if the check is filled up. Thorough and frequent culti- vation is much more important than resorting to irri- gation. Cultivating and stirring the soil causes the roots to penetrate deeply for moisture, a very important and vital point. As the trees become mature, all the ground will have to be covered when irrigating, either by checking or by having the water run in furrows and seeping into the surrounding soil.

COMMERCIAL VARIETIES

Bartlett, Beurre Clairgeau, Beurre Hardy, Doyenne <lu ( \>mice, Easter Beurre, Forelle or Trout, Glou Mor- ceau, Howell, Lawson, P. Barry, Winter Bartlett, Winter Nelis,

TIME OF RIPENING

July

Madeleine, Lawson.

August

Bartlett, Bloodgood, Calpp's Favorite, Howell, Sou- venir du Congress, B. S. Fox.

September .

Beurre Hardy, Le Conte, Duchess d'Angouleme, Seckel, Flemish Beauty, Beurre Clairgeau, Rossney.

October

Beurre Diel, Doyenne du Cornice, Kieffer, Beurre Bosc, Louis Bonne de Jersey, Beurre d'Anjou, Emile d'Heyst, Forelle, White Doyenne, Winter Bartlett.

November

Dana's Hovey, Winter Nelis, Pound, Easter Beurre, P. Parry, Glou Morceau, Crocker Bartlett.

THE CHERRY

Strictly speaking the sections in which cherries can be grown seem to be limited to the counties adjacent to the San Francisco bay region, although there is no doubt that in many of the counties north of the bay and receiving the benefit of the tempered sea air, the growing of cherries will prove to be a profitable undertaking. The enormous profits realized from cherry orchards and the popularity of the fruit in the east, the very excellent keeping qualities of many of the varieties even when picked quite ripe, present a series of reasons for extending the field for the planting of cherries over a greater territorj'.

Being the initial stone fruit of the season probably accounts in a way for its popularity.

Exceptionally fine cherries are grown in Oregon and Washington. California's advantage over these two states is not so much in the quality of the fruit as it is in the time of ripening. Our season is from May 1st to June 15th, while in the more northern states the season opens on the latter date and closes about July 15th. In the upper San Joaquin valley, notably around Stockton, in many sections of the Sacramento valley, and in the foothill sections adjacent thereto, cherries are grown quite successfully in the alluvial soils. In the south half of the San Joaquin valley cherries should only be

A two-year-old Cherry tree cut back to illustrate method followed of thinning and cutting back the leaders to secure a well balanced head.

planted for home use, giving the preference to the Morello types. Cherry trees should be planted twenty- four feet apart at the very least, and on exceptionally rich soils, thirty feet would be better.

STOCKS FOR THE CHERRY

For years it has been absolutely fixed in the minds of planters, and many of them experienced growers, that the only root for the cherry in California is the Mazzard (Cerasus aviwri).

According to all reports, the Mahaleb root (Cerasus odorata), which is extensively used in the east for grow- ing cherries, would not do in California, and nursery- men, because of the prevailing prejudice, have hesitated to use it. While on a tour of investigation in Solano county, I found to my surprise in the Vacaville district several young orchards and one old orchard of forty years or more where the sweet cherries were not only very thrifty, but were producing very heavily on the Mahaleb root. One of the most experienced growers in the valley, Mr. H. A. Bassford, said that his preference for this root was due to the trees being longer lived, greater prolificness and the evident influence of this root on the growth of the tree.

The dwarfing tendency so often attributed to the Mahaleb is not borne out by observation; on the con- trary, its effect is to give the tree a greater bearing sur- face and its influence is more in the direction of pre- venting the excessive growth of the branches. Possibly the loss of trees which many growers have sustained through sour sap may be due to the use of the Mazzard

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ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

A four-year-old Cherry tree illustrating method of pruning. A typical vase-formed tree well supplied with fruit spurs.

root. That the Mahaleb is a more vigorous grower and has a much better root system is generally recognized by all nurserymen.

PRUNING

It is simply disheartening to see some of the un- pruned cherry orchards in Solano county, which stands out pre-eminently as the most important cherry sec- tion in the state today. Compare the quality and quantity of fruit produced with the trees that have been systematically pruned, and the whole fallacy not to cut a cherry tree after the head has once been formed falls to the ground.

The trees should be headed back to twenty inches. Three to four branches should be allowed to grow to form the head of the tree, and these should be distrib- uted in such a manner as to prevent forks, as the tree has a tendency to split as it grows' older. The first winter these branches should be cut back one-half and the following season not more than one to two branches should be allowed to grow from those left the first year. The third season the new growth should be shortened in about the same, depending on the growth, and some of the laterals appearing near the point of divergence from the main stems should not be cut off but merely shortened in, for the shade they furnish is one of the essential features in the development of the young trees. This same method of pruning should be followed until the fifth year. In after years the cutting should be less severe, but pruning, unless the trees should show too much of a tendency to spread out, should continue every j-ear. This promotes fruit spurs on the large as

well as on the smaller branches, and in harvesting a crop the even distribution of the cherries from the bottom to the top of the tree cannot but help bring about a feeling of pride in the mind of the grower over the results obtained. There are cherry trees in the Ulatis Ranch Property near Vacaville, managed by Mr. H. A. Bassford, where with one or two exceptions, one of the cherry orchards now fifteen years old, consisting of Bing, Lambert, Royal Ann, Black Tartarian, has been pruned annually. The trees in this particular orchard are simply beauties. The Gummosis, a gum disease, has been overcome in this orchard by slashing the body and framework branches every other year in November.

The placing of a colony of bees in this orchard has had a decided influence on its bearing qualities. Not only do they benefit the cherries but undoubtedly are responsible for the splendid crops of other fruits which are harvested annually on this large fruit ranch.

I believe the placing of a colony of bees in any or- chard will be found a splendid investment.

GATHERING

Great care should be exercised not to pull the cherries from the stalks when gathering. Several hundred car- loads are shipped from California to eastern markets annually. The cherries are either packed in pound car- tons or in rows in flat boxes of ten pounds each. The fruit is picked when it is mature and, if carefully handled, invariably reaches its destination in prime condition. When gathered for market or transportation on distant shipments cherries should be gathered only when per- fectly dry. For table use the flavor is very much enhanced by placing the fruit for an hour or so in a

This Cherry tree is six years old. Numerous fruit spurs on the well balanced tree fully demonstrate the advisability of pruning the Cherry annually.

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Trees like these make one envious of the owner of this magnificent orchard. Nots the even distribution of blossoms.

refrigerator and bringing them on the table cool with dewdrops standing upon them.

IRRIGATION

Irrigation is a very important factor in the develop- ment of a cherrv orchard. In California, in the very

This is the result of allowing the Cherry tree to grow with- out checking the framework branches. They are badly crowded where they started from the body of the tree. The long, straight stems indicate very plainly the mistake made in not checking them when in the formative stage of growth.

best cherry sections, in years of limited rainfall, if the necessary moisture to sustain the trees is not supplied to them, they may suffer so severely that they may die. The cherry is an extremely sensitive tree but where soil and climatic conditions are favorable, it is exceed- ingly profitable if given proper care.

The lack of rainfall in California is a problem which frequently confronts the fruit grower. In such seasons, in order to maintain the trees in thrift}- condi- tion, it is necessary to apply water artificially during the growing season.

COMMERCIAL VARIETIES

Bing, Black Tartarian, Early Purple Guinge, Lam- bert, Lewelling, Napoleon Bigarreau.

TIME OF RIPENING IN A CHERRY SECTION

May

Early Purple Guigne, Abundance, Chapman, Bur- bank, Knight's Early Black.

June

Belle d'Orleans, Rockport Bigarreau, Black Tar- tarian, Reine Hortense, Burr's Seedling,- Ekon, Black Eagle, Centennial, Governor Wood, Great Bigarreau, Napoleon Bigarreau, Yellow Spanish, Ostheimer Wei<*hsel, Bing, Lambert, Schmidt's Bigarreau.

July

Early Richmond, Lewelling, Montmorency.

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ROBBING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

THE PLUM

The plum in its geographical distribution on this coast, particularly in California, covers a wide range of soils and climates, being both thrifty along the coast regions and the interior valleys, and well up into the foothills. Indeed, so wide is its range that it is safe to say that every county in the state boasts of its plum orchards. The very fact that the plum has such a wide range of usage should cause plums to be more widely planted than they have been in recent years. It is very rarely indeed that there is a failure of a crop, and this is largely accounted for by the fact that practically all the varieties, with the exception of some of the Japanese types, flower late in the spring when all danger from frost is over.

There are two distinct lines in the classification of plums: those which are especially shipping sorts and the other types which are primarily used for canning. The very fact that plums may be picked considerably riper than many other fruits makes them very valuable for long distance shipments, due to their fine shipping qualities. Plums need not be peeled when canned, a great point in their favor as a preserving fruit. Under no consideration should plum trees be planted closer than twenty-four feet apart. This, of course, refers to planting in orchard form. For gardens or in small

Two-year-old Plum tree showing frame- work branches short- ened in. The greater diameter of the frame- work branches indi- cates how far the tree was cut back the first year.

A three-year-old Plum tree already giving evidence of the much desired goblet form.

plots of ground, the trees may be planted very much closer than this. By pruning regularly every year and then holding the annual growth of the trees in check, it is not only practicable to have trees as close as twelve feet apart, but to harvest very good crops of fruit.

STOCKS

The peach and myrobolan root are the standard stocks for the plum and these two roots seem to meet practically all the conditions where the plums are raised, the peach root being given the preference on the sandy, loamy soils, and the myrobolan on the heavier and damper soils. It is quite possible within a few years that other roots, such as the Mussel, so exten- sively used in Great Britain and on the continent of Europe for so many of the stone fruits, will find con- ditions equally as congenial with us. The only way to raise this stock is by layering, making it rather expen- sive. Several varieties of plums including the following, lack affinity for the peach root: Yellow Egg, Jefferson and Washington. On very gravelly soils the almond root could be used to advantage, nearly all varieties doing well on this root. It has not been used to any extent, however.

PRUNING

To deliberately say that a plum tree should be pruned regularly every year would be just as non- sensical as a recommendation never to prune the plum. No absolutely fixed rule can be adopted when it comes to pruning, whether it be a plum or anything else, for in the final analysis the grower must study his condi- tions and decide for himself the policy to pursue.

There cannot possibly be any argument, however, in shaping the trees when they are young and training the branches which will eventually be the main supports of the tree I have no patience with the man who will not cut his trees back to at least twenty inches after they are planted and who will not endeavor to have the framework branches properly distributed around the body of the tree. If, in after years, larger crops are produced by allowing the trees to grow at their own sweet will, except to cut out" interfering branches, this is a matter of judgment.

The planting and the bringing of an orchard into bearing is no small undertaking. It not only taxes the average man's purse strings to the limit but in addition it means the employment of every resource at his com- mand in labor and brains to reach the goal for which he is aiming. Therefore he must have returns for the combination of forces which have caused him to build vigorous, substantial trees.

If I were growing the orchard my decision would be to prune the trees regularly every year even after they reach the four-year age limit.

It is not possible to say definitely how much of the annual growth should be removed, but that the trees should be pruned to promote fruit spurs, according to my idea, is the only practicable and sensible plan in the handling of a plum tree. As I see it, a tree with fruit from the very crotches to the tip ends and evenly distributed throughout, is preferable to having a total

ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

19

absence of laterals and to have all the fruit spurs on the upper limbs. Where the trees are not cut back this is just what happens. After a number of years, depending on the vigor of the tree, practically no new wood is being made, there is apparently a lacking in vitality, the blossoms are weak, and there is a general debility in the tree. There is only one recourse then — cut the tree back and build a new top and be out of a crop for at least three years until the tree is again back where it belongs.

THINNING

As a rule it is not customary to thin plums. Com- mercially, very good fruit can be grown without doing this work. Nevertheless, there is no use denying the

A six-year-old Plum tree. A fine type of a tree.

fact that much finer and more uniform fruit will be pro- duced where this is resorted to. For the man who wishes to maintain a degree of quality and establish a standard for his fruit, it is very essential that thinning be done.

GATHERING

For shipment to distant markets, plums should be picked while they are still hard and have taken on some color. For local shipments or for table use they should be mature, well colored but not soft.

IRRIGATION

While the trees are young, the same care in the matter of irrigating should be given to them as to any other young trees. Just bear in mind that in the interior

valleys they must have more water than is necessary in the coast counties, where there are fogs, more moisture in the air and less evaporation from the soil because of the difference in climatic conditions. Plums are very much subject to the attack of a minute red spider, which weaves a web on the under-side of the leaves. When they become very numerous, and they propagate very freely in the warm weather, the leaves turn brown and finally drop off. This, of course, retards the growth of the tree. All that is necessary to control the pest is to spray the trees with water and then apply, powdered sulphur. To hold it in check it may be necessary to attend to this several times during the summer months, but under no consideration should the work be delayed later than the middle of June.

COMMERCIAL VARIETIES FOR SHIPPING

Beauty, Burbank, Climax, Clyman, Diamond, Giant, Grand Duke, Formosa, Gaviota, Kelsey Japan, Presi- dent, Santa Rosa, Satsuma, Wickson, Yellow Egg.

COMMERCIAL VARIETIES FOR CANNING

Jefferson, Imperial Gage, Washington, Yellow Egg, Bavay's Green Gage.

TIME OF RIPENING Maturing in Each Month in About the Order Named

June

Clyman, Cherry, Beauty, Apex Plumcot, Climax, Rutland Plumcot, Bartlett, Santa Rosa, Burbank.

July

Abundance, Bartlett, Formosa, Gaviota, Simon, Anita, Satsuma, Wickson.

August

Washington, Diamond, Apple, Grand Duke, Jefferson, Giant, Yellow Egg, Bavay's Green Gage, Kelsey Japan, Red Egg.

September

President, Bradshaw, Shropshire Damson.

The Santa Eosa Plum, one of the leading varieties of shipping plums— a Burbank introduction.

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ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

An improved French Prune tree. Note its tendency to spread out and that the branches are inclined to hang down. This is characteristic of this tree. Except to thin out interfering branches this tree has had very little pruning in recent years.

THE PRUNE

Prunes and plums are so closely allied that remarks pertaining to one fruit are equally applicable to the other. Practically speaking the prune is characterized by its sweet firm flesh and has the property of drying and curing without the seed being removed.

The varieties of prunes having their origin in France seem to find conditions more congenial in the counties clustering around San Francisco bay than in any other part of the state. There are certain favored spots, more particularly in the silty soils of the river bottom in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, where the prunes not only are very thrifty but are very dependable in their production of crops. From a standpoint of quality the dried product from the interior is inferior in quality to the prune from the coast counties. One of the strange anomalies in connection with the growing of the French prune is that in the coast counties, even with their much lower average of temperature units in the summer months, the harvesting season commences at least two weeks earlier than in the interior, while the apricot in the same section is six weeks later in maturing than the apricots in the interior valley counties. Trees should be planted from twenty-four to thirty feet apart.

STOCKS

It is very difficult for nurserymen outside of Cali- fornia to grasp the situation concerning the demand which exists for trees on different roots to meet soil conditions. The answer is that in California the growing of fruit is just as much a great commercial business and is justr as much a staple as the growing of cotton and sugar in the Southern States.

The stability of the tree and its fruitfulness must be guarded by the selection of a root best adapted to the particular soil in which the growler contemplates plant- ing, therefore the extreme care in securing the right root. The Myrobolan root is preferred by most grow- ers, although there are many soils on which this root is • used where the peach could be used to advantage. In behalf of the peach root it may be said that the trees are stronger growers than on the Myrobolan, although not quite so long lived. There is another point which must not be lost sight of and that is that there is a lack of affinity of some varieties of prunes for the peach root j among them may be mentioned Robe de Sargent, Im- perial Epineuse, and Sugar.

The Robe de Sargent lacks affinity for the almond root, while the other two take well on this root and make good unions.

ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

21

PRUNING

Instructions about pruning given for the plum will serve equally as well for the prune.

GATHERING AND DRYING

The prune should never be picked until it is fully ripe. This is indicated when it is soft to the touch. The trees are shaken slightly, although with many growers it is customary to make a number of pickings during the season from time to time as the fruits drop to the ground. Unless the prune is dead ripe, it makes an inferior dried article. The first step in curing is to dip the prunes in boiling water in which lye has been dissolved, using one pound of lye to ten gallons of water. It is very important to maintain the temperature of the water at at least 200 degrees Fahrenheit, if the best results are to be obtained. The purpose of this dipping is to crack the skin to facilitate drying. As a rule the fruit is immersed for about a minute but this may be

The owner of this three-year-old French Prune orchard does not agree with me in my recommendations of pruning.

But this man does. The reader must draw his own conclu- sions as to which plan is preferable.

varied, and final experience is the best teacher as to the strength of the lye solution and the length of time of dipping. Carelessness in dipping, that is, not having the water to the boiling point, causes fermentation in prunes, which are. termed "bloaters." The Imperial Epineuse is very much subject to this trouble. Mr. C. F. Fleming, manager of one of the prune packing plants of the California Packing Corporation in San Jose, claims that by allowing the prunes of this variety to remain on the trays for two or three days until wilted, before dipping, much of this difficulty will be overcome. After the prunes are dipped in the solution, they are then rinsed off in cold water to remove all traces of the lye. There are a number of processing machines on the mar- ket devised for handling prunes. These are either operated by hand or by power, depending on the quantity of fruit to be handled. From the dipper the prunes are transferred to trays, which are three feet wide, eight feet long, with a two-inch cleat all around, made of one-inch lumber to prevent the prunes from rolling off. The drying is carried on in the open, the desiccating of the fruit being due entirely to the rays of the sun. It is very important to stir the prunes on the trays to prevent them from sticking. This causes them to dry uniformly. Clean trays play a very im- portant part in preventing mold and the loss of the prunes in event of wet and sultry weather. There is a tendency on the part of beginners to over-dry, exhaust- ing all the juices of the fruit, by too long exposure to the sun. Take a handful of prunes in the morning before they have been warmed up by the sun, and if, after

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ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

squeezing them slightly, they fall apart readily, the trays should be stacked one above another, just as soon as the fruit has become slightly warmed up. After a few days the prunes should be placed in bins on wooden floors, where they have access to the air but covered in such a manner that they will not be rained on. There are a number of solutions for preparing prunes for packing commercially. Probably the simplest dip is a solution made by dissolving five pounds of salt to one hundred gallons of water. As a result of this dip the fruit takes on a bright, dark, glossy hue. The solution should be used hot and the prunes should have the sur- plus moisture dried off before packing in the boxes.

COMMERCIAL VARIETIES FOR DRYING

French, French Improved, Imperial Epineuse, Robe de Sargent, Sugar.

COMMERCIAL VARIETIES FOR SHIPPING

Conquest, Fellenberg, German, Hungarian, Silver, Tragedy, Standard.

PERIOD OF RIPENING June

July

Tragedy.

Sugar.

August Conquest, Fellenberg, German, Hungarian, Standard.

September

French, Improved French, Imperial Epineuse, Robe de Sargent, Silver.

When you get a tree to produce fruit from a point close to the main body to the very tip ends, the demonstration of successful pruning is complete.

THE APRICOT

The apricot is a native of Asia Minor and the higher regions of Central Asia. As a commercial proposition California has practically a monopoly of the apricot culture. No other section of the Union produces it in quantities at so small an expense and so little risk of failure in a crop. In appearance it is the handsomest of all stone fruits and contains less acid. For canning, evaporating and drying purposes, and for use in the fresh state, the fruit can hardly be excelled. It seems particularly adapted to the coast counties, where the fruit attains the largest size and the highest flavor. In the interior valleys it has a distinct advantage, in that it ripens its fruits fully a month earlier than in the cooler sections of the state. A few years ago the only value the apricot pits possessed was for fuel, but today there is no waste of any part of this all-around fruit. The pits sell readily at $40 per ton. Special machinery has been devised for cracking the pits and extracting the kernels. A very fine edible oil is made from the kernels. During the period of the war the shells came into use for the manufacture of gas masks, the United States Government taking the entire available supply. These were carbonized and then subjected to a secret process. Apricot pits, peach pits and cocoanut shells were in great demand because of their effectiveness in absorbing the noxious vapors better than any other known material.

STOCKS FOR THE APRICOT

It is not surprising that in California, where such great strides have been made in commercial fruit grow- ing, that the stocks best constituted to certain soils and locations should be in demand by growers. In order to meet these conditions it has been found necessary to bud the apricot on peach, apricot and myrobolan roots. Some growers even go so far as to want the apricot on almond root. The apricot has no affinity for this stock and it would be dangerous prac- tice to use it, because the trees are liable to break off on the slightest provocation. On deep well-drained loamy soils the apricot makes a fine vigorous tree. The peach root has a much wider adaptability and will do well on a greater variety of soils, even those which may become very wet during the early spring months. In soils which are heavy and very retentive of moisture and where the water may stand for any length of time the Myrobolan root should be used exclusively. The trees do not attain so great a size on this root but they are longer-lived, which is a good point in their favor. For commercial planting the apricot should never be set closer than twenty-four feet apart and on deep rich soils, due to its faculty of being a strong, straggly grower it would seem advisable to plant the trees either twenty-eight or thirty feet apart.

PRUNING

The very fact that the apricot trees are strong grow- ers obviously makes it necessary to prune the trees carefully for at least the first four years of their exist- ence. The trees should be cut back to twenty inches after they are set. It is safe to cut trees back to this

ROBBING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

23

height even if they are extra large and devoid of any lateral branches below where the tree is nipped off, be- cause of the plump, well developed buds on the stem of the tree. Not more than four branches should be left the following year after planting, having them as care- fully distributed around the stem as it is possible to get them. In the second year these branches should have at least two-thirds of their growth cut off. This severe cutting promotes not only a stocky well-balanced tree but insures a vigorous growth and encourages a compactness that cannot be secured in any other way. In the third year the pruning should be far more moderate, otherwise there is a tendency to make the tree brushy to such an extent that many of the laterals starting from the framework branches just above the point where they diverge from the main body of the tree are smothered out. In the fourth year the pruning should be more a matter of shaping and controlling the branches, making a rampant growth. The tree in its fourth year should have a pronounced wide-open goblet form and it will unquestionably, if the pruning has been properly done.

A six-year-old Apricot tree with a well developed head, the result of regular and systematic pruming.

One-year-old Apricot or- chard-grown tree, with lateral branches short- ened in.

This two-year-old Apricot tree is already giving evidence by

its numerous blossoms on the main branches what may be

expected of it when it reaches bearing age.

There is no use denying the fact that the apricot is distinctly a creature of environment. It is an open question as to whether or not any benefit is derived, as far as fruitfulness is concerned, from summer pruning. A grower must determine this for himself. The results obtained must be his answer. Some varieties after they have reached bearing age if pruned heavily every year

will not produce sufficient fruit to pay for cultivation. This has been demonstrated to be a fact in the handling of the Hemskirke, which if pruned heavily is a very shy bearer. For size and flavor there are few apricots that will compare with it, unless it is the Moorpark. This variety has thoroughly identified itself as being so shy a bearer that commercially it is no longer seriously con- sidered. As stated in the introduction, I am solely re- sponsible for any recommendations concerning pruning in this booklet; at the same time, if I have any egotism it is not so pronounced that I am not willing to give credit to the successful men who practise the very meth- ods which I champion. Furthermore, in my opinion, although my suggestions may be of value to the reader, nevertheless, wherever it is possible for a planter to per- sonally visit a property and absorb from the owner the methods that have been followed, there is nothing to my mind which will be more conducive to success than to follow along the same lines as the man who demon- strates by an actual example that he is on the right track. Possibly the largest acreage in apricot trees is found in Santa Clara county. It is the exception to find an instance where trees are not pruned. There are very few, if any, properties in the valley in which thorough and intelligent management is more manifest than in the 500 acres under the control of Mr. H. E. Losse, recently deceased. He had 120 acres of fifteen- year-old apricot trees equally divided between Blen- heim and Hemskirke. The annual production varies from 750 to 1000 tons of green fruit. No finer example of pruning could be found anywhere, for the trees are loaded with fruit annually which is of the largest size and evenly distributed from the framework branches to the extreme top of the trees. The trees are never summer pruned. Up to four years ago the treatment of both varieties was the same, with the result that the Hemskirke variety produced very light crops. Now that the pruning of the Hemskirke has been confined to the removal of interfering branches the yield has been

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ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

exceedingly satisfactory. It will be necessary after a period of years to head in these trees very severely to develop new wood in the trees handled in this manner.

THINNING

The proper time to do this is just before the kernel gets hard. It is a very important piece of work, which should be religiously performed, when the trees give evidence of carrying more fruit than they should. The fruit should be thinned to.be from three to four inches apart. Sometimes the ground under a tree may be literally carpeted with green fruit, but even this should not deter the owner from his task if he wants first-class fruit.

GATHERING

The time to gather apricots for canning is when they have reached their size, are firm and show a slight tinge of green close to the stem end. For drying they should b>e somewhat further advanced. The canneries prefer fruit which will run twelve apricots to the pound and less. The larger the size, the higher the price. For drying it is necessary to halve the fruit first and extract the pit. Prune trays are used for drying apricots. The very fact that apricots ripen so far in advance of prunes and that there is very little danger from rain, should cause prune growers to confine at least part of their acreage to apricots. One year with another, there is comparatively little difference in the profits realized. The filled trays are run into the sulphur house on trucks

designed for this purpose. They remain in the fumes for at least four hours. A good rule to go by is to watch the fruit and whenever a good part of the cups are filled with juice it is an indication that the fruit has been sulphured sufficiently. The sulphuring brightens up the fruit, causes it to retain its color and prevents it- from being infested by insects. The time of drying varies from six to eight days, depending on the weather. Whenever the fruit shows that the moisture is prac- tically out of it and is still quite supple, stack the trays and permit the drying to continue from this point in the shade. After the fruit is cured it is shoved off the trays with wooden paddles into sweat or lug boxes.

IRRIGATION

Even in the coast counties, where there is an abun- dance of rainfall during the winter months, it is very important indeed to be in a position to irrigate an apricot orchard. Our climate is so- arid, there being no rain from May to October, that it is necessary to supply moisture artificially to maintain vigorous thrifty trees. While the trees are young from three to four irrigations are necessary. One, and at .the outside two, irrigations will be all that will be required when the trees have reached a bearing age. Winter irrigation, or rather applying water in the late fall, has a very bene- ficial effect, and this, if followed by an irrigation just before thinning, will be the means of causing the fruit to run into larger sizes. Cultivation following an

A four-year-old-Peach tree with the leaves stripped off from one side. It is loaded down with a heavy crop' of uniform sized peaches. Pruning and thinning combined are responsible for such results.

ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

irrigation, not once but several times over, is even more important than irrigating. Anything that will develop sound, healthy roots seeking into the lowest stratas of the soil for sustenance and moisture, is the right course to pursue.

Blenheim, Pringle, Tilton.

COMMERCIAL VARIETIES Hemskirke, Newcastle Early, Royal,

RIPENING PERIOD

May

Pringle, Newcastle Early.

June

Large Early Montgamet, Royal, Routiers Peach, Smyrna, Blenheim, Tilton.

July

Hemskirke, Moorpark.

THE PEACH

The peach, like the prune and apricot, is indeed a fruit of commercial importance, and finds wide dis- tribution not only in California but throughout the length and breadth of the Pacific slope. For size, flavor, color and shipping qualities the peaches grown in this state have a national reputation. The tree pre- fers a light, deep, sandy loam, preferably inclined to be dry rather than too moist, but well drained. It should be not less than three or four feet deep, the more depth the better.

Fresno county is the peach center of California, hav- ing a total, according to reliable estimates, of not less than 21,000 acres. The Libby, McNeil & Libby Can- nery, located in Selma, the great peach center of the

A two-year-old Peach tree.

Left— A one-year-old nursery-grown Peach tree and the same topped and the root pruned before planting.

Right— A one-year-old orchard-grown Peach tree with its branches cut back and well distributed around the stem.

Same tree as above pruned. This tree will produce a light crop of fruit without impairing the vigor of the tree.

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ROBBING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

A four-year-old Peach tree with fruit-'bearing laterals from the point where the main branches diverge from the main body of the tree to the very top.

county, handles no less than 8000 tons of peaches an- nually in its plant, and this is only a very small part of the canning peaches raised yearly in Fresno county.

The commercial importance of peach growing cannot be estimated in dollars and cents, for the great territory over which the peach thrives with the practical cer- tainty of a crop one year with another makes the field a very promising one.

STOCKS FOR THE PEACH

Without exception the peach root is used exclusively for growing peaches. For several years I have been carrying on experiments with different varieties to de- termine their value from a standpoint of growth and general freedom from crown gall, and taking it all in all, the Salway comes first, and the trees produced from Lovell and Muir seed next. Within the last few years I have been carrying on experiments with Tennessee natural pits and am already convinced of their value as to the vigor of growth. If the rcot system is found to be healthy and of a fibrous character, this stock will be given the preference.

DISTANCES APART

In former years it was customary to plant peaches twenty feet apart. The trees grew so rapidly that it was only a question of a few years when the branches were interlacing. On sandy soils from twenty-four to twenty-five feet is a very satisfactory distance to plant, while on heavy soils twenty-eight to thirty feet is better.

PRUNING

The general cultural directions for the handling of deciduous fruit trees in the introductory chapters should be closely followed in the case of the peach tree. Noth- ing will bring a peach tree to a premature end quicker than not to prune. The trees as they stand in nursery rows have the limbs removed to a point about twelve

inches from the ground. Instead of removing all these limbs when topping the tree at twenty inches, they should be cut back to about two inches long, so in case the buds on the main body do not start in the spring the buds on the smaller branches will. If the buds do start on the main bcdy, the branchlets may be clipped off with a shear.

All growers are practically in accord that peach trees must be pruned. How to do it, brings up an end- less amount of argument. They say "A confession is good for the soul"; I am not going to argue this pro or con except to say that I am now firmly of the opinion that the ideas that I have had for a number of years relative to the pruning of the peach, while they may not be absolutely wrong, do not bring the trees into bearing as early and as prolifically as it should. There is no argument about heading the trees to twenty inches after setting and resorting to very severe pruning the first year, cutting off at least one-half, or better still two-thirds of the current season's growth. Not more than four branches should be used to make the head of the tree, and they should be distributed to secure as symmetrical a tree as possible. Heretofore my recom- mendation to prune back severely in the second and third years has resulted in developing an immerse amount of woody growth, producing a fine umbrageous head, which was a sight to behold in the summer months and which to all appearances, judging from the general healthfulness of the tree, was the right policy to follow. Careful observations have now convinced me that this severe pruning has promoted the woody growth of the tree to such an extent that it has militated against its fruitfulness. Instead of cutting the framework branches back so severely in the second and third years they should not be cut back more than one-third and the laterals distributed along their entire length at intervals of six to eight inches apart should be shortened in, of course, but not cut off. By following this plan a crop

The same tree pruned. The young man, George Stephenson, standing beside this tree was one of the author's foremen, who sacrificed his life on the soil of France while fighting for his country.

ROBBING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

27

of peaches which will pay for cultivation may be har- vested the third year, without in any way impairing the vitality of the tree.

In the fourth year and in subsequent seasons the method of pruning will be self-evident to the expe- rienced pruner and requires no further elucidation here. This is the very idea which I hoped to bring about by the old method, but it was invariably frustrated by the exuberance of growth of the tree, the fruitful laterals being smothered out.

THINNING

To obtain large, firm fruit, thinning should be done when the fruit has set well and before the kernel has hardened.

Most growers become frightened when they find the ground under a tree literally covered with fruit, and get cold feet. Forget your imaginary troubles and keep at it until your peaches are not closer than four inches apart, and try to have most of them six inches from each other, and then your crop will be heavier, no doubt, than your tree will carry, without having a prop to sup- port the overburdened branches. Less pits and more pounds of actual fine, large, luscious, perfect peachy peaches should be the purpose for which every grower should strive.

GATHERING

For shipment to distant markets it is necessary to pick peaches just as soon as they show a slight color. At this stage they are far from being ripe and this may account for their lack in flavor when they reach the eastern markets. Climatic conditions are very favor- able indeed in California for not only developing highly colored peaches but fruit of the highest flavor as well. For canning purposes, the Clings are given the preference, because of their greater firmness and the fact that they stand up better under the cooking process. The standard size for canning peaches is fruit which will just pass through a two and one- quarter-inch ring. Smaller fruit than this is very rarely accepted by the canners, unless it happens in years of a light crop. Care should be exercised in gathering peaches to be canned to avoid bruising. The fruit should be well colored but not soft.

DRYING PEACHES

For drying the peaches must be ripe to make a first- class dried article. To dry peaches to advantage, it is necessary first of all to have a drying yard, or if ar- rangements can be made to have a plot of ground to be used for this purpose in alfalfa, so much the better. A great point in favor of an alfalfa field is its freedom from dust. To handle the fruit to advantage, it is necessary to have tracks not only running to the sulphur houses but also to the field where the trays are to be exposed to the sun. In former years it was the practice to use 2x4 Oregon pine scantling and to screw down heavy iron strapping to the two-inch edge to wheel the trucks over. Portable tracks are now to be had, made entirely of steel. They will last for a great many years and can be moved very quickly from place to place. They are so

constructed in sections that several hundreds of feet can be put together very quickly. The same trays used for apricots and prunes answer equally well for peaches. The sulphuring of peaches is carried on in a shed-like structure, constructed of tongue and grooved lumber and lined with building paper. The peaches, after being halved, are placed in the trays, cups up. In sulphuring it is necessary to place cleats between the trays to per- mit the fumes to penetrate in every direction. The ex- posure should not be less than four hours. When a good part of the halved peaches have the cups partially filled with juice, it is a sign that the fruit has been in the sul- phur bath a sufficient length of time. If the trays have . been placed in the house late in the afternoon, let them remain overnight and take them out the next morning. If taken out in the evening they will have a dark color and command a less price. As soon as the peaches on the trays are no longer mushy the trays should at once be stacked, the curing from this time on taking place in the shade. This not only conserves the weight of the peaches but makes a far better dried product. After the peaches are cured they are scraped off the trays with wooden paddles into sweat boxes for delivery to the packing house. It takes from ten to twelve days, de- pending on the weather, to dry peaches.

In the last analysis it presents the finality in the in- dustry, for all the fruit is cared for and there is no wastage. There has been more or less prejudice to dried peaches due to their fuzzy skin. This has been over- come now by a process for which the Lovell and Muir seem to have a decided advantage, by removing the peel by a recent invention even after the fruit is dried. That the consuming public appreciates this grade of fruit is demonstrated by the high prices which dried peeled peaches sell for in the market.

As a matter of fact the orchardist at a very small additional expense could easily do this himself. All that is necessary after the peaches have been halved, regardless of variety, is to immerse the fruit in a hot lye water maintained at a temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit for one minute. Dissolve one pound of lye in ten gallons of water. The peaches after being given the lye dip are then immersed in a tank of cold water, which not only removes every vestige of lye but causes the skins to slough off. It will pay the owners of large orchards to purchase a lye-dipping machine such as is used in the canneries and known as a "Grass- hopper" for this purpose. The machine is not very ex- pensive and would more than pay for itself in a single season.

Conditions may arise, through a failure to thin prop- erly or because the orchard is not in a thrifty condition, where many peaches may run undersized. In the case of Freestones the peaches may be halved, although the expense is quite heavy. With Clings it is not practi- cable to do this, and it is not at all uncommon to have thousands of tons of fruit of this character go to waste, rotting on the ground because there seems to be no practical way of handling it. I have made experiments for several years now with such peaches and find they can be dried to good advantage by removing the skins by the lye process. The peaches are dipped into the lye

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ROBBING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

Selma Cling Peach, which gives promise of standing in the lead of all other varieties for canning purposes

just as they come from the field. The method of pro- cedure is as follows: Dissolve one pound of lye to ten gallons of water. Place the peaches in a perforated bucket and immerse them in the solution for about a minute. The length of time is easily determined by the manner in which the skins peel off in the cold water dip which they must be given to remove traces of lye. The temperature of the water must be at boiling point. The fruit is then placed on trays, exposed to the sulphur fumes just like the fruit which has been halved, and then placed in the sun to dry. In order that the fruit may dry uniformly the trays should be shaken occa- sionally so that all sides of the fruit will be exposed to the sun's rays. Peaches handled by this process have a distinct character, for it is found when the fruit is cooked that the pit imparts a very delicate flavor to it.

IRRIGATION

To promote a healthy, vigorous tree during the first three years it is necessary to irrigate the trees unless they have been planted in a district where the annual rainfall, with thorough cultivation, is sufficient to cause the trees to grow vigorously. When the trees have reached bearing age they should be irrigated just after thinning and again a short time before the fruit is

gathered. Never forget that thorough cultivation is very necessary indeed after each irrigation to conserve the moisture in the ground.

COMMERCIAL VARIETIES

Admiral Dewey, Alexander, Brigg's Red May, El- berta, Foster, Greensboro, Male's Early, Heath Cling, Levy's Late, Libbee Cling, Lovell, Mayflower, Mc- Devitt's Cling, Muir, Phillips' Cling, Salway, Selma Cling, Sims' Cling, Sneed, Tuscan Cling, Wheatland.

NAMED IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY RIPEN May

Sneed, Greensboro, Mayflower, Oklahoma Beauty, Oklahoma Queen.

June

Alexander, Brigg's Red May, Hale's Early, Admiral Dewey, Triumph, Early Imperial, Yellow St. John.

July

Foster, Early Crawford, Sims' Cling, Strawberry, J. H. Hale, Elberta, Tuscan, Blood Cling.

August

Morris White, Selma Cling, Muir, Lemon -Cling, Lovell, Royal George, Runyon's Orange Cling. Seller's

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29

Orange Cling, Wheatland. Susquehanna, Late Craw- ford, McDevitt's Cling, McKevitt's Cling, Libbee Cling, Sims' Cling, Phillips' Cling.

September George's Late Cling, Heath Cling, Salway.

October Bilyeu's Late, Ward's Late, Levy's Late.

THE NECTARINE

There is a mistaken idea that the nectarine is a cross between the peach and something else. As a matter of fact it is nothing more or less than a smooth-skinned peach. Nectarines can be grown in any section where the peach thrives. The nectarine bears fully as well as the peach, and for canning, drying and shipping it has so many points in its favor it is difficult indeed to .com- prehend why planters have not engaged in nectarine culture more extensively than they have. In England and on the continent of Europe the nectarine can only be grown to advantage under glass. It is prized there more highly than any other variety of stone fruit. The prices realized are exceedingly high. As the nectarine has identically the same habit as the peach the cultural directions are the same, therefore any additional in- structions would be superfluous.

SEASON OF RIPENING

June Early Newington.

July Gower, New White, Boston, Advance, Lord Napier.

August Hardwick, Humboldt, Victoria, Stanwick.

THE QUINCE

The quince comes-in at a season of the year when practically all other fruits for preserving purposes are disposed of. California conditions, both in the interior valleys and through the coast sections, are well adapted to its culture. The trees are enormous bearers and in the fall of the year when loaded down with their heavy crops of large, light, lemon-colored fruits, they are strikingly ornamental. For delicateness of flavor there is no jelly superior to that of the quince. The fruits when cooked are very desirable for table use. In California the demand even in our largest cities has never been heavy. The inspiration to plant more quinces is evidently coming from our Middle West and Eastern neighbors. They are taking the few car- loads which are now being produced and paying fancy prices to the growers. Quince culture has a future in California and those growers who are far sighted enough will not fail to plant a few quince trees in connection with their plantings of other fruits. The Smyrna quince is particularly well adapted to the interior sec- tions, due to its very heavy foliage. The quince does remarkably well in alluvial soils, and even on soils which

are inclined to remain wet a considerable length of time during the growing season. As the trees are of a dwarf habit they should be planted from fifteen feet to twenty feet apart. The quince is grown on its own root. The general practice is to plant the Angers quince cuttings and bud the named varieties on this stock. The trees should be trained to a single stem and headed at about twenty inches. As the tree is of a low, spreading habit, it should be trained to a wide goblet form. To secure a well shaped tree it is very essential to thin out and prune the trees back severely for the first three years. To develop fruit spurs and to keep the heavy fruits close in and to help the trees to sustain their large crops without breaking down under their burden, the cutting back and thinning out of the young growth should be an annual winter's job. The trees are very much in- clined to sucker from the root, and if their vitality is to be conserved these suckers must be removed. Quinces should be gathered as soon as they are matured. They will keep for several months without any particular attention if stored under cover where there is a circula- tion of air and where the temperature is fairly uniform.

TIME OF RIPENING September

Apple or Orange, Champion, Pineapple, Meech's Prolific.

October Rea's Mammoth, Smyrna.

THE ALMOND

In normal times we import nine thousand tons of almonds and our annual production is three thousand tons. It requires no great amount of discernment to fully understand that almond culture in California is only in its infancy. It has had many conditions to con- tend with which have held it in check. The European varieties introduced in the early days never bore well, and then again many orchards were planted in localities subject to cold weather in the spring months where, on account of the tendency of the trees to bloom early the crop was severely curtailed. The intro- duction of the Hatch varieties in the early eighties overcame the first problem, and the second one has been mastered by the choosing of localities suited to their culture. The trees do well even in heavy soils if well drained. The tendency has been to plant almond or- chards on soils more or less loamy but well mixed with gravel. The trees are rapid growers and attain large size in time, therefore they should be planted from twenty-five to thirty feet apart. There are many sections in the great interior valleys and in many of the Coast counties, noticeably San Luis Obispo, thirty miles inland, where almonds are an assured success. Thousands of acres have been planted in recent years in this county. The very fact that the rainfall is ample, combined with the necessary elevation, overcoming the danger of injury to either the blossoms or nuts when in their formative stage, has had much to do with the ex- tensive acreage planted to almonds in the aforesaid

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ROBBING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

Three-year-old Almond tree, illustrating method of prun- ing. Had the tree not been pruned in this manner the wide-open top could not have been secured.

county. A well drained, warm soil and a locality where there is not a too frequent occurrence of frost are the necessary requisites to make almond culture a success.

STOCKS

The almond and peach roots are used exclusively for the growing of almonds. There is a preference for the almond root, because it sends its roots down deeper into the ground and the consensus of opinion is that trees are not only stronger growers but live longer on the almond than on the peach. The almond is really a very long-lived tree, and whether on peach or almond, pro- viding the soil conditions are right, I have never ob- served any great difference in the longevity of the trees on either root.

CLASSIFICATION

The sweet almonds are divided into the following grades: hard shell, soft shell and paper shell. The hard- shell variety has no commercial value except for raising stocks for budding and grafting other varieties. These have six ounces or less of kernel to the pound of nuts. The soft shell has six to eight ounces of kernel to the pound of nuts and the paper shell ten ounces or more. There is one exception, viz., the famous Jordan, which is a hard shell with its fixed type of elongated kernel and a flavor superior to all other almonds. Cross-pollination is one of the interesting phases in connection with almond culture, and although no exhaustive experiments have been made to deter- mine how far-reaching this is, alternating three to six rows of a variety has a very marked effect in improving the yield.

PRUNING

When planting almond trees the instructions relative to other trees as given in the introduction should be followed. The trees after being set should be headed to twenty inches from the ground. During the first year

allow the numerous shoots to grow without any inter- ference and in the early winter months thin out the laterals so that the lowest ones will not be closer than ten inches from the ground, not leaving more than four to form the head of the tree. Even if they have made a growth of from three to four feet, cut them back severely. Because almonds should not be pruned much in later years, do not hesitate to prune when they re- quire your trained eye and hand to shape them prop- erly and create a form and a head which can only be secured by severe cutting. If there is any one object I have in view, it is to impress the man who aspires to be a fruit grower to remember that his success for at least the first eight years of his undertaking is dependent absolutely on a few essentials, and the pruning of his trees is one of the most important for at least the first four years of their existence.

The second and third winters cut off at least from one-third to one-half of their growth. The fourth winter, the tree now having become sturdy and as- sumed the goblet form, which is ideal, confine your pruning to the thinning out of objectionable branches, and remove laterals where there is a tendenc}r to over- crowding, so as to permit light and air to circulate through the trees.

GATHERING

In Europe there is quite a trade established in the sale of "green almonds." Such almonds are sold just as soon as the kernel has passed from the glutinous stage to the white meaty form. As a dessert nut it is very delicious and I have every reason to believe when the value of the nut for table purposes is more generally known that the local demand will not only increase very rapidly but shipments will be made to the Eastern markets. Almonds should be harvested as soon as the hulls commence to split open. Much time and labor is saved by spreading a canvas under the tree and shaking the branches. All the nuts which do not fall should be jarred off by using a light pole. In orchards of a con- siderable size the hulling is done by machinery. Where there are only a few trees it can be done by hand. After the nuts are taken from the hulls they are placed on trays and exposed to the sun to dry. Care should be exercised not to over-dry the almonds. The proper degree of dryness is readily determined by taking a kernel between the fingers and if it breaks readily without bending, the almond is cured. To meet the trade requirements it is necessary to bleach almonds. This is done by sprinkling them with water and ex- posing them to sulphur fumes for thirty minutes or longer. The color should be yellowish white. In order to secure the proper shade it is advisable to get some samples from a dealer as a guide to obtain the right color. A few hours' exposure to the sun after being bleached is all that is necessary and they are then ready to be sacked.

IRRIGATION

The almond sends its heavy roots very deeply into the soil searching for moisture. For that matter the peach will do this also, but thorough cultivation is very

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ROBBING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

The Chestnut possesses the distinction of not only being a a very profitable fruit tree, but is equally adaptable as an avenue or border tree. Once the head is formed all it- requires is the cutting out of interfering branches. This tree is the Marron Combale in the trial orchard of the California Nursery Company.

necessary to bring this about. Almonds will thrive under conditions as far as water is concerned which would be fatal to many other varieties of fruit trees. This does not mean that they will grow without irriga- tion, for in localities where the average rainfall does not exceed eight inches per annum to attempt to grow almonds without irrigating the orchard would be fool- •hardy. When the trees are young, that is up to the fourth year, they should receive the same care that is bestowed on any other deciduous tree. When they have reached the age of bearing, an irrigation in the month of June followed by thorough cultivation is sufficient. In the fall of the year if the trees show signs of wilting, an application of water is very beneficial to the tree, for it causes the leaves and fruiting buds to fill out and adds to its vitality when it takes on its new growth the following spring.

COMMERCIAL VARIETIES

Drake's Seedling, I. X. L., Jordan, Ne Plus .Ultra, Nonpareil, Peerless, Texas Prolific.

PERIOD OF RIPENING

The harvesting commences in August and ends in the early part of September.

In recent years the interest which has been mani- fested on the part of growers in the planting of al- monds, has been very marked indeed. Conditions prevail in California which should cause the industry to advance very rapidly and eventually make it the center of production for the entire world.

THE CHESTNUT

There are so many points in favor of the chestnut that it is very difficult indeed to understand why the culture of this nut has not long before this become one of our leading industries. Aside from the fact that the trees are very ornamental, the certainty of a crop one year with another should have caused them to be planted on an extensive scale. By heading the trees low it is practical to grow them in the interior valleys. However, from a standpoint of profit they should only be planted in the deep, alluvial, silty soils found in our river bottoms. Strictly speaking the chestnut should be planted in the Coast sections, where there is an abun- dance of rain and where the temperatures never run up very high due to the influence of fogs and cold air from the ocean. The chestnut grows vigorously in such sec- tions and where in addition to this there are frequent occurrences of rain during the summer months, so much the better. The trees will withstand extremes of cold weather during the winter. They do not bloom until May, when all danger from late frosts are over with. The great coastal regions of Oregon and Washington are so well suited to their culture it seems very strange indeed that some enterprising horticulturist ' has not exploited the possibilities of this industry long before this. In my travels in the great Northwest section I became impressed a number of years ago with the oppor- tunity so much in evidence there for growing chestnuts. I have seen trees growing in pastures and on hillsides

The Pecan must be shaped while it is young, but after it is started properly, the only pruning required is to .remove interfering branches. This tree is the Stuart, one of the paper-shell varieties.

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with no care and still they were loaded to the guards with nuts. Chestnut culture has always been a prob- lem in the Eastern States when it came to growing European and Japanese types, and now that the blight has made such a serious invasion into the great chestnut forests of the East, there can be no possible excuse for the Pacific Coast States not engaging in this industry which is so promising. The trees attain a very old age and a great size. The grafted varieties should always be given the preference, for they not only come into bearing earlier but in addition to this the nuts are of uniform size and shape. For orchard planting the trees should never be planted closer than thirty feet. As an avenue or border tree there is nothing more beautiful than the chestnut.

PRUNING

After the head of the tree is once formed its pruning in subsequent years should be confined to the removal of interfering branches and to the checking of the growth of a branch which may be drawing the tree out of shape.

STOCKS

Seedlings for budding and grafting the Improved French and Japanese varieties are raised from seeds of the Italian chestnut (Castanea vesca).

GATHERING AND STORING

Chestnuts are gathered in October. In the warmer sections, where during the summer months there is no rain, they ripen earlier than this. As soon as the burrs begin to split open they are knocked off the trees with poles. The nuts that do not come out of the burrs in falling from the tree are picked out by hand. They are then packed in barrels and shipped to market. They will keep for some time if handled in this manner with- out deteriorating. To keep them in good condition for a number of months they should be placed in a recep- tacle and have boiling water poured over them. After being immersed for fifteen to twenty minutes, spread them out on trays until they are dry.

VARIETIES OF COMMERCIAL VALUE

Marron de Lyon, Marron Combale, Numbo, Para- gon, Ridgely.

THE PECAN

Of the eight or nine species of hickories the one which produces the most marketable fruit and in the most profitable quantities is the pecan. A native of the Southern States, it is today the only nut (which has any commercial importance) which is grown there, and to a limited extent in the Middle States. Texas is probably the largest producer of pecans, the crop aggregating several millions of pounds. Gathered largely from seedling trees. The business of cracking pecans and selling the meats put up in attractive pack- ages has created a demand for the nuts which is in- creasing at a very rapid rate. It is largely due to the impetus the industry has received in recent years that has encouraged the planting of trees on a commercial

scale of the improved paper-shell types. The difficulty of extracting the meat from the hard-shell seedling nuts has been one of the causes for their not being more popular as a dessert fruit. The thin shells of the im- proved types, the ease with which the meats are re- moved, and the noticeable absence of the fibrous seg- ments found in the hard-shell nuts, which possess a peculiar acrid taste, will do much to make them popular.

Old seedling pecan trees are found growing and pro- ducing heavy crops annually in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. A number of seedling trees, two feet and over in diameter, are growing one mile north of Fresno, bearing abundant crops.

It is only within the last ten years that pecans have been regarded of sufficient commercial importance to cause groves to be planted in the Middle and Southern States, and the condition of affairs has been brought about by the unexcelled merit of the paper-shell pecan. In California only a very few paper-shells are to be found; none of these are over fifteen years old, with the most complete assortment of varieties growing on one of my properties.

CONDITIONS FAVORING ITS GROWTH

The trees thrive in a great variety of soils, doing well in a stiff clay or porous sand, and in Texas they are said to do well on soils underlaid with hardpan, pro- vided proper precautions are taken to blast it before planting. The planting of trees should be confined to soils where moisture is either supplied by natural means or irrigation. Pecans will prove a valuable acquisition to our list of nut fruits in the warm interior valleys of California, Oregon and Washington. In the coast counties, although the tree grows well, it does not ma- ture its nuts, due to the cool, foggy weather, which does not seem conducive to the proper development of the nuts before the dormant season sets in.

For planting along irrigation ditches, the pecan is the ideal tree, as it will thrive without cultivation and ripens its nuts after the water is turned out of the ditches.

The advisability of planting only named varieties of grafted or budded trees is conceded by experienced planters. When trees are grown from selected paper- shell seeds, they are liable to produce nuts of variable character in shape, size, thickness of shell and quality of meat. The additional cost of growing named varie- ties either by budding or grafting is caused by the very small percentage which a nurseryman succeeds in grow- ing. If the orchardist will only bear in mind that the increased outlay for budded or grafted trees is offset by the fact that they will come into bearing in less than half the time that seedlings do, and that the nuts will sell for four times as much on the market, their economy is at once obvious.

The pecan, like the walnut, is unisexual; that is, the male and female organs are not in the same blossom. It sometimes happens that the male blooms (catkins) mature and release their pollen grains before the pistil- late or female bloom is in the receptive stage, and when this occurs the nuts are hollow shells and it is therefore advisable in planting a pecan grove to plant two or

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ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

There are many sections in California where the Pecan will be extensively grown. The grafted Paper Shell Pecans have so many points in their favor that they should be given the preference over the ordinary seedlings.

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35

three varieties and alternate with several rows of each. Trees should be planted not closer than forty feet, and on rich bottom soils fifty feet apart. It is entirely prac- ticable to plant some other fruit between temporarily until the pecan commences to bear profitable crops, when the other trees can be dug up. The oft-repeated remark that only trees which have never had their tap root cut will bear, has time and again been shown to be a fallacy; in fact, no harm will result from the shorten- ing in of the tap root, for the tree is really benefited by the more spreading root system. The difficulty of securing a uniform stand and protecting the trees from injury; the marked variation in the size of the trees when the nuts are planted in the orchard where the trees are to grow, has further discouraged this method of procedure. Remarks pertaining to the pruning of walnut trees are applicable to the pecan. Much diffi- culty has been met with in transplanting pecans. This can be overcome by cutting the tree down to within six inches of the bud and hilling soil around the tree until it starts to grow, when the soil may be drawn away.

THE HARVESTING .

The pecan ripens its nuts in October. No attempt should be made to gather the nuts until the hulls show a tendency to split open When this occurs the nuts may be knocked from the tree with light poles and gathered up from the ground. Spread them out on trays and expose them to the sun until, when the nuts are cracked, the kernel is found to break readily when pressed between the fingers. This is an indication that the nuts have been dried sufficiently. The nuts may then be stored in a dry place, where they will keep in the very best of condition for a number of months.

VARIETIES WHICH HAVE PROVED MERI- TORIOUS IN CALIFORNIA

Frotscher, Pabst, Russell, Schley, Stuart, Success Van Deman.

THE PISTACHIO

Comparatively little is known about the pistachio, or green almond. It is particularly well adapted to the warm interior valleys. The nuts have a flavor which makes them very inviting when eaten out of the hand. They must be processed, however. This is done by soaking them in a brine made by dissolving four pounds of salt to a gallon of water. They are then roasted and this causes the shells to open slightly. Of all the candy we buy, there is none more expensive than that which is flavored and colored with the pistache nut. It is known as pistache candy and it possesses a delicacy of flavor found in no other sweetmeat. The trees are dioecious; that is, the male flowers are produced on one tree and the female on another. The tree is of a spread- ing habit and low-growing. This is particularly the case with the Pistacia vera, which is the variety pro- ducing the nuts of commerce. For commercial planting it is necessary to have one tree of the male type to ten of the female. The latter trees when loaded down with their large grape-like clusters of nuts are strikingly

As the Pistachio tree is very hardy and is not particular in its requirement of soil, its culture will undoubtedly develop into a very important industry. This tree_is twenty years old.

beautiful. The trees are of very easy culture, thrive on a great variety of soils and are, as a matter of fact, very much hardier than the fig and the olive. As border trees they are very attractive, and I have every reason to believe they will prove quite profitable. They would be used by the foreign population much more exten- sively than they are if the price at which they are sold, from sixty to eighty cents per pound, was not so high. The importations are estimated to average $200,000 per annum. There is no question about the future of this industry, though up to the present time it is still in the experimental stage. It is largely through the efforts of the Bureau of Plant Industry of the United States De- partment of Agriculture that varieties of merit have been introduced in recent years. I am giving now, and have given for several years, considerable time and thought to the culture of this nut, and I am confident that the time is not far distant when it will become an- other valuable acquisition to our list of horticultural products.

THE WALNUT

This tree prefers a rather loamy, deep, rich soil, and when so planted no nut yields larger and more profitable returns. The tree is practically free from insect pests, and when once established requires little care as far as pruning is concerned. Good and thorough cultivation is necessary for activity in the growth of the tree, caus- ing it to respond with bountiful crops. The planting of seedling walnut trees has been generally abandoned on

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ROBBING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

account of the many advantages of grafted trees, which may be summed up as follows: (1) they usually com- mence to bear profitable crops much earlier than seed- lings; (2) they reproduce the variety from which buds and grafts were taken, so there is an absolute certainty that the character of the parent tree will be transferred to the young stock; (3) perpetuation of the bearing qualities of the parent tree with nuts of identical quality. These points form the basis of success for the grower, and the extra prices realized for the product of the grafted trees in connection with their early bearing qualities more than offsets the additional first outlay. In addition to other facts mentioned, the California Black Walnut (Juglans Californica) root, which is used as a stock, has a decided influence in causing the graft to grow more vigorously and it will also adapt itself to a wider range of soil conditions than trees on their own roots.

HOW TO PLANT

For commercial planting, trees are usually set forty feet each way, although in some instances, where the soil is exceptionally fertile, trees are set fifty feet apart, for as the tree matures it makes a wide-spreading top, so that it is no uncommon sight to see branches even at the latter distance interlacing.

A grafted Walnut tree just from the nursery.

The same tree topped and root- pruned for planting.

All the talk that the cutting of the tap root of the walnut interferes with its bearing qualities is mere twaddle. Practically all the orchards in California are transplanted trees.

PRUNING

Even if the trees are ten feet high, they should be cut back to three and one-half feet from the ground after being set. In the interior valleys growers have even found it expedient at times to cut trees down to twelve inches and train up a new stem. If there are any ad- vantages in this plan of procedure, they are evidenced by the tremendous vigor and the prevention of sunburn of the new shoot, which must of course be staked the first year. The coined expressions that this tree or that should not be pruned because it would be ruined, has had the tentacles of misapprehension more closely inter- woven around the walnut than possibly any other tree. Which is preferable, the tree with all its fruit-bearing wood in the very top or the one that is liberally supplied with laterals as nearly as it can be obtained from the point from which the head is started? If you can secure a more striking tree with a broad-bearing surface, is it not common sense to suppose that you are not going to reach the goal you are aiming at, if you don't do some- thing to check the growth of the framework branches?

No person of intelligence will deny the fact that one's arm held at length has not the strength to resist the same strain as when the forearm is held at right angles to the arm.

The same principle applies to the main limbs of the tree. The development of elbows promotes strength, increased bearing surface and a perfect tree. Cut back the framework branches one-half the first winter after planting in the orchard. Cut back the leaders but not quite so severely the second winter, and thin out if there is a tendency toward overcrowding. The treat- ment should be more moderate in the third winter, and in the fourth year the checking of rampant limbs which have a tendency to outstrip their neighbors is all that is necessary.

SPECIAL FEATURES

The holes for planting should not be less than three feet deep and two feet in diameter. Cut the tap root off at about twenty-four inches and trim off all bruised and broken lateral roots before planting. A liberal application of thick whitewash, in which some salt or glue has been dis- solved, is very beneficial to the body of the tree, as it prevents sunburn.

The walnut, like the pecan^is unisexual; that is, the flowers of both sexes although produced on the same tree, do not occur in the same flower. The male flowers are called catkins and in the spring are dis- tributed throughout the tree and look like tassels; the female, flowers are like two little horns at the terminal ends of the new growth.

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One of the striking peculiarities of the French type of walnuts is their late blooming. This peculiar feature of these walnuts was no doubt developed in Grenoble, France, where the Chaberte, Franquette, Mayette and Parisienne originated. When the French walnuts are planted among such varieties as Santa Barbara, Pla- centia Perfection and others, the difference is very striking, for they rarely have a bud swelled by the mid- dle of April, while the varieties which have been de- veloped in California will be clothed with all their foliage.

Deep alluvial soils should always be selected for planting walnuts, and a liberal supply of water should be available, either by surface irrigation, or the soil in which the trees are planted should be of a moist nature.

It is only recently that the San Joaquin and Sacra- mento valleys have been found to possess climatic and soil conditions, making the culture of the walnut a very profitable undertaking, particularly of the French varie- ties grafted on California Black Walnut root.

GATHERING AND CURING

Walnuts are gathered during the months of Septem- ber and October, depending on the locality. The time of maturity is indicated by the cracking of the hulls. The nuts drop to the ground and are gathered up at in- tervals. Any nuts sticking to the hulls may be easily dislodged by jarring the tree or knocking them off with light poles. The nuts are taken from the field to the drying ground and spread out on trays. Prune trays may be used to good advantage for this purpose. They should be stirred occasionally to cause them to dry uniformly. After the nuts are dried, for commercial purposes it is necessary to grade them into several sizes. This is done by passing them over a revolving screen having meshes three-quarters of an inch square at the

A top- worked Walnut. Note the long sticks tied to the grafts to keep them from breaking off. A much better and well balanced tree would be secured, and a much stronger union at the point of contact had these grafted branches been cut back severely the first year of their growth, and then following this up by shortening in and thinning out the laterals for a couple of yeai thereafter, until the head of the tree was formed. The fallacious idea that pruning the walnut is a detriment is responsible for just such non- sensical methods as shown in this illustration.

This tree has been pruned for several years to secure a symmetrical head. This having now been established, pruning in the future will be confined to cutting out interfering branches and checking the growth of those which might cause the tree to be drawn out of shape.

Franquette Walnut, one of the most popular of the French introductions

upper end and one inch square at the lower end. The small meshes take out the dirt, and the inch meshes take out the small nuts, which are called No. 2 nuts, while those going over the screen are known as No. 1 nuts. The drying, as a rule, is done in the sun, although some growers resort to evaporators, intimating that by this method the pellicle, which is the covering over the kernel, does not become discolored to the extent that it does when the nuts are dried in the sun. As far as my observation goes, unless the weather is inclement, walnuts under California climatic conditions may be dried without any detriment to the nut or its quality in the open. As soon as the kernel is firm and cracks readily, the nuts are dry. After the nuts are graded

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and washed, they are sulphured for about thirty min- utes. After passing through this last process, they are again transferred to trays, which are stacked one above another, the nuts remaining on them until the moisture from the processing has dried off. They are now ready for market. The commercial package consists of a good strong burlap sack, holding one hundred pounds. Great care must be exercised in sulphuring walnuts to be sure that the kernels are dry and not allow them to remain in the sulphur fumes too great a length of time, other- wise the kernels will taste of sulphur, which will unfit then for market. In the leading walnut sections of California the curing of walnuts is carried on by the use of bleaching powders. The process is very much quicker and eliminates all danger of having the kernels contaminated. On groves of some size, graders, dippers, sulphuring and bleaching contrivances are constructed to facilitate all the operations referred to, with a view of not only holding down the expense of handling but also to turn out a more uniform product.

COMMERCIAL VARIETIES

Concord, Eureka, Franquette, Mayette, Placentia Perfection, Santa Barbara Soft Shell.

VARIETIES WORTHY OF TRIAL

A'Bijou, Chaberte, Cut-leaved, Mayette Rouge, Monstreuse, Neff's Prolific, Parisienne, Praeparturiens, Vourey, Willson Wonder.

TIMBER TREES

American Black, California Black, Paradox, Royal.

THE FIG

Figs grown in the United States either for eating fresh or for drying are of one species, viz.: Ficus carica. There are an endless number of varieties of figs. In many instances, on account of the wide dis- tribution of this fruit throughout the world, the same variety may be blessed with any number of synonyms. This is the case with many sorts grown in California today. Not over six varieties comprise the list of com- mercial varieties for all purposes in California.

LOCALITIES FAVORABLE FOR THE FIG

It is safe to say that no deciduous tree grown in the semi-tropic and temperate zones will adapt itself to a wider range of climates and soils than the fig. Figs can be used for such a variety of purposes, namely: drying, canning, preserving, shipping in the fresh state and for home use, that a wide range is open for their successful exploitation. To produce the finest dried figs, with the thinnest skin and rich in sugar, a warm, dry climate is an important factor. They will withstand a tempera- ture of 18 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter months without being injured; hence their geographical dis- tribution is very wide.

BRIEF HISTORY

Many of the countries whose shores are -washed by the Mediterranean sea are producers of figs commer- cially, but the recognized fig center of the world today

* ft."

A Fig tree as it conies from the nursery. The one to the left shows the method of cutting back and root-pruning before planting.

is in the Meander valley about forty miles distant from Smyrna, Asia Minor. It is here that the Smyrna fig of commerce has been grown for centuries, and the secret of their culture was so closely guarded. It was only after fourteen years of constant and persistent effort on my part that I succeeded in 1890 in producing the first Smyrna figs in the United States by artificial pollination, and ten years later, having succeeded in establishing the Blastophaga grossorum, with the assistance of the United States Department of Agri- culture, the first Smyrna figs were produced in a com- mercial way.

The first figs introduced in the United States were brought, as nearly as can be determined, by the Spanish Padres from Mexico in 1769. They were planted at the San Diego Mission. This fig is still a standard in Cali- fornia. The tree is a great grower and produces an abundance of what is known as the Breba, or first crop, maturing in late June, and the second crop ripening from August to October. The very fact that this and other varieties of figs were grown in California, from which abundant crops were being gathered annually, caused the whole subject of caprification to be branded as an idle dream. It is now conceded that the Smyrna, type of figs are in a class by themselves, and unless the pollen is conveyed by the Blastophaga to the edible fig, all the figs drop off prematurely when about the size of marbles. I knew this to be a fact, for in my orchard of sixty acres of Smyrna figs, which I cared for over a period of fourteen years, all the figs dropped off until the Blastophaga was established in the caprifig trees.

The fundamental difference between the Adriatic and Smyrna class of figs is that the former matures its fig without the fig wasp, while the latter does not. The Adriatic figs seem to possess all the qualities of the

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ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

A branch of Reeling's No. 3 Caprifig with the profichi or spring: crop.

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The Calimyrna Tig.

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ROBBING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

Under the Caprifigs; stringing the Capris on raffia fibre preparatory to suspending the figs in the Calimyrna trees. This picture was taken in 1900, the year prior to the author's trip to Smyrna, Asia Minor. Today the figs are placed in wire baskets, or grape baskets, eliminating the heavy labor expense and securing equally as good results.

Smyrna so far as general appearances go, but on in- vestigation it will be found that all the seeds are hollow, while in the Smyrnas each seed contains a kernel, giving the fig a nutty flavor and a delicious syrupy sweetness found in no other fig. The great interior valleys of Calif ornia, with their favorable climatic conditions (there being no rain in the summer months, and the air being both warm and dry) present possibilities which are not equalled in any other part of the world. The output of Smyrna is in the neighborhood of 30,000 tons annually. California produces about 10,000 tons of dried White Adriatic, Mission and Calimyrna. The United States imports from 10,000 to 13,000 tons annually. The de- mand for figs for shipping, preserving and drying is growing by leaps and bounds, and it is up to the growers to embrace their opportunities and engage in this, one of California's most promising industries.

CAPRIF1CATION

To give even a short review of caprification would occupy pages of a book several times as large as this one. I merely wish to say that for years the subject was regarded as an illusion by prominent horticulturists, and I was subjected to criticism and met with discour- agements too innumerable to mention, before I finally after many years of persistent effort, succeeded in con-

vincing the skeptics that Smyrna figs could not be grown without caprification. Plant life has just as many intricate problems as human existence. We have in the fig a problem which is beyond human ken. It is very difficult indeed to give any explanation why the edible fig, Ficus carica, has within its range so many hun- dred varieties of figs which do not require fertilization of their flowers to produce edible fruit, while in the Smyrna type of figs unless the flowers are pollinated the figs drop off and never mature. The fig is a fleshy receptacle to which is attached thousands of minute flowers. Botanically, flowers grouped together like this are characterized as an inflorescence. The fig differs from practically all other classes of plants in that no ordinary insect can reach its flowers, because the receptacle in which they are enclosed has only one small opening in the apex of the fig, which to all appearances, as far as human intelligence and eyesight can discern, it would be impossible for any insect to enter. For- tunately for the thousands of people who enjoy eating figs, a great many varieties mature their fruits and are perfect from the standpoint of the consumer, although scientifically imperfect, because the flowers have not been fertilized and the seeds are hollow shells.

When California, twenty years ago, began ttf engage in the business of drying figs and shipping them to the east, it did not take long to discover that there was

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Blastophaga grossorum. A, adult female, very much mag- nified; B, head of same from below; C, head of same from side; D, male impregnating female; E, female issuing from the gall ; F, adult much enlarged. The narrow lines close to each figure indicate the actual size of the insect.

something decidedly lacking in our product when com- pared with the famous fig of commerce from Smyrna. The very decided difference in quality was attributed to soil and climatic conditions, and those who were ready to concede that a little wasp could so completely change the character of a fruit, were in the abject minority. Although it is not necessary to have the fig wasp for the White Adriatic, nevertheless there is a decided im- provement in this and even in other varieties of figs where the wasp has made its entry.

This is due to the fact that although the greater part of the flowers in the Adriatic type of figs are malformed and therefore cannot be pollinated, there are some flowers in such figs whi^h do take the pollen, and these have perfect seeds.

One point must not be overlooked — that the edible fig grows on an entirely distinct tree from the caprifig. The oaprifig serves as a home for the several genera- tions of the wasp, and its figs are not edible. The capri- fig produces three distinct crops annually, the first one pushing out on the wood of the previous year's growth in March; the second crop comes on the new wood in July; the third in September. These several crops are designated as follows: Profichi, or spring crop; Mam- moni, or summer crop; Mamme, or overwintering crop. The Mamme figs remain on the trees all winter, from September until into the April of the following year, the wasps during this period being in the larvae stage. When the caprifig starts to grow in the spring the wasps pass out of the larvae into the pupae stage, and finally when the Profichi figs are about the size of marbles, which usually occurs in April, the female wasp passes from the Mamme figs and forces her way through the scale of the orifice into the Profichi figs (which to the naked eye is closed) and deposits an egg in the ovaries of the gall flowers. The life history of the wasp in this crop is the same as in the others, the only difference being that the metamorphosis takes place more rapidly. When the crops reach maturity there are both males and females. The males are wingless and are readily distinguished by their reddish tinge; the females are of a lustrous black color and are winged. The male wasp crawls out of the gall first, intuitively locates the female in the gall in which she is confined, gnaws an opening with its powerful mandibles and impregnates her. She then enlarges the opening made by the male and

starts on a tour of exploration.. Her sole object in life is to perpetuate her species and to do this she must find the flower of another fig to deposit her eggs. As the Profichi crop bears the most important part, in her relation to mankind, for the sake of argument we will take it for granted that the female wasp is coming out of the Profichi crop. As she prepares to take her de- parture she passes through the zone of male or stami- nate flowers, surrounding the orifice of this fig, and her body is completely dusted with the pollen grains. In the great fig-growing districts this flight occurs in the month of June. It is in this stage of her existence that the hand of man steps in.

The Profichi figs are gathered from the trees and are distributed in oval baskets made of three-quarter-inch poultry netting or placed in small strawberry or fruit baskets which have been previously hung on wire in the Smyrna fig trees. At this time the Smyrna figs vary in size from a small pea to a large size marble. The wasp forces its way between the scale of the orifice of the edible fig, going into it for the avowed purpose of laying its eggs.

The wire basket which is suspended in the Calimyrna fig trees. In an exceptionally large tree two of these baskets should be used.

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ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

Reading's Capri No. 3. It has a magnificent crop of Mamme or winter figs. This picture was taken in December. This was originally a Calimyrna fig tree which was grafted over to this variety of Caprifig three years ago. The handkerchief placed in one of the limbs indicates where this grafting was done.

Fortunately for the fig industry it is frustrated in its efforts to reach the ovaries of the female flowers with its ovipositor, due to their long styles. In its persistent and determined effort to find a receptacle for them it crawls around the inside of the fig and dusts the pollen on the pistillate organ of the female flowers. The insect is exceedingly small and it finally perishes within the fig, being absorbed by its juices, or it crawls out and •dies. One wasp is sufficient to pollinate the numerous flowerets on the inside of the fig, but it very often occurs that on breaking open a fig, three to four insects will be found crawling around. Within a -couple of days after the wasp has penetrated the fig, its entire appearance changes; it becomes plump and

firm and of a deep green color, while the figs on the same tree which the wasp has failed to reach turn a sickly yellow, shrivel up and drop off. Nature again asserts herself in behalf of man, by delaying the pushing out of the Mammoni crop of figs until the season for caprifying the edible figs is practically over. The Mammoni is the lightest of all the crops, and it is very difficult to find any figs of this crop in the caprifig tree until July. There are just enough of the late Pro- fichi figs on the tree at this time to supply wasps for the Mammoni crop.

Growers who fail to secure a good crop of figs 'on their Smyrna trees have only themselves to blame for not studying their problem, for a light crop is traceable to

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an indifference on the part of the grower in caprifying. There are several varieties of caprifigs, some of which ripen their fruit early, while others are later. As the edible figs are not in the receptive stage at the same time, this is a fortunate coincidence. In order to know how many caprifigs to place in a tree to secure the best results, multiply the age of the tree from its fourth to its ninth inclusive by five, and from ten years and up by ten, and you will not go very far wrong in placing enough figs in your trees to secure the very best results. From three to ten figs should be placed in the trees every third day or even oftener than this. The fre- quency with which this is done being determined by the rapidity with which the caprifigs ripen.

PLANTING AND PRUNING

Although the fig will stand all kinds of neglect after it is established, too great emphasis cannot be laid on the close attention which must be given in transplanting the trees from the nursery to the orchard. The roots of a fig tree are very susceptible to exposure, hence they should be carefully covered in transferring from the trenches to the field. It is surprising what effect the puddling of the roots will have in preventing their dry- ing out even in cases of severe winds, and I cannot em- phasize the importance of this too strongly. To make a puddle, dig a hole eighteen inches deep, two feet in diameter, fill it partly full of heavy soil, mix with water until you have a muck the consistency of a heavy paint. Dip the roots into this, and give no further concern about their drying out even if exposed to the direct rays of the sun for a short period.

Before planting cut off all bruised and lacerated roots and make a fresh cut on all other roots, so they have a smooth, clean surface. The tree when planted should not stand over three inches deeper than it stood in the nursery row. Never neglect to settle the earth around the trees with not less than fifteen gallons of water. After the water has soaked away fill in with fine soil without tramping. No greater mistake can be made than to wait for rain or for water to be turned into the irrigating ditches. After the tree is planted, cut back to twenty-four inches from the ground, and cover the wound with rubber paint or grafting wax.

The first winter cut the branches of the one-year trees back to about twelve inches, leaving not more than four to make the head of a tree. Have these distributed in such a manner that there will be sufficient room for them to expand without crowding as the tree grows older. The second season cut not less than two-thirds of the new growth, leaving not more than two shoots on each of the framework branches. Any branches on the underside of the limbs having a tendency to droop to the ground should be removed. The third season shorten in the new growth about half, leaving the same multiple of branches on each of the previous years' shoots as were left the year before. In after years the pruning is limited to the removal of branches which cross or inter- fere with each other and checking the growth of branches, making an excessive growth. Young trees should always be protected with tree protectors to pre- vent sunburn.

None of the edible types of figs, whether they be of the Adriatic or Smyrna class, should be planted closer than thirty feet. In Asia Minor orchards which have been planted within the last forty years are set in the square system and none of the trees are planted closer than thirty-five feet apart.

FREEZING TO THE GROUND

If the trees have made a very strong growth during the summer months and they should (due to severe cold weather) become so badly injured that they freeze down to the ground, the entire top should be cut off to a point

A one-year-old orchard grown Fig tree with the frame- work branches properly distributed around the -body of the tree and cut back to promote sturdiness and develop a head.

A two-year-old tree with laterals cut back. Note that.this tree is already assuming a shapely head.

where the body shows no injury, just before the new growth starts out in the spring. A number of suckers will start from the body and all of them should be per- mitted to grow. In June all excepting the strongest ones should be removed and these should be tied to a 2 in. x 2 in. x 6 ft. stake, and whenever the sucker reaches the height of three feet cut the top off to two feet from the

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ROBBING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

A three-year-old tree showing its current year's growth.

ground. This will cause it to send out lateral branches and the head will be formed at this point. Bear one point in mind — that fig trees are always grown from cuttings and, therefore, when they start again from a sucker growth the variety will be the same. Much of the difficulty from freezing may be prevented by cutting off a third of the tops of the trees in November, and then wrapping the tree with corn-stalks or tule. This should be done first by driving a stake not less than six feet long, a foot into the ground. Then make a circular trench three feet in diameter around the tree. Place the butt ends of the stalks in this trench and fill in with soil. This holds them in place. Bring the ends of the material used to protect the tree at the top of the stake and then tie them together by means of a rope. This covering should remain until about the middle of February, when it may be removed.

PLANTING CAPRIFIG TREES

It requires one caprifig tree, when planting an orchard in a commercial way, to twenty-five Calimyrna trees. These should be planted in a group by themselves in a protected part of the orchard and never closer than twenty-five feer apart. They may also be used to ad- vantage as border trees. In planting it is a very good plan to mix the varieties, for by doing this, in the event of one variety being short of infested figs and another one immediately adjoining having a good crop, the supply of insects for any succeeding crops necessary to perpetuate the wasp will be available. In explanation of this I desire to call attention to the fact that it frequently happens that Roeding's Capri No. 2 is short of the Mamme or overwintering figs, and in order that Profichi crop appearing on the tree in the spring should become colonized with wasps, it is necessary

to suspend figs from either the Roeding No. 1 or 3 for this purpose, in the No. 2 variety. If either one of these varieties of figs happens to be in close proximity, " it is not necessary to go to this trouble. The caprifig makes a very desirable shade tree, and as there is no mess from the dropping of the figs, growers will make no mistake in planting them around their homes. The additional protection from the buildings is a valuable asset in years when low temperatures prevail during the winter months. The Mamme crop will stand a tempera- ture of twenty degrees Fahrenheit without injury, but anything lower than this, particularly over a protracted period, will freeze the figs on the outside branches.

GATHERING

Whenever you see figs and cream on the menu, does it not make your mouth water? There is probably no place in the world where figs may be harvested over a longer period than California. This is made possible by the diversity of climate and lack of rainfall from May to October. The first crop of figs is gathered .in June. These figs are not as well adapted for dry- ing as they are for shipping fresh. The second crop which commences to mature in the fig sections in the latter part of July, continues to ripen its figs until quite late in the season. In the southern part of the state ripe figs may be picked as late as December. One of the advantages of localities where temperatures are moderate is that the figs ripen more slowly and for this reason shiprr.ents may be made for a much longer period. Figs for shipping purposes must be gathered when they are still firm and are cut off the tree. They are shipped in crates, either packed in single or double layers with papers between. These should never ex- ceed ten pounds in weight, and years of experience leads me to believe that single layer packages are by far the most satisfactory. I have demonstrated to my own satisfaction that it is entirely practicable to pack figs in kegs using redwood sawdust as a preservative.

The same tree cut back and thinned. This method of pruning develops trees such as you see in the picture in the introductory chapter on the Fig.

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Washing and cleaning the dried Calimyrna Figs in a salt and baking soda solution.

The advantage of handling figs by this method is that they may be picked much riper than when shipped in crates. They will keep from four to six weeks in prime condition if placed in a refrigerator, where the tem- perature is maintained from 32 to 36 degrees Fahren- heit. This method of handling has many advan- tages for restaurant or hotel use, because the figs may be taken out as required from the package without dis- turbing any more of the figs than are actually needed. The sawdust has a tendency to lacerate the skin, so before placing them in the packing material, they should be wrapped with tissue paper, the same as is used for other classes of fruits. California will be the Mecca for preserved figs some day. Texas, with its many disad- vantages for growing figs, has been marketing pre- served figs for years. Practically all the preserved figs sold in California come from Texas. It is hard to under- stand why the canners of this state have not engaged in this industry. I predict the time is not far distant when Californian preserved figs will be as famous as our canned peaches, apricots, and other fruits. Figs for preserving should be picked in the same condition of ripeness as those used for shipping.

GATHERING AND DRYING FIGS

Go through the entire category of dried fruits and the fig stands in the lead of being the most inexpensive one of all the fruits to handle. Figs that are to be dried are allowed to drop to the ground. The trees are given a good shaking and all the figs ripe for drying drop off. When the fig is fully matured, it loses its shape and

hangs down in a more or less shrivelled condition. The figs are gathered from the ground in buckets by either women or children and are then dumped into the lug boxes holding from forty to fifty pounds. These are hauled to the drying ground and the figs are spread out on trays. There is no better place for drying figs, or any other fruit for that matter, than a section of an alfalfa field. As the figs are almost half-dried when they drop to the ground they require but very little exposure to the sun when placed on trays. At the out- side they are not exposed for more than a couple of days, when the trays are stacked so as to permit a cir- culation of air through them. The drying proceeds in the shade from this time on. Whenever the fig feels leathery when squeezed between the fingers, it is dried enough. Avoid over-drying, as this more than any other one thing, causes the skins to be tough. The next step is to dip the figs in a salt brine made by dissolving four pounds of salt and one-half pound baking soda in & gallon of water. The solution should be cold. If hot water is used it darkens the figs. A cement trough equipped with perforated iron buckets, with a lever to raise these buckets up and down, is used, and the figs are dumped on the trays after they have been rinsed. This is by far the best and most economical equipment. The washing of the figs continues over a period of ten to fifteen minutes, depending on the condition of the fruit. The figs are now placed on trays and sulphured. Cali- myrna and Mission figs should be sulphured for three hours, the White Adriatic from five to six hours. After sulphuring, the trays, loaded with figs, are again

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ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

Note the tree in the foreground. These trees were beheaded four years previously. This picture was taken just after pruning. Notice the sturdiness and the thrifty growth of the lateral branches. The figs produced on these trees are all of the largest size and finest texture.

placed in the sun for a few hours until the moisture on the fruit has evaporated, when the trays are again stacked. Within two days, if the weather is warm, the figs are dumped into sweat boxes and are hauled to the nearest packing house. Here they again go through a series of processes consisting of grading, washing, steaming, for the purpose of cleansing them and de- stroying all insect life. Under normal conditions the expense of gathering the figs, hauling them to the dry- ing ground and putting them through the several pro- cesses described, does not exceed fifteen dollars per ton for the dried product.

IRRIGATION

A furrow plowed on each side of the trees and about three feet from them, will carry all the water and will irrigate all the ground which it is necessary to cover during the first two years after planting. The trees should not be irrigated more than four times and not less than twice during the growing season. Cultivate well after each irrigation. Never irrigate after August unless the tree gives indications of drying up. Late irrigating promotes new growth to such an extent that the trees do not harden up as early in the fall as they should, and in consequence of this they are damaged by frost. When the trees are five years old two irrigations is all they require during the growing season. The time to do this is in May and then again in July. The latter irrigation may be dispensed with if the trees are making a thrifty growth.

CROP SURE— NO FAILURES

The certainty of the crop is indicated by the policy pursued by the packers of dried figs, who make it a practice to purchase the entire output of an orchard extending over a period of years at a fixed annual sum. The prices paid depend largely on the size of the trees. The contractors assume all the expense of harvesting, the grower merely prunes and cultivates his orchard under this arrangement. The importations of Smyrna figs are constantly increasing, the annual amount averaging not less than 13,000 tons. This fact in itself, with the favorable conditions existing in many sections of the Pacific Coast states is sufficient indi- cation of the possibilities of this great industry.

VARIETIES OF FIGS OF COMMERCIAL VALUE

Calimyrna, Mission, San Pedro White, White Adri- atic, White Endrich (Kadcta.)

VARIETIES WORTHY OF TRIAL

Agen, Bardajic, Black Ischia, Bourjasotte Panache. Brown Turkey, Brunswick, Col di Signora Nigra, Dauphine, Doree, Drap d'Or, Kassaba, Lardaro, Pastiliere, Ronde Noire, San Pedro Black, Verdal Longue, White Celeste, White Genoa, White Ischia, White Marseilles.

VARIETIES OF CAPRIFIGS

Magnissalis. Milco, Roeding No. 1, Roeding No. 2, Roeding No. 3.

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An old Fig tree cut back for the purpose of developing a new head. The branches in the center are left to shade the cut-back section. They are eventually cut off in the same manner as the others were. The new growth appearing on the framework branches must be shortened in very severely for several years. The stumps should be sawed off as far as possible to a common point from which several new branches have started. Be sure to paint the stumps over with coal tar. Cutting these stumps close to where the new growth starts causes the cambium layer to cover the wounds quickly and prevents the decaying of the sap wood. The trunk of the tree should be given a coating of thick whitewash not later than May. It is a good plan in addition to this to wrap the body and main branches of the tree with burlap to prevent sunburn.

A one-year-old Olive tree with its entire seasonal growth.

THE OLIVE

In California the olive has long since passed the experimental stage and is now being produced in quantities for pickling and oil purposes. The impor- tant position that it is destined to occupy as one of our leading horticultural industries can no longer be questioned.

California possesses the same soil and climatic con- ditions in which the olive thrives in the countries of Europe, Asia and Africa, and there is absolutely no obstacle to prevent our supplying the demands of not only this country, but becoming exporters of the num- erous products for which the olive is noted.

The two countries which stand out most prominently as producers of olives are Italy, famous for its oil, and Spain, for its green pickled olives. In Italy there are 2,688,738 acres planted to olives, and according to reliable statistics Spain has 3,546,515 acres. There are many insect pests threatening the olive in those two countries, which frequently curtail the output. There is very little likelihood of any of these pests or diseases gaining entrance into California, because we have all the leading and best European varieties growing here already. We have hundreds of thousands of acres, extending almost from the northerly to the extreme southern part of the state, in which olives can be suc- cessfully grown.

PICKLING THE OLIVE

The ripe pickled olive is pre-eminently a California product. People who never eat the green olive, and those who do, have to acquire the taste for them, take to ripe olives as a duck does to water. Those who are engaged in the manufacture of olive pickles en- counter only one difficulty, and that is to secure suffi- cient of the ripe .olives to satisfy the demand of the consumer.

Every home should have an olive tree where there is sufficient ground, for one tree will supply all the olives which the average household will use for several months.

PLANTING

Today the transplanting of olive trees is compara- tively an easy matter to what it was twenty-five years ago, when the industry was just beginning to attract the attention of horticulturists. At that time the trees inva- riably died unless they were potted plants. After years of experimental work the cause of the trees failing to grow was found to be due to not topping the trees and short- ening in the lateral branches when digging. This method of trimming overcomes much of the evaporation and loss of vitality through the foliage and much of the trouble formerly experienced has been overcome. In nearly all cases where trees fail to grow the

Same tree with branches shortened in, permitting shoots with an upward

bUt

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ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

A three-year-old Ascolano Olive tree, making a fine, uniform and healthy growth.

trouble can be traced back to not again cutting the trees back after they are set or to careless handling on the part of the planter after the trees are received.

In order to insure the best results for the orchardists, the trees should be top-pruned and all the lateral branches should be shortened before shipment from the nursery. This method of trimming overcomes the evaporation and loss of vitality through the foliage, and is a very important point.

Olive trees should not be transplanted until the mid- dle of February, for it is only in a few places that the growing season starts in earlier. When received at destination take them out of the receptacle in which they are packed and heel them in a sandy, warm soil and then turn a hose loose in the trench so that the soil will fill in all interstices and exclude the air. After the soil is settled fill in with loose soil and tramp it down. The trench should not be less than fourteen inches deep. The trees should stand upright rather than at an angle. Treated in this manner they will remain in perfect con- dition until the ground is in shape for planting. As soon as they are taken out of the trenches and prior to

planting, all bruised and lacerated roots should be cut off and a new, clean cut made on all the other roots. Before taking out to the field, puddle the roots in the same manner as is recommended for the fig. This particular phase of the operation must not be over- looked. Dig the holes to receive the trees as recom- mended for the general run of deciduous fruit trees and follow the other directions faithfully. Do not fail to cut the trees back to two feet after being planted and shorten all laterals to two inches. If there should be no laterals, cut the trees back anyway, for the olive will always force out its blind buds.

Olives may be taken up in the late fall or in mid- winter, provided they are dug with a ball of earth. The trees start more quickly than those taken up with naked roots and almost a perfect stand of trees is as- sured. There is considerable additional expense en- tailed in digging and packing and in railroad charges, for a balled olive tree will weigh at least thirty pounds.

The theory that olives can be grown successfully on poor, rocky soils has been exploded long ago. It is a fact that olive trees are found growing in such soils in

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The same tree with many of its branches thinned out, and the laterals and top growth properly pruned to develop

an ideal tree.

many countries of Europe, as I know from personal observation, but this does not indicate that olive cul- ture is a success in such soils. The trees usually are scrawny, entirely lacking in the essentials which go to make a perfect tree, and would cause the orchardist accustomed to the fine, luxuriant trees grown in Cali- fornia, to have heart failure if he had such prospects before him.

Do not make the mistake of planting the trees too closely together. The olive is a gross feeder and sends out a mass of small surface roots. Never plant closer than thirty feet in a good, loamy soil, and forty feet apart on rich deep soils. A deciduous tree may be planted between, at this latter distance if it is desired, with a view of taking it out as soon as the olives attain any size.

PRUNING

When the tree is planted it should stand at least four inches deeper than in the nursery rows. Allow the tree to grow without much interference the first year, for the more vigorous the new growth and the more of it, the stronger will be the root development. The first winter

after planting trim all the growth off except four or five branches close to the head, and have these properly distributed, as they will ultimately form the main framework branches. Cut off two-thirds of their growth. The second winter trim the tree in such a manner as to leave from one to two laterals on the origi- nal framework branches, bearing in mind that these branches should have an upright tendency and cut them in turn back at least one-half. In subsequent years this same method of thinning out and shortening in should be followed, and this cutting should be quite severe for at least four years. The workman should not always prune to an outside lateral, but should exercise some judgment to balance the tree by causing some branches to slope inwardly and force others to have an outward tendency as illustrated in the cuts. Pruning promotes sturdiness in the tree, a healthy, uniform growth and a broad-bearing surface. This last fact is shown by the growth of many lateral fruit-bearing branches. A tree with its growth unchecked would consist of several upright shoots with the fruit-bearing branchlets in the top.

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This is a section of a sixty-acre Mission Olive orchard, belonging to the author, located near Exeter, Tulare County. These seven-year-old trees amply illustrate the results obtained by a systematic method of pruning.

In case of a heavy crop these branches, being without any natural braces, which would have developed by pruning, will bend over and in many instances break off. After a number of years the shearing off of the small laterals will cause many so-called "crow's-nests" to form in the trees, and the new growth will be rather weak. It will be at least fifteen years before the trees will reach this stage, but when they do there should be no hesitancy in cutting them back severely and thinning vigorously, to promote a strong, new growth. Even before this age the trees will have a large amount of inside growth, which, when it is no longer productive, should be cut out entirely. This does not mean neces- sarily that the trees should be thinned out like a peach, for this would be a mistake, but that wood which indi- cates by its appearance that it has lost its vitality should be removed, for it will soon be replaced by new wood.

STOCKS

It has been the prevailing practice since olives were planted in California to raise them from cuttings. The trees planted by the Mission Fathers in San Diego in the year 1769 were undoubtedly started from cuttings or possibly from truncheons. What is a truncheon? It will be observed that old olive trees have large pro- tuberances on the body of the tree. If these are gouged out with their woody fiber ard planted with the rough-

wood side down and about eight inches below the sur- face of the soil, every one of them will grow. Numerous sprouts will start from this knob, all of which after they are three feet high should be removed, leaving one. Cut this back to two feet from the ground for the purpose of starting a head at this point. The same method was unquestionably followed in growing the trees in later years. They were not, I am quite sure, started from seeds, although some writers claiming a great variation in the Mission olive say it is due to this fact. The same statement might have been made in behalf of the Mission fig. As a matter of fact the seeds of all figs were hollow until the fig wasp was introduced and established in the author's caprifig trees in 1899. In my many years close study of the olive, I have never seen but one variety of Mission olive. The practice in California for over twenty-five 3rears has been to grow olive trees from soft tips, which are rooted in a greenhouse in sand. Practically all the com- mercial orchards in California have been started from trees grown in this manner. Quite a number of varie- ties are difficult to root by this method. In fact, with the Sevillano and Ascolano it is next to impossible to secure a stand with cuttings. Whether the trees grown from the seed of the Redding Picholine and Chamlaly and budded, are any better is an open question. The claim is made that the trees have a better root system

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and will withstand heavy winds better than those raised from cuttings. I have my grave doubts about this, but as the rooting of many varieties under the old method is fraught with so many difficulties the plan of raising seedlings and either budding or grafting them will appeal to every nurseryman.

GATHERING

For making the green pickles, olives should be gath- ered just as a change from a light gre&n to a yellow shade is seen. The development of the olive industry in California has been largely due to the remarkable success which has been made in the processing of the ripe olive. As there is quite an active demand and more than likely there always will be in many parts of the world for green pickled olives, it will make it impera- tive for those engaged in the business in a commercial way for market to process them in any manner in which they may be demanded by the trade. One of the ad- vantages of the green pickled olive from a grower's standpoint is that in years of very heavy crops, when the trees are overburdened with fruit, the olives are very slow in ripening, and this may be delayed so late in the fall that the olives become injured by frost and this un- fits them for pickling purposes. If the trees are thinned by picking a good part of the olives early, those re- maining will not only size up but will reach maturity within a few weeks, where it will extend over a period of several months if all the olives were allowed to remain on the tree. In picking olives care should be taken not to press them together when gathering. The bucket into which the olives are picked should be lined with burlap. The lug boxes which are used to carry them from the field should never be more than two-thirds full. If the olives are to be kept for any length of time before they are processed or are to be shipped by rail, they should go forward in barrels in a brine made by dissolving three ounces of salt to a gallon of water. When handled in this manner they will keep for several weeks in the very best of condition. 'Whether green or ripe, this is the only practical way of shipping olives. An olive is ripe whenever it reaches the point where its surface is more or less diffused with red. It is not an invariable rule to follow, because in years of very heavy crops, when the olives are allowed to hang on the trees, the fruit may never rea."h a point beyond showing a light straw color on one side. Such olives are ripe. The expense of gather- ing olives for pickling purposes varies from eight- een to twenty-five dollars per ton, depending on the crop, labor conditions and so forth. For making oil it is not necessary to exercise the same care. The olives may be pulled off the trees and allowed to drop to a canvas spread under them. In shipping, it is practicable to forward them in sacks. Should they be on the road for any length of time, it is important to have the car well ventilated, otherwise they may mold. This may be overcome and the weight may be very materially reduced by spreading them out on a wooden floor under cover and turning them occasionally before shipping. They should never be spread more than six inches deep.

METHODS OF PICKLING

How to make our green olives when turned out as a finished product compare favorably with the imported goods was the desideratum we all aspired to thirteen years ago. Information from Spain and Algeria, the two points from which practically all of our green olives came, was so misleading that men who were experienced in this class of work knew that if the in- structions given were followed the olives would be ruined.

In order to make green olives similar in appearance and flavor to the imported olive, the process extends over a period of several months. Briefly, the process is as follows : First the olives are graded and sorted, being reasonably careful to get the olives that are to be treated of a uniform size. The olives should be covered with a solution made by dissolving three ounces of lye in a gallon of water. It takes from eighteen to twenty- four hours to cut the olives the desired depth — about one-third through. The rapidity of the cut depends on the condition of the fruit. Stir the olives occasionally while processing, to get them to cut evenly and to retain a uniform color.

The best implement for stirring is a shovel made the same shape as an ordinary shovel, except that the blade and handle are all of wood. After the olives are cut to the desired depth wash them in fresh water each day for about five days, or until all lye has disappeared. Then cover the olives with a brine made by dissolving four ounces of salt to the gallon of water for a period of, ten days, gradually increasing its strength. The olives will not shrink after they have taken a little salt. Fill the barrels full of olives, head up in a thirty- degree or ten-ounce brine and roll the barrels, bung up, into an open shed- Do not drive the bung too tight. Every few days following this, examine the barrels care- fully and if the olives are not fully covered with brine, replenish with a thirty-degree brine solution. After the first month, the barrels will not have to be watched so carefully, but they should be examined at least twice a month and the brine solution should be re- plenished if necessary. As soon as fermentation is practically over, the barrels should be bunged up tight. They require no further attention after this except to examine them occasionally to see that the brine has not leaked out.

HOW TO MAKE OLIVE OIL

When the olives are received at the packing house they are run through a fanning mill or an aspirator to remove all dirt or leaves. The olives are next crushed between heavy corrugated iron rollers, operated by power machinery. In crushing, the pits as well as the pulp of the olives are reduced. It has been found im- practicable to do otherwise, and the statement that has been made that an inferior article is produced when the pits are crushed is a fallacy, just as much so as that the virgin oil comes from the first pressing. This is good trade talk, but is never carried out in actual practice. The first pressing is usually light and the resultant produce is practically all water, very "little oil.

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ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

Upper Picture — The model olive plant of the Los Angeles Olive Growers Association, showing the vats used for

pickling ripe olives. Lower Picture — Women sorting olives, picking out all defective fruit preparatory to processing.

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Before making the second pressing the pomace is again crushed and is then placed in a large press which exerts a pressure of about two hundred pounds to the square inch. This is followed by another crushing and pressing, the pomace having been previously heated so as to cause it to more readily release the oil. Previous to placing the pomace in the press again, however, it is worked up by the rollers. The oil and water from the presses is run into settling tanks. Here the oil remains for forty-eight hours, when it is skimmed off into storage tanks, remaining in same until ready for racking. These tanks are usually built of galvanized iron, although some of the large olive oil concerns use glass lined tanks for storage purposes. After the oil stands in the tanks for six months it is ready for bottling. The oil goes through a sort of fermentation during this time, and all impuri- ties settle to the bottom. Before marketing the oil is filtered through several thicknesses of filtering paper to still further clarify it. California oil makers take great pride in the purity of their goods, and the oil can be relied upon as strictly pure — just as represented.

RIPE OLIVES FOR HOME CONSUMPTION

Place olives in any wooden receptacle or earthen jar. Cover them with water, being careful to use water which has been cooled by the night air. After one day's soaking in this water draw it off and cover the olives with water in which two and one-half ounces of lye to the gallon of water have been dissolved. After pouring this over the olives stir them carefully for fifteen min- utes, and after that every half hour. If after fourteen hours the lye solution becomes neutralized, slowly add lye at the rate of one-half ounce to each gallon of water. Allow the olives to remain in the solution until pene- trated half way through. Draw the lye solution off and wash olives thoroughly until the water is clear. Change water twice daily for four days. Treat olives again as before until penetrated almost to the pit. Rinse as be- fore, and immerse olives in fresh water, changing twice daily until all trace of lye is removed. Now, cover olives with a brine made by dissolving four ounces of salt to the gallon of water, changing the same every four days for twelve days, being careful not to increase the strength of the brine. Draw off old brine and re- place with new, gradually increasing its strength until it is up to eight ounces of salt to the gallon of water, when the olives will be ready for the table. It takes fully six weeks to cure them by this method. Use a good grade of half-ground salt.

COMMERCIAL PACK

Olives are soaked in a three-ounce brine for a week, until fermentation sets in, as less time is then required in processing. This is followed up by placing them in a vat and covering with a solution containing two and one-quarter ounces of lye to one gallon of water. While in this solution the olives should be stirred occasionally and they should remain until the lye has penetrated to within one-third of the pit. This takes from ten to eighteen hours, depending upon the condition of the fruit. Draw the lye off and replace with a four ounce brine for forty-eight hours. Never use fresh water at

this time of the processing. Draw off brine and expose to the air for a period of four days until the olives be- come darkened and the flesh takes on a brown shade to the pit. Now cover again with a solution containing one .ounce of lye and three ounces of salt for a period of twenty-four hours, and stir as before. Draw off liquid and expose for two days until color is set. Should olives be bitter, treat again with the lye and salt solu- tion abo'ut the same period, exposing as before. Follow this up, covering the olives with fresh water until the lye is out, changing the same five or six times the first day and daily after that until all trace of lye is removed. Then cover with a six-ounce brine for five days or longer without changing until by tasting they give indi- cations of having taken the salt. They are now ready for canning. This brine should not be changed until the olives are canned, when a fresh brine, containing four ounces of salt to a gallon should be used.

CANNING RIPE OLIVES

After, the olives are in cans they are run through an open exhaust, lids off, registering 212 degrees Fahren- heit. Gallon cans are given eight minutes, two-pound cans three minutes. The olives are then placed in boil- ing water and are cooked as follows: gallon cans fifteen minutes, two-pound cans eight to ten minutes. If the olives are firm and can stand a longer cook, it is advis- able to give them all they will stand, for if not properly cooked the cans will swell. The length of time for cooking depends on the fruit, so that no fixed rule can be laid down for their treatment. This must be deter- mined by the man in charge.

IRRIGATING

It is quite true that olives do not require as much water as the orange; nevertheless, it would be the greatest mistake in the .world to attempt to raise oh' ves, for either pickles or for making oil, without irrigation. The first season irrigate the trees at least four times, and if they give indications of being dry, the leaves turn- ing yellow and curling, do not hesitate to apply the water again. It is not necessary to irrigate the entire space between the trees but if a back furrow is thrown up, about three feet on each side of the row of trees and the water is run in the furrow and made to cover the ground confined within the furrows by checking, the trees will receive all the water they require. Thorough cultivation is essential after each irrigation; if growers would only give more attention to the cultivating, in many instances irrigating so frequently would not be necessary. After the trees are four years old the entire space between the rows must be irrigated. Under average conditions and with proper attention to the stirring of the soil, three irrigations are ample for a grove in the interior valleys of the state. There are two irrigations which are important after the trees come into bearing. The first one should take place in April just before the trees come into bloom. This occurs in the latter part of April or in early May. If the rainfall has been ample and the soil is well charged with mois- ture, this irrigation may be dispensed with. The olive commences to ripen in October. Therefore they should

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ROBBING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

>rindin* up the olives before pressing Note^he man standing close to the powerful press used for Lower Picture— A bottling room in the same plant.

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A section of the six-year-old Valencia Late Orange Orchard belonging to the author, located in Exeter. The trees are loaded with a very heavy crop of fruit. They have been pruned regularly every year.

fifteen to twenty feet apart. The tree likes a moist soil, and in California a lime grove should be liberally irrigated. The tendency to form a dense bushy head should be encouraged.

The citron is more tender than the lemon, there- fore it should be planted where there is very little danger from damage by frost. The trees are very striking when loaded down with their long, rough- skinned fruits in contrast with the large crinkled leaves of the trees. The only use for the fruit is for its candied rind. The method for preparing this fruit is as follows: Place the citron whole in strong brine for one month; take the fruit out and parboil it in clear water until it comes to a boiling point; then cut in halves lengthwise and remove the pulp and seeds. Place these halves in clear water for about three days until the salt is soaked out; then make a hot syrup of sugar and pour over the fruit, completely covering it. Allow it to stand in this for a period of twenty-four hours. Draw off the syrup, boil it as before, and again pour over the fruit. It remains in this syrup for a period of three weeks. The syrup is then again drawn off, the fruit is dropped into it and boiled for five min- utes. It should remain in this syrup for a period of two days, when the citron is taken out, sugar is sprinkled over it, and it is allowed to dry. No one has ever deemed it worth while to engage in the business of pro-

cessing the citron commercially, although very fine experimental lots have been produced. Experts have pronounced the local article as being very meritorious. The tree grows very much like the lemon except that it is of dwarf habit.

SOIL AND SITUATION

An ideal location for a citrus grove may be defined as a piece of land having a westerly slope with a range of hills to the east. The advantage of such a location is that in the winter months, when there is a spell of cold weather, the ground absorbs the heat more rapidly from the sun's rays (due to its slope), and in the morn- ing, in the case of a severe frost, the shadow from the hills to the eastward causes a thawing out of the foliage and the fruit to be very gradual, thus reducing the in- jury to a minimum. The serious injury to tender plant growth, in case of a heavy frost, is due to the sudden changes in temperature when the sun's rays strike the trees, causing a sudden thawing out and thus injuring the sap cells. It is only within the last few years that we are beginning to appreciate the important part that air currents play in the growing of the tender fruits. Where such currents are known to exist they have a very important bearing in the development of a grove. For a number of years I have observed the difference in climate in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties,

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ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE

The method of protecting a young citrus tree from being damaged by frost. In the spring, as soon as there is a change in the weather, the tule or corn stalk covering should be pulled apart so as to permit the air to circulate through the trees and later be taken off altogether.

particularly in sections lying between the low range of hills and the mountains to the east. That the Japan- ese current has a very decided influence on the climate and that the low-lying hills, in a way, pocket the air, there can be no question. That vegetation is influenced by these conditions in the southern part of the state is evidenced by the fact that roses are in bloom practi- cally all winter, that the young growth of lemons and oranges is very much in evidence, and that even tender palms like Kentias thrive outside with partial protec- tion, all of which goes to prove the equableness of the climate. It is largely due to this condition that lemon culture has so many advantages over the great interior valleys, for here there is a chill in the atmosphere causing deciduous trees to go into early dormancy, and no young growth is ever noticed on citrus trees. Lemons are very profitable in the southern counties because they are frequently in full bloom in the dead of winter, thus producing an abundant crop in the summer months when lemons are in the greatest demand. Santa Barbara, pos- sibly more than any other county, exemplifies this tropical climate, particularly so where the foothills rise up rather abruptly from the coast line. Here palms of the very tenderest character, which could only be grown in greenhouses with heat, in the region north of the Tehachapi, thrive and luxuriate without any protection. Oranges produce larger crops in the southern part of the state than in the interior valleys, but in quality they are inferior to the valley-grown fruit, grown along the foothills in either the red or black dry bog soils. Oranges ripen from four to six weeks later in the southern counties

than they do in the more northerly sections. The early fruit invariably brings the highest prices, and as the Washington Navels in the valley districts are all har- vested before any severe cold weather occurs, it has advantages worthy of consideration. I regard it as a grave mistake to plant the Valencia Late in any other location than the foot-hills, because this orange is never ready for shipment until April. I have seen entire crops ruined by cold weather during the winter months. There are very few soils in California where the citrus trees will not thrive. Even in hardpan they do well if the ground is blasted. Never plant in alkali soils.

SELECTING THE TREES

It costs more to grow a citrus tree than any other variety of fruit. The bud, after it has made a growth of a foot, must be staked, and to produce a straight tree the young shoot must be tied every two inches with raffia. Suckers must be kept off. When the tree has reached a height of three feet it is headed back to twenty-six inches; this causes it to send out laterals, and it is at this point where the head of the tree is formed. Whether to plant balled or naked root trees is a matter that should receive consideration. Balled trees are far safer than trees taken up with naked or open roots, for they may be placed under cover, the balls being placed in shavings, and if dampened occa- sionally they will keep in good condition for several months. It is, of course, practical to handle trees with naked roots providing certain fundamentals are ob- served. Before taking up such trees, it is necessary to cut the tap root at least eighteen inches below the surface and defoliate the trees. The effect of this treatment causes the tree to become dormant. Within a short time the buds begin to swell, indicat- ing that the tree has recovered from the shock of cutting the tap root and defoliating, when it may be dug up. Great care must, be exercised not to expose the roots to the sun. They are packed in damp moss for shipment. Before using the moss it is first

four-year-old Eureka Lemon tree in the great lemon section of La Habra, Orange County, California, taken in December when the tree had blossoms and fruit in all stages of develop- ment and with mature fruit ready to gather.

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The check method of irrigating.

soaked in water and the surplus of moisture is either squeezed out of it with the hands or by passing it through a clothes wringer. If the trees are properly packed they will carry several months in the very best of condition.

METHOD OF PLANTING

Set the tree so that when the soil settles, the union of the bud with the stock will be at least a couple of inches above the ground. Be sure to settle the soil around the tree with water whether planting naked- root trees or balled. This should be done as soon after planting as possible, and if the weather is warm it is best to have the water following the planting, so that but a few minutes will intervene between the time of planting and the time the water reaches the tree.

When planting naked-root trees have the water in the holes first, then settle the tree and fill in with earth gradually and spread out the lateral roots with the hands, so that they will be in about the same position as they grew in the nursery. It is often best to use a tank wagon for the first irrigation of naked-root trees.

In filling in the hole around a balled tree never tramp on top of the ball, as it will break it and dislodge the fibrous roots, and in many instances cause the tree to die. After the hole in which the balled tree is planted is partially filled, cut the cord at the top of the ball and turn down the burlap, so that it will be completely buried when the remainder of the hole is filled in. If this is not done the cultivator teeth are apt to catch on the burlap and will oftentimes pull the tree out of the ground or disturb it to such an extent that it will die before the trouble is detected. It is not neces- sary to remove the burlap from the ball; if properly turned down it will soon rot.

After the trees are planted and irrigated and before the earth has become firm around them, they should be carefully gone over, as more or less of them will settle to one side or the other, and unless straightened up right away will give the orchard a bad appearance. It will also be

found that some of the trees have settled more than others; these should be raised before the earth becomes firm around them.

Newly planted trees should be given a light irrigation every ten days or two weeks until they begin to make some growth. After that it is not necessary to irrigate quite as often. They may be left from three to four weeks, according to the weather.

Never allow young trees to want for water. If they should show signs of being dry, give them a light irrigation right away. After the trees have been planted a year they should not be irrigated quite so often. If properly cultivated, one irrigation every month or six weeks is sufficient. In fact, trees will do better if only irrigated once every six weeks, provided the ground is kept thoroughly cultivated between irrigations. The planter should bear in mind the fact that thorough cultiva- tion is just as essential as irrigation. Care should be exercised to prevent the water from standing any length of time around the stem of the tree. In heavy soil this is almost sure to cause gum disease. In addi- tion to cultivation for the purpose of filling in the irri- gation furrows, newly planted trees should be carefully hoed after each watering, so as to avoid the possibility of the ground baking or cracking.

STOCKS FOR CITRUS TREES

In order to meet soil and climatic conditions in differ- ent sections, citrus trees are budded on the following stocks: Sweet Orange (Citrus Aurantium Dultis), Sour Orange (Citrus Aurantium Amara) and Deciduous Orange (Citrus Trifoliata). On the first-named sort the budded trees outgrow those on any other root, and practically all the