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One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture Answered

by Edward J. Wickson · English · Gutenberg #5152 · 689,467 chars · public domain (US)

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Title: One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture Answered

Author: Edward J. Wickson


        
Release date: February 1, 2004 [eBook #5152]
                Most recently updated: June 7, 2026

Language: English

Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5152

Credits: This eBook was produced by David Schwan


*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ONE THOUSAND QUESTIONS IN CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE ANSWERED ***




One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture Answered



By E. J. Wickson

Professor of Horticulture, University of California; Editor of Pacific
Rural Press; Author of "California Fruits and How to Grow Them" and
"California Vegetables in Garden and Field," etc.



Foreword



This brochure is not a systematic treatise in catechetical form intended
to cover what the writer holds to be most important to know about
California agricultural practices. It is simply a classified arrangement
of a thousand or more questions which have been actually asked, and to
which answers have been undertaken through the columns of the Pacific
Rural Press, a weekly journal of agriculture published in San Francisco.
Whatever value is claimed for the work is based upon the assumption that
information, which about seven hundred people have actually asked for,
would be also interesting and helpful to thousands of other people. If
you do not find in this compilation what you desire to know, submit your
question to the Pacific Rural Press, San Francisco, in the columns of
which answers to agricultural questions are weekly set forth at the rate
of five hundred or more each year.

This publication is therefore intended to answer a thousand questions
for you and to encourage you to ask a thousand more.

E. J. Wickson.



Contents



    Part I. Fruit Growing
   Part II. Vegetable Growing
  Part III. Grain and Forage Crops
   Part IV. Soils, Irrigation, and Fertilizers
    Part V. Live Stock and Dairy
   Part VI. Feeding Animals
  Part VII. Diseases of Animals
Part VIII. Poultry Keeping
   Part IX. Pests and Diseases of Plants
    Part X. Index



Part I. Fruit Growing



Depth of Soil for Fruit.



Would four feet of good loose soil be enough for lemons?

Four feet of good soil, providing the underlying strata are not charged
with alkali, would give you a good growth of lemon trees if moisture was
regularly present in about the right quantity, neither too much nor too
little, and the temperature conditions were favorable to the success of
this tree, which will not stand as much frost as the orange.



Temperatures for Citrus Fruits.



What is the lowest temperature at which grapefruit and lemons will
succeed?

The grapefruit tree is about as hardy as the orange; the lemon is much
more tender. The fruit of citrus trees will be injured by temperature at
the ordinary freezing point if continued for some little time, and the
tree itself is likely to be injured by a temperature of 25 or 27° if
continued for a few hours. The matter of duration of a low temperature
is perhaps quite as important as the degree which is actually reached by
the thermometer. The condition of the tree as to being dormant or active
also affects injury by freezing temperatures. Under certain conditions
an orange tree may survive a temperature of 15° Fahrenheit.



Roots for Fruit Trees.



I wish to bud from certain trees that nurseries probably do not carry,
as they came from a seedling. Is there more than one variety of
myrobalan used, and if so, is one as good as another? If I take sprouts
that come up where the roots have been cut, will they make good trees? I
have tried a few, now three years old, and the trees are doing nicely so
far, but the roots sprout up where cut. I am informed that if I can
raise them from slips they will not sprout up from the root. Will
apricots and peaches grafted or budded on myrobalan produce fruit as
large as they will if grafted on their own stock?

Experience seems to be clear that from sprouts you will get sprouts. We
prefer rooted cuttings to sprouts, but even these are abandoned for
seedling roots of the common deciduous fruits and of citrus fruits also.
The apricot does well enough on the myrobalan if the soil needs that
root; they are usually larger on the peach root or on apricot seedlings.
The peach is no longer worked on the myrobalan in this State. One
seedling of the cherry plum is about as good a myrobalan as another.



What Will the Sucker Be?



I have a Japanese plum tree which bears choice plums. Three years ago a
strong young shoot came up from the root of it, which I dug out and
planted. Will it make a bearing tree in time and be of like quality with
the parent?

It will certainly bear something when it gets ready. Whether it will be
like the parent tree depends upon the wood from which the sucker broke
out. If the young tree was budded very low, or if it was planted low, or
if the ground has been shifted so as to bring the wood above the bud in
a place to root a sucker, the fruit will be that of the parent tree. If
the shoot came from the root below the bud, you will get a duplication
of whatever stock the plum was budded on in the nursery. It might be a
peach or an almond or a cherry plum. Of course you can study the foliage
and wood growth of the sucker, and thus get an idea of what you may
expect.



Tree Planting on Coast Sands.



I wish to plant fruit trees on a sandy mesa well protected from winds
about a mile from the coast. The soil is a light sandy loam. I intend to
dig the holes for the trees this fall, each hole the shape of an
inverted cone, about 4 feet deep and 5 feet across, and put a half-load
of rotten stable manure in each hole this fall. The winter's rains would
wash a large amount of plant food from this manure into the ground. In
March I propose to plant the trees, shoveling the surrounding soil on
top of the manure and giving a copious watering to ensure the compact
settling of the soil about and below the roots. The roots would be about
a foot above the manure.

On such a light sandy soil you can use stable manure more safely than
you could elsewhere, providing you have water handy to use if you should
happen to get too much coarse matter under the tree, which would cause
drying out of the soil. If you do get plenty of water to guard against
this danger, you are likely to use too much and cause the trees to grow
too fast. Be very sure the manure is well rotted and use one load to ten
holes instead of two. Whether you kill the trees or cause them to grow
aright depends upon how you use water after planting.



A Wrong Idea of Inter-Planting.



What forage plant can I grow in a newly planted orchard? The soil is on
a gently inclined hillside - red, decomposed rock, very deep, mellow,
fluffy, and light, and deep down is clayish in character. It cannot be
irrigated, therefore I wish to put out a drought-resisting plant which
could be harvested, say, in June or July, or even later. I find the
following plants, but I cannot decide which one is the best: Yellow soja
bean, speltz, Egyptian corn, Jerusalem corn, yellow Milo maize, or one
of the millets. What do you think?

Do not think for a moment about planting any such plant between orchard
trees which are to subsist on rainfall without irrigation. Your trees
will have difficulty enough in making satisfactory growth on rainfall,
and would be prevented from doing so if they had to divide the soil
moisture with crops planted between them. The light, deep soils which
you mention, resulting from decomposed rock, are not retentive enough,
and, even with the large rainfall of your region, may require irrigation
to carry trees through the latter summer and early fall growth.



What Slopes for Fruit?



I want to plant some apples and berries. One man says plant them on the
east or south slope of the hill and they will be ripe early. Another man
says not to do that, for when the sun hits the trees or vines in the
morning before the frost is off, it will kill all the blossoms, and as
they would be on the warm side of the hill they would blossom earlier
and there will be more frosts to injure them. I am told to plant them on
the north or west side of the hill, where it is cold, and they will
blossom later and will therefore have less frosts to bother them, and
the frost will be almost off before the sun hits them in the morning.

Fruit is grown on all slopes in our foothills, depending on local
conditions. On the whole, we should choose the east and north slopes
rather than the east and south, because there is less danger of injury
from too great heat. In some cases what is said to you about the less
danger of injury from frosts on the north and west slopes would be true.
All these things depend upon local conditions, because there is so much
difference in heat and frost and similar slopes at different elevations
and exposures. There can never be a general rule for it in a State so
endowed with varying conditions as California is.



Trees Over Underflow.



I have planted fruit trees near the creek, where they do not have to be
irrigated as the ground there holds sufficient moisture for them, but a
neighbor tells me that on account of the moisture being so near the
surface the trees will not bear fruit well, although they will grow and
have all the appearances of health.

Shallow soil above standing water is not good for fruit trees. A shallow
soil over moving water or underflow, such as you might expect from a
creek bank, is better. The effect of water near the surface depends also
upon the character of the soil, being far more dangerous in the case of
a heavy clay soil than in the case of a light loam, through which water
moves more readily and does not rise so far or so rapidly by capillary
action. If the trees are thrifty they will bear when they attain a
sufficient age and stop the riotous growth which is characteristic of
young trees with abundant moisture. If trees have too much water for
their health, it will be manifested by the rotting of their roots, the
dying of their branches, the cropping out of mushroom fungi at the base
and other manifestations of distress. So long as the tree is growing
well, maintains good foliage to the tip of the branches and is otherwise
apparently strong, it may be expected to bear fruit in due time.



The "June Drop."



I am sending four peaches which are falling off the trees. Can you tell
me how to prevent falling of the fruit next year and what causes it?

It is impossible to tell from the peaches which you send what caused
their falling. Where fruit passes the pollination stage successfully, as
these fruits have, the dropping is generally attributed to some
conditions affecting the growth of the tree, which never have been fully
determined. It is of such frequent occurrence that it is called the June
drop, and it usually takes place in May in California. As the cause is
not understood no rational preventive has been reached. A general
treatment which consists in keeping the trees in good growing condition
late enough during the previous season, that is, by seeing to it that
they do not suffer from lack of moisture which causes them to close
their growing season too soon before preparation for the following
year's crop is made, is probably the best way to strengthen the tree for
its burden.



Trees Over a Gravel Streak.



I have an apricot orchard seven years old. Most of the land is a fairly
heavy clay with a strip of gravel in the middle running nearly north and
south. The trees on the clay bear good crops, but those on the gravel
are usually much lighter in bearing and this year had a very light crop.
Can you tell me of anything I can do to make them bear? The trees are
large and healthy looking, and grow big crops of brush.

We should try some water in July on the gravel streak, hoping to
continue activity in the tree later to induce formation of strong fruit
for the following year. On the clay loam the soil does this by its
superior retentiveness.



Fruit and Overflow.



I have 16 acres of rich bottom-land that overflows and is under water
from 24 to 48 hours. I would like to set the ground to fruit trees,
either prunes, pears, apricots, or peaches. Would it be safe to set them
on such land?

Fruit trees will endure overflowing, providing the water does not
exclude the air too long and providing the soil is free enough so that
the soil does not remain full of water after the surface flow
disappears. If the soil does not naturally drain itself and the water is
forced to escape by surface evaporation, probably the situation is not
satisfactory for any kind of fruit trees. Overflow is more likely to be
dangerous to fruit trees during the growing season than during the
dormant season, and yet on well-drained soil even a small overflow may
not be injurious on a free soil, if not continued too long. Prunes on
plum root, and pears will endure wet soil better than apricots or
peaches.



Fruit Trees and Sunburn.



How long is it wise to leave protection around young fruit trees set out
in March in this hot valley? The trees are doing well, but we could not
tell when to take away protection.

It is necessary to maintain the protection from sunburn all through the
autumn, for the autumn sun is often very hot, and as the sap flow
lessens, the danger of burning is apparently greater. The bark also must
be protected against the spring sunshine, even before the leaves appear.
So long as the sun has a chance at the bark, you must protect it from
sunburn.



Replanting in Orchard.



Is it considered a good plan to set the tree at once in the place where
one has died, or is it better to wait a year before replacing?

It is not necessary to wait a year in making a replanting. Get out all
the old roots you can by digging a large hole, fill in with fresh soil,
and your tree will accept the situation.



Whole Roots or Piece Roots.



For commercial apple orchards which is preferable, trees grafted on
piece roots or on whole roots? On behalf of the piece-root trees it is
claimed they sprout up less around the tree. On the other hand, it is
claimed they never make a vigorous tree. What is the truth?

Value depends rather upon what sort of a growth the tree makes afterward
than upon what it starts upon. Theoretically perhaps a whole-root tree
may be demonstrated to be better; practically, we cannot see that it
becomes so necessarily, because we have trees planted at a time when the
root graft on a piece was the general rule in propagation. After all, is
it not more important to have soil conditions and culture of such
character that a great root can grow in the orchard than to have a whole
nursery concentrated in the root of the yearling tree? As for the claim
that a root graft on a piece-root never makes a vigorous tree, we know
that is nonsense.



Planting Deciduous Fruit Trees.



In order to gain time, I have thought of planting apples and pears this
fall, in the belief I would be just that much nearer a crop, than though
I waited until next spring. The land is sandy loam; no irrigation. Would
you advise fall or spring planting? If fall, would it be best to plow
the land now, turning in the stubble from hay crop, or wait until time
to plant before plowing?

You will not be any nearer a crop, for next summer's growth will be the
first in either case. On land not liable to be too wet in winter, it is,
however, best to plant early, say during the month of December, if the
ground is in good condition and sufficiently moist. If the year's
rainfall has been scant, wait until the land is well wet down, for it is
never desirable to plant when the soil is not in the right condition, no
matter what the calendar may say. On a sandy loam early planting is
nearly always safe and desirable. On lands which are too wet and liable
to be rendered very cold by the heavy January rains, planting had better
be deferred until February, or as soon as the ground gets in good
condition after these heavy rains. Whenever you plant, it will be
desirable to plow the land either in advance of the rains, if it is
workable, or as soon as rain enough comes to make it break up well. It
is very seldom desirable to postpone plowing until the actual time of
planting comes.



Budding Fruit Trees.



Is it better to bud in old bark of an old tree or in younger wood bark?
How do you separate old bark without breaking it in lifting the bark?

Buds may be placed in old bark of fruit trees to a certain extent. The
orange and the olive work better that way than do the deciduous trees,
although buds in old bark of the peach have done well. They should,
however, be inserted early in the season while the sap flow is active
and the old bark capable of lifting; if the bark sticks, do not try
budding. In spite of these facts, nearly all budding of deciduous trees
is done in bark of the current year's growth.



Starting Fruit Trees from Seed.



How shall I start, and when, the following seeds: Peach, plums,
apricots, walnuts, olives and cherries? In the East we used to plant
them in the fall, so as to have them freeze; as it does not freeze
enough here, what do I have to do?

Do just the same. In California, heat and moisture cause the parting of
the seed-cover, more slowly perhaps, but just as surely as the frost at
the East. Early planting of all fruit pits and nuts is desirable for two
reasons. First, it prevents too great drying and hardening and other
changes in the seed, because the soil moisture prevents it; second, it
gives plenty of time for the opening and germination first mentioned.
But early planting must be in ground which is loamy and light rather
than heavy, because if the soil is so heavy as to become water-logged
the kernel is more apt to decay than to grow. Where there is danger of
this, the seed can be kept in boxes of sand, continually moist, but not
wet, by use of water, and planted out, as sprouting seeds, after the
coldest rains are over, say in February. Cherry and plum seeds should be
kept moist after taking from the fruit; very little is usually had from
dry seeds. The other fruits will stand considerable drying. Very few
olives are from the seed, because of reversion to wild types - also
because it is so much easier to get just the variety you want by growing
trees from cuttings.



Mailing Scions.



Which is the best way to send scions by mail?

Wax the ends of mature cuttings, remove the leaves and enclose in a
tight tin canister with no wet packing material.



Nursery Stock in Young Orchard.



How will it do to raise, for two or three years, a lot of orange
seedlings between the rows of young three-year-old orange trees? I see
that a nurseryman near me has done this, and his trees are more
flourishing than mine.

It can be done all right, as your own observation affirms. The superior
appearance of the trees may be due to the additional water, and
fertilizer probably, used to push the seedlings; possibly also to extra
cultivation given them. It all depends upon what policy is observed in
growing the seedlings; if something more than usual is done for their
sakes, the trees may get their share and manifest it. If not, the trees
will be robbed by the seedlings, and there is likely to be loss by both.
There is no advantage in the mere fact that both are grown; there may be
in the way they are grown. Whether there is money value in the operation
or not depends upon how many undertake it.



Square or Triangular Planting.



What is your opinion on triangular planting as compared with square
planting?



Planting in squares is the prevailing method. The triangular plan is not
a good one when one contemplates removing trees planted as fillers. The
orchard should either be planned in the square or quincunx form. In the
latter case individual trees can be easily removed; in the other case
rows can be removed - leaving the rows which you wish to keep
equidistant from each other.



Killing Stumps by Medication.



Will boring into green stumps and inserting a handful of saltpeter kill
the roots and cause the stump to readily burn up a few months later?

We have tried all kinds of prescriptions and have never killed a stump
which had a mind to live. Many trees can be killed by cutting to stumps
when in full growth, whether they are bored or not. Others will sprout
in spite of all medicinal insertions we know of when these are placed in
the inner wood of the stump. We believe a stump can be killed by
sufficient contact with the inner bark layer of arsenic, bluestone,
gasoline, and many other things, but it is not easy to arrange for such
sufficient contact, and it would probably cost more than it would to
blow or pull out the stump. One reader, however, assures us that he has
killed large eucalyptus stumps by boring three holes in the stump with
an inch auger, near the outer rim of the stump, placing therein a
tablespoonful of potassium cyanide and saltpeter mixture (half and
half), and plugging tightly. Another says: Give the stumps a liberal
application of salt, say a half-inch all over the top, and let the fog
and rain dissolve and soak down, and you will not have much trouble with
suckers.



Planting Fruit Trees on Clearings.



We wish to plant orchard trees on land cleared this winter: manzanita
and chaparral, but also some oaks and large pines and groves of small
pines. We have been told that trees planted under such conditions, the
ground containing the many small roots that we cannot get out, would not
do well. Are the bad effects of the small roots liable to be serious;
also, would lime or any other common fertilizer counteract the bad
effects?

Proceed with the planting, as you are ready for it, and take the chances
of root injury. It may be slight; possibly even absent. Carefully throw
out all root pieces, as you dig the hole, and exclude them from the
earth which you use in filling around the roots, and in the places where
large trees stood, fill the holes with soil from a distance. Much
depends upon how clean the clearing was. No considerable antiseptic
effect could be expected from lime and the soil ought to be strong
enough to grow good young trees without enrichment. The pear, fig and
California black walnut are some of the most resistant among
fruit-bearing trees, and these may usually be planted with safety. The
cherry is the most resistant of the stone fruits. The "toadstool"
disease occasionally affects young apple trees recently set out, but it
is not usually serious on established trees.



Dipping Roots of Fruit Trees.



In planting an almond orchard would it be of any benefit to dip the
young trees in a solution of bluestone and lime dissolved?

We doubt if it would serve any good purpose. If done at all the dip
should be carefully prepared in accordance with the formula for bordeaux
mixture, for excess of bluestone will kill roots. Healthy trees do not
need such treatment, and we doubt if unhealthy ones can be rendered safe
or desirable by it.



Preparing for Fruit Planting.



What effect will a crop of wheat have on new cleared land, to be planted
in fruit trees later on?

One crop of wheat or barley will make no particular difference with the
cleared land which you expect to plant to fruit later. It would be
better to grow a cultivated crop like corn, potatoes, beets, squashes,
etc., because this crop would require summer cultivation which would
kill out many weeds or sprouts and leave your land in better shape for
planting.



Depth in Planting Fruit Trees.



I have been advised to plant the bud scar above ground in a wet country.
Is that right?

On ordinary good loam, plant the tree so that it will stand about the
same as it did in the nursery: a little lower, perhaps, but not much.
The bud scar should be a little above the surface. It is somewhat less
likely to give trouble by decay in the upset tissue. If the soil is
heavy and wet, plant higher, perhaps, than the nursery soil-mark, but
not much. In light, sandy soil, plant lower - even from four to six
inches lower - than in the nursery sometimes. In this case the budscar
is below the surface, but that does not matter in a light, dry soil
which does not retain moisture near the surface.



Fruit Trees in a Wet Place.



One part of my orchard is low and wet, much scale and old trees loose.
Will much spraying be a cure and can I use posts to hold the old trees
firm, or would you take out and put in Bartlett pears!

Spraying would kill the scale but no spraying will make a tree
satisfactory in inhospitable soil. As pears will endure wet places
better than apples, it would seem to be wise to make the substitution,
providing the situation is not too bad for any fruit tree. In that case
you can use it for a summer vegetable patch.



Cutting Back at Planting.



I have planted a lot of one-year-old cherry trees and would like to know
if I should cut them down the same as the apple tree? I have also
planted a lot of walnut trees. Shall I cut them off?

Yes for the cherries and no for the walnuts - although we have to admit
that some planters hold for cutting back the walnuts also. If you do cut
back the walnuts, let them have about twice the height of stem you give
the cherries and cover the exposed pith with wax or paint.



Branching Young Fruit Trees.



It is the practice in this locality to wrap all young trees to a point
24 inches above the bud, for the purpose of protection against rabbits,
to protect the bark from the sun and to prevent growth of sprouts. These
wrappings are kept on indefinitely, the rule being that no sprouting is
to be permitted below the 24-inch murk. Is there any virtue in this, and
why is it done?

The wrapping is desirable both to protect them from rabbits and from
sunburn, and either this or whitewash or some other form of protection
should certainly be employed against the latter trouble. It is not
desirable to have all the branches emerge at the same point, either 24
from the ground or at some lower level, as is preferable in interior
situations, but branches should be distributed up and down and around
the trunk so as to give a strong, well-balanced, low-headed tree. So far
as wrapping interferes with the growth of shoots in this manner it is
undesirable.



Coal Tar and Asphaltum on Trees.



What is the effect of coal tar or asphaltum applied to the bark of
trees?

The application of coal tar to prevent the root borers of the prune
which operate near the surface of the ground was found to be not
injurious to the trees, although there was great apprehension that there
would be. The application of asphaltum, what is known as "grade D," has
been also used to some extent in the Santa Clara valley without injury.
Of course, in the use of any black material, you increase the danger of
sunburn, if applied to bark which is reached by the sun's rays.



Whitewashing Fruit Trees.



When is the proper time to whitewash walnut trees to prevent sun scald?
How high up is it advisable to apply the wash?

Whitewash after heavy rains are over and before the sun gets very hot;
near the coast see that it is on early in April; in the interior it
should be in place in March. Do not wait until all the rains are over,
because there is a great chance of bark-burning between rains in the
spring. Whitewash the trunk and the larger limbs - wherever the sun can
reach the bark; being careful to keep the surface white where the 2
o'clock sun hits it. Be particular to whitewash, or otherwise protect by
"protectors" or burlap wrappings, all young trees; the young tree is
more apt to be hurt than an old one, but bark seems never to get too old
to burn if the sun is hot enough.



Shaping a Young Tree.



In shortening back long, slim limbs the side shoots come out, and one
soon has a lot of ugly, crooked limbs to look at. There are a number of
orchards here being spoiled in that way. How is this avoided?

You cannot secure a low-heading, well-shaped tree without cutting back
the branches. Afterward you can improve the form by selecting shoots
which are going in directions which you prefer, or you can cut back the
shoots afterward to a bud which will start in the direction which you
desire. In this way the progressive shaping of the tree must be pursued.
If you only have a few trees and can afford the time, you can, of
course, bend and tie the branches as they grow, so that they will take
directions which seem to you better, but this is not practicable in
orcharding on a commercial scale. There is no disadvantage in crooked
branches in a fruit tree, but they should crook in desirable directions,
and that is where the art in pruning comes in.



Pruning Times.



What is the best time to prune the French prune and most other trees? In
Santa Clara volley they prune as soon as leaves are off; in the
mountains they prune later, say in February and March, and finish after
bloom is started and of course when sap is up. Which is right?

You can prune French prunes and other deciduous trees at any time during
the winter that is most convenient to you. It does not make any
particular difference to the tree, nor does it injure the tree at all if
you should continue pruning after the bloom has started. In fact, it is
better to make large cuts late in the winter, because they heal over
more readily at the beginning of the growing period than at the
beginning of the resting season. It is believed that early pruning may
cause the tree or vine to start growth somewhat sooner and this may be
undesirable in very frosty places.



Grafting Wax.



How shall I make grafting wax for grafting fruit trees?

There are many "favorite prescriptions" for grafting wax. One which is
now being largely used in fruit tree grafting is as follows: Resin, 5
lbs.; beeswax, 1 lb.; linseed oil, 1 pint; flour, 1 pint. The flour is
added slowly and stirred in after the other ingredients have been boiled
together and the liquid becomes somewhat cooler. Some substitute
lampblack for flour. This wax is warmed and applied as a liquid.



Plowing in Young Orchard.



How near can I plow to two-year-old orange trees safely?

You can plow young orange orchards as close to the trees as you can
approach without injuring the bark, regulating depth so as not to
destroy main roots. Destruction of root fibers which have approached too
near the surface is not material. It is very desirable that the soil
around and near the tree be as carefully worked as possible without
injury to the bark of the tree. How far that can be done by horse work
and how much must be done by hand must be decided by the individual
judgment of the grower.



Crops Between Fruit Trees.



What would be best to grow between fruit trees, while the trees are
growing, and what to alternate each season, so as not to use up the soil
without putting back into it?

Where one is bringing along a young orchard, without irrigation, it is
doubtful whether it is not better policy to give the trees all the
advantage of clean cultivation and ample moisture than to undertake
intercropping. If you live on the place and wish to grow vegetables
between the rows, the thorough cultivation to bring the vegetables along
satisfactorily would help to preserve moisture enough both for the
vegetables and for the trees, but this is very different from growing a
field crop by ordinary methods of cultivation. Select a crop which will
require summer cultivation, like corn, potatoes, squashes, and beans,
and never a hay or grain crop which takes up moisture without working
the soil for the greater moisture conversation which hoed crops require.
In choice of hoed crops be governed by what you can use to advantage,
either for house or the feeding of animals, or what you can grow that is
salable with least loss of moisture in the soil. The choice is governed
entirely by local conditions, except that leguminous plants - peas,
beans, vetches, clovers, etc. - do take nitrogen from the atmosphere and
can thus be grown with least injury and sometimes with a positive
benefit to the fertility of the soil.



Regular Bearing of Fruit Trees.



How can trees be induced to bear regularly instead of bearing
excessively on alternate years?

The most rational view is that in order to bear regularly the tree must
be prevented from overbearing by thinning of the fruit; also that the
moisture and plant-food supply must be regularly maintained, so that the
tree may work along regularly and not stop bearing one year in order to
accumulate vigor for a following year's crop. There is some reason to
believe that some trees which seem to overbear every year can be
prolonged in their profitable life and made to produce a moderate amount
of fruit of large size and higher value by sharp thinning to prevent
overbearing at any time. This is found clearly practicable in the cases
of the apricot, peach, pear, apple, table grape, shipping plum, etc.,
because the added value of larger fruits is greater than the cost of
removing the surplus.



Scions from Young Trees.



I have bought some one-year-old apple trees that are certified pedigree
trees. Would it be practical to take the tops of these trees and graft
on one-year seedlings and get the same results as from the trees I
bought? Will they bear just as good, or is it necessary to take the
scions from old bearing trees?

They will bear exactly the same fruit as the young trees will, but you
cannot tell how good that will be until you get the fruit. The advantage
of scions from bearing trees is that you know exactly what you will get,
for, presumably, you have seen and approved it.



Late Pruning.



Will I do injury to my peach trees if I delay pruning until the last of
February, or until the sap begins to run and the buds to swell?

It will not do any particular harm to let your peach pruning go until
the buds swell or even after the leaves appear. Late pruning is not
injurious, but rather more inconvenient.



Avoiding Crotches in Fruit Trees.



How can I avoid bad crotches in fruit trees?

Crotches, which means branches of equal or nearly equal size, emerging
from a point at a very acute angle, should be prevented by cutting out
one or both of them. The branching of a lateral at a larger angle does
not form a crotch and it usually buttresses itself well on the larger
branch. That is a desirable form of branching. Short distances between
such branchings is desirable, because it makes a stronger and more
permanently upright limb, capable of sustaining much weight of foliage
and fruit. Build up the young tree by shortening in as it grows, so as
to get such a strong framework.



Crotch-Splitting of Fruit Trees.



I have a young fig tree that is splitting at the crotches. I fear that
when the foliage appears, with the force of the winds the limbs will
split down entirely.

Perhaps you have been forcing the trees too much with water and thus
secured too much foliage and weak wood. Whenever a tree is doing that,
the limbs ought to be supported with bale rope tied to opposite limbs
through the head, or otherwise held up, to prevent splitting. If
splitting has actually occurred, the weaker limb should be cut away and
the other staked if necessary until it gets strength and stiffens. If
the limbs are rather large they can be drawn up and a 3/16 inch carriage
bolt put through to hold both in place; but this is a poor way to make a
strong tree. We should cut out all splits and do the best we could to
make a tree out of what is left. Then do not make them grow so fast.



Strengthening Fruit Trees.



I have read that some trees are propped by natural braces; that is, by
inter-twining two opposite branches while the tree is young, so that in
time they grow together. What is your idea regarding the practicability
of such an idea in a large commercial orchard?

Twining branches for the purpose indicated is frequently commended, but
it seems best for the use of ingenious people with plenty of time and
not many trees. To prune trees to carry their fruit so far as one can
foresee, and to use props or other supports when a tree manifests need
of a particular help which was not foreseen is the most rational way to
handle the proposition on a large commercial scale.



Time for Pruning.



What is the proper time for pruning pear and apricot trees?

Ordinary deciduous fruit trees can be successfully pruned from the time
the leaves begin to turn yellow and fall, until the new foliage is
appearing in the late winter or spring.



Grape Planting.



What is the proper time for planting grape vines?

Grape vines are most successfully planted after the heavy rains and low
temperatures are over and before the growth starts: This will usually be
whenever the soil is in good condition, during the months of February
and March.



Covering Tree Wounds.



What is the best stuff to use on wounds and large cuts on my fruit
trees? I have used grafting wax, but it is expensive and not altogether
satisfactory.

Amputation wounds on trees can be more successfully treated with lead
and oil paint than with grafting wax. Mixed paint containing benzine
would not be so good as pure lead and oil mixed for the purpose and then
carefully applied as to amount so as not to run. "Asphaltum Grade D" may
also be used in the same way.



Covering Sunburned Bark.



Would asphaltum do to use an sunburned bark?

Owing to the attraction of the heat by the black color, asphaltum would
increase the injury by absorption of more heat. Some white coating is
altogether best for sunburn injuries, because it will reflect and not
absorb heat, and a durable whitewash applied as may be needed to keep
the white covering intact is undoubtedly the best treatment. Where the
bark has been actually removed, white paint would be superior to
whitewash to keep the wood from checking while the wound was being
covered laterally by the growth of new bark.



Too Much Pruning.



Same peach trees entering the third year were pruned early in the winter
very severely. The pruner merely left the trunk and the three or four
main laterals, the latter about one foot in length. A large proportion
of these trees have not sprouted as yet, though alder and better pruned
trees are all sprouted in the same vicinity. The bark is green and has
considerable sap. Will the trees commence to grow?

The trees will sprout later, after they have developed latent buds into
active form. The pruning probably removed all the buds of recent growth.
After starting they will make irregular growth, starting too many shoots
in the wrong places, etc., and considerable effort will be necessary to
get well-shaped trees by selection of shoots in the right places and
thinning out those which are not desirable.



For Broken Roots.



When the root of an orange or other fruit tree is exposed or brakes by
the cultivator, what is the best way to treat that root?

Where a root is actually broken it is best to cut it off cleanly above
the break. This will induce quick healing over and the sending out of
other roots. Where there is only a bruise on one side, all the frayed
edges of the wound should be cleanly cut back to sound bark, which will
have a tendency to promote healing and prevent decay.



Pruning in Frosty Places.



This appears to be a frosty section. Pruners are at work continuously
from the time the apricots are harvested until spring arrives. From what
is said in "California Fruits?" I judge late winter pruning would be
best far apricots and peaches. Am I correct?

In frosty places it is often desirable to prune rather late, because the
late-pruned tree usually starts later than the early pruned, and thus
may not bloom until after frost is over.



Low Growth on Fruit Trees.



Should the little twigs an the lower parts of young fruit trees be
removed or shortened?

An important function which these small shoots and the foliage which
they will carry perform is in the thickening of the larger branches to
which they are attached and overcoming the tendency of the tree to
become too tall and spindling. This can be done at any time, even to the
pinching of young, soft shoots as they appear. It must be said, however,
that in ordinary commercial fruit growing little attention is paid to
these fine points, which are the great enjoyment of the European
fruit-gardeners and are of questionable value in our standard
orcharding. It is, however, a great mistake to clear away all low twigs,
for such twigs bring the first fruit on young trees.



Are Tap-Roots Essential?



Is it better to plant a nut or seed or to plant a grafted root; also is
it better to allow the tap-root to remain or not in event of planting a
grafted root?

It does not matter at all whether the tree has its original tap-root or
not. All tap-roots are more or less destroyed in transplanting and the
fact that not one per cent of the walnut trees now bearing crops in
California consist of trees grown from the nut itself planted in place,
is sufficient demonstration to us that it is perfectly practicable to
proceed with transplanting the trees. It is more important that the tree
should have the right sort of soil and the right degree of moisture to
grow in than that it should retain the root from which the seedling
started. The removal of the tap-root does not prevent the tree from
sending out one or several deep running roots which will penetrate as
deeply as the soil and moisture conditions favor. This is true not only
of the walnut but of other fruit trees.



Transplanting Old Trees.



Can I transplant fruit trees 2 to 3 inches through the butt, about one
foot from the ground? Varieties are oranges, lemons, pears, apples and
English walnuts nearly 4 inches through the butt. I wish to move them
nearly a mile. What is the best way and what the best month to do the
work, or are trees too large to do well if moved?

The orange and lemon will do better in transplanting than the others.
Take up the trees when the soil becomes warmed by the sun after the
coldest weather is over. This may be in February. Cut back the branches
severely and take up the trees with a good ball of earth, using suitable
lifting tackle to handle it without breaking. Settle the earth around
the ball in the new place with water, and keep the soil amply moist but
not wet. Whitewash all bark exposed to the sun by cutting back. You can
handle the walnut the same way, but it would, however, probably get such
a setback that it might be better to buy a new tree two or three years
old and plant that. The apples and pears we would not try to transplant,
but would rather have good new yearlings than try to coax them along.
Transplanting deciduous trees should be done earlier in the winter than
evergreens.



Dwarfing a Fruit Tree.



I am told that by pruning the roots of a young tree after the root
system is well started (say three years old) that as a result this will
produce a tree that is semi-dwarfed or practically a dwarfed fruit tree.

Yes; cutting back the roots in the winter and cutting back the new
growth in the summer will have a dwarfing effect. The best way to get a
dwarfed garden tree is to use a dwarfing root. You can get trees on such
roots at the nurseries.



Seedling Fruits.



I have been growing seedlings from the pits of some extra fine peaches
and plums with a view to planting them. A man near San Jose advised me
that I would get good results, but since then I have met others who say
that the fruit trees that spring from planted seeds yield only poor
fruit.

It is the tendency of nearly all improved fruit to revert to wild types,
more or less, when grown from the seed. The chances are, then, that
nine-tenths or more of the seedlings which you grew for fruiting might
be worthless. A few might be as good as the fruit from which you took
the pits; possibly one might he better. For these reasons the growing of
fruit trees from pits and seeds is only used for the purpose of getting
a root from which a chosen variety may be gotten by budding and
grafting.



Grafting.



I did a little grafting last spring, and as it was my first attempt,
about ten per cent of the scions failed to grow. Now shall I saw the
stub off lower down and try again, or bud into one of the sprouts that
have grown around the cut end? The trees are pear and cherry.

You did very well as a beginner not to lose more than one-tenth. Saw off
below and graft again. You might have budded into one of those shoots
last July, and if you fail again, bud into the new shoots next summer.



Filling Holes in Trees.



I have a number of trees that, on account of poor pruning and improper
care, are decaying in the center. Many of them are hollow for a foot or
more down the trunk.

Excavate all the decayed wood with a chisel or gouge or whatever cutting
tool may work well and fill the cavity with Portland cement in such a
way as to exclude moisture. This will prolong the life and
productiveness of the trees for many years if other conditions are
favorable.



Deferring Bloom of Fruit Trees.



Have any experiments ever been carried on definitely to decide what
causes early blossoming of fruit trees? For instance, have adjacent
trees of the same variety been treated definitely by putting a heavy
mulch around one to hold the cold temperature late in the spring,
leaving the other tree unmulched so the roots could warm up?

It has been definitely determined by the experiments of Professor
Whidden of the Missouri Experiment Station that the swelling of the buds
and starting of the foliage of fruit trees is due to the action of heat
upon the aerial parts of the trees; that is, growth is not caused by
increasing the temperature of the ground and cannot be retarded by
cooling the ground. Experiments with the use of snow and ice under trees
by which the ground has been kept at a low temperature have not
prevented the activity of the tree. The only way known to retard
activity is to spray the tree with whitewash so that the white color may
reflect the heat and prevent the absorption of it by the bark, which is
usually of a dark color and therefore suited to heat absorption.
Retarding of growth is possible in this way for a period of six to ten
days, which, of course, in some cases might be of value, but the
lengthened dormancy is probably too small to constitute it of general
value. In whitewashing, to determine what advantage there is in it in
retarding growth, the tree should be thoroughly sprayed with whitewash
so as to cover all the wood some time before the buds swell. In fact, it
is to prevent the early swelling of the buds that the whitewashing is
resorted to. It is better to make the application, therefore, a little
too early than too late. A specific date cannot be given for it that
would be right in all localities.



Repairing Rabbit Injuries.



Your book says in Pruning young trees for the first time, about four
main branches should be left and these cut back to 10 or 12 inches. Now,
where the rabbits have pruned back to 4 or 5 inches the very ones I
wanted, what should be done? Some say, cut these back to the stem,
allowing new shoots to start from the base of branches so removed.

Cut back to a bud near the stem, or if you do not see any, cut back near
to the stem, but not near enough to remove the bark at the base of the
shoot, for there are the latent buds which should give you the growth.
This should be watched, and the best shoot selected from each point to
make a strong branch, pinching back or removing the others.



For a Bark Wound.



What is best to do with an apricot or prune tree when it has been hit
with an implement and the bark knocked off?

Cut around the bark wound with a sharp knife so as to remove all frayed
edges. Cover the exposed wood with oil and lead paint to prevent
cracking, and the wound will soon be covered with new bark from the
sides.



Bridging Gopher Girdles.



How shall I make the bridge-graft or root-graft over the trunks of trees
girdled by gophers? Has this method proved successful in saving trees
three or four inches in diameter, and how is it done?

The bridging over of injury by mice by grafting has been known to be
successful for decades in countries where this trouble is encountered.
Undoubtedly the same plan would work in the case of all bark injuries
which can be bridged. The plan is to take good well-matured shoots which
are a little longer than the injury which has to be spanned, making a
sloping cut on both ends, also a cut into the healthy bark above and
below the injury, and slip the cut ends of the cutting into the cuts in
the bark so that the ends go under the bark above and below, and the cut
ends are closely connected with the growing layer of the stock. If the
cutting is made a little longer than the distance to be spanned, the
tendency of the cutting by straightening is to hold itself in place.
When in place, the connections should he covered with wax to prevent
drying out.



Soil-Binding Plant for Winter.



What would be the best to plant in an orchard on ground of a light sandy
sediment which, after plowing, will move with the strong winds? I would
like to plant something that will benefit the ground. The winds are the
strongest from December to April. This is in the irrigated district and
I need something that will make a sod during that period.

We would, in all the valleys, advise a fall irrigation (if the rains are
late) and the sowing of burr clover, which when started in September
will have the ground well covered by December, if you keep the moisture
right to push it. Disking or plowing this under in March (or April,
according to locality) will hold the sand and afterward enrich it. You
can do this every year, but probably you will not need to seed it more
than once.



Bananas in California.



Is there any reason why bananas would not grow and bear in the vicinity
of Merced if they had plenty of water? Or would the cool nights at
certain seasons keep them from bearing? Would they do better in the
Imperial valley?

Bananas would suffer too severely from frost to be profitable at any
point in the interior valleys of California. A plant would be killed to
the ground at least every year unless under glass or other protection.
There are a few places practically frostless where bananas can be grown
in this State, but there is no promise in commercial production because
they can be so cheaply imported from the tropics.



Carobs in California.



Will the carob tree (St. John's Bread) do well in the Sacramento valley,
and is it a desirable tree for lining a driveway?

Carobs have been grown in California for thirty years or more and they
will make a handsome driveway and give a lot of pods for the kids and
the pigs - for they are "the husks which the swine did eat," and both
like them. They ought to be much more widely planted in California
because they grow well and are good to look upon.



Spineless Cactus Fruit.



I have about two acres of high land in Fresno county that can't be
irrigated. It is red adobe soil and there is hardpan in it. Which kind
of fruit trees will grow and pay best? How near may the hardpan be to
the surface before I have to blast it?

It is a hard fruit proposition. Try spineless cactus, the fruits of
which are delicious. Blasting would help if there is a moist substratum
below the hardpan and might enable you to grow many fruits. If your land
is hard and dry all the way down, blasting would not help you unless you
can get irrigation. Presumably your rainfall is too small for fruit
unless you strike underflow below the hardpan.



Cleaning Fruit Trays.



What do you advise for killing and removing the whitish mold that forms
on trays used for drying prunes? Would sunning the trays be effective,
or washing in hot water, or is there some suitable fungicide?

Good hot sun and dry wind will kill the mold. The spores of such a
common mold are waiting everywhere, so that your fruit would mold anyway
if conditions were right. Still, scalding the trays for cleanliness and
a short trip through the sulphur box for fungus-killing is commended.



Killing Moss on Old Trees.



I have some Bartlett pear trees that are covered with moss and mold, and
the bark is rough and checked. I have used potash (98%), 1 pound to 6
gallons spray. It kills the long moss, but the green mold it does not
seem to affect. The trees have been sprayed about one week. Some trees
have been sprayed with a 1 pound to 10 gallons solution by mistake.
Shall I spray these again with full strength, and when?

You have done enough for the moss at present. Even the weaker solution
ought to be strong enough to clean the bark. Wait and see how the bark
looks when the potash gets through biting; it will keep at it for some
time, taking a fresh hold probably with each new moisture supply from
shower or damp air. The spray should have been shot onto the bark with
considerable force - not simply sprinkled on.



Shy-Bearing Apples.



I have some apple trees 10 and 12 years old that do not bear
satisfactorily, but persist in making 5 to 6 feet of new wood each year.
If not cut back this winter, will they be more likely to make fruit
buds?

Yes, probably. Certainly you should try it. You should also cultivate
less and slow down the growth. If they then take to bearing, you can
resume moderate pruning and better cultivation. This is on the
assumption that your trees are in too rich or too moist a place. But you
should satisfy yourself by inquiry and observation as to whether the
same varieties do bear well in your vicinity when conditions are such
that slower growth is made. If the variety is naturally shy in bearing,
or if it requires cross-pollination, the proposed repressive treatment
might not avail anything. In that case you can graft over the tree to
some variety which does bear well or graft part of the trees to another
variety for cross-pollination.



No Apples on Quince.



How large a tree will the Yellow Bellefleur apple make if grafted or
budded on quince root at the age of 15 years? I have been trying to get
some information about dwarf fruit trees, but it is difficult to get.

No wonder the information is hard to get. The Yellow Bellefleur will not
grow upon the quince at all, or at least not for long. In growing dwarf
apples the Paradise stock is used, while the quince is used for dwarfing
the pear, and many varieties of pears will accept the quince root which
the apple rejects.



Stock for Apples.



Do you recommend French seedling stock as greatly to be preferred to
that grown in this country?

French seedling stock is generally used because it is graded and
furnished in uniform sizes; also, because it can usually be purchased
for less than seedlings can be grown under our labor conditions. Locally
grown apple seedlings are apt to be irregular in size and, as already
stated, cost more than the properly graded imported stock.



Apples and Alfalfa.



I have recently come across a proposition to sow apple orchards in the
interior of southern California with alfalfa. The apples are said to be
superior and the crop heavier, to say nothing of a half or two-thirds of
an alfalfa crop in addition to the crop of apples. What do you know
about it? Is alfalfa being used by others in this way?

It is perfectly rational to grow alfalfa in fruit orchards if the water
supply is ample for both the trees and the intercrop and the owner will
not yield to the temptation to waterlog his trees for the sake of
getting more alfalfa. It is even more desirable in the interior than
near the coast, probably. In Arizona some growers have for a number of
years practiced growing alfalfa in orchards, cutting the alfalfa without
removing it, counting that clippings are worth more to them through
their decay and the increase of the humus content of the soil. Even
where this is not done, the alfalfa will add to the humus of the soil by
its own wastes both from root and stem. The presence of an alfalfa cover
reduces the danger of leaf and bark burning either by reflected or
radiated heat from a smooth ground surface, and some trees are very much
benefited by this protection in regions of high temperature. This might
be expected to be the case with the apple, which is somewhat subject to
leaf burning in our interior valleys.



Top Grafting.



In grafting over apple and pear trees to some other variety, is it
advisable to cut off and graft the entire tree the first year where the
trees are from 7 to 15 years old, or would it be better to cut off only
a part of the top the first year and the rest the following year?

In the coast region it is a good practice to graft over the whole tree
at one time, cutting, however, above the forks and not into the main
stem below the forking. This gives many scions which seem able to take
care of the sap successfully. In the interior valleys, it is rather
better practice to leave a branch or two, cutting them out at the
following winter's pruning, for probably the first year's grafts will
give you branches enough. This has the effect of preventing the drowning
out of the scions from too strong sap-flow. Cutting back and regrafting
of old trees should be done rather early, before the most active
sap-flow begins. The later in the season the grafting is done, and the
warmer the locality, the more desirable it seems to be to leave a branch
or two when grafting.



Apple Budding.



What is the best time to bud apples?

Apples are budded in July and August and remain dormant until the
following spring.



Mildew on Apple Seedlings.



Why do young apple plants in the seed bed became mildewed? They are in a
lath house.

Because too much moisture was associated with too much shade. More
sunshine would have prevented mildew, and if they had enjoyed it the
seedlings could have made better use of the water probably.



Pruning Apples.



Young apple trees set two years ago were cut back to 14 to 18 inches and
cared for as to low branching, proper spacing, etc., but the desired
branches were allowed to make full growth to the present time. They have
mode great growth and if allowed to continue will make too tall trees.

We understand that your trees have made two summers' growth since
pruning. We should cut back to a good lateral wherever you can find one
running at the right direction at about three to four feet from the last
cut, and shorten the lateral more or less according to the best judgment
we could form on sight of the tree. In this way you can take out the
branches which are running too high and make the framework for a lower
growth. Do not remove the small twigs and spurs unless you have too many
such shoots.



Cutting Back Apples and Pears.



"California Fruits" says the "apple does not relish cutting back, nor is
it desirable to shorten in the branches." But when a three-year-old tree
gets above 12 feet high, as many of mine are doing, what are you going
to do? I cut these back same last year, but up they go again with more
branches than ever. The pears are getting too tall, also. Should not
both apple and pear trees be kept down to about ten feet?

The quotation you make refers to old bearing trees, and indicates that
their pruning is not like that of the peach, which is continually
shortened in to keep plenty of new wood low down. Of course, in securing
low and satisfactory branching on young apples, pears, etc., there must
be cutting back, and this must be continued while you are forming the
tree. If you mean that these trees are to be permanently kept at ten
feet high, you should have planted trees worked on dwarfing stocks. Such
a height does not allow a standard tree freedom enough for thrift; as
they become older they will require from twice to thrice the altitude
you assign to them, probably. Pears can be more successfully kept down
than apples, but not to ten feet except as dwarfs.



Pruning Old Apple Trees.



How would you prune apple trees eight or nine years old that have not
been cut back? There are a great many that have run up 20 feet high with
twelve or fifteen main limbs and very few being more than two or three
inches in diameter.

Remove cross branches which are interfering with others and thin out
branches which seem to be crowding each other at their attachments to
the trunk, by removing some of them at the starting point. Having
removed these carefully so as not to knock off spurs from other
branches, study the tree as it is thus somewhat opened up and see where
remaining branches can be shortened to overcome the tendency to run too
high. Do not shear off branches leaving a lot of stubs in the upper part
of the tree, but always cut back a main branch to a lateral and shorten
the lateral higher up if desirable. This will keep away from having a
lot of brush in the top of the tree. Study each tree by itself for
symmetry and balance of branches and proceed by judgment rather than by
rules anyone can give you.



Top-Grafting Apples.



Can I graft over a few Ben Davis apple trees 25 years old or
thereabouts, but thrifty and vigorous?

It is certainly possible, by the old top-grafting method which has been
used everywhere with apples for centuries. Graft during the winter. Work
on the limbs above the head so as to preserve the advantage of the old
forking, using a cleft graft and waxing well. It is usually best to
graft over a part of the limbs and the balance a year later.



Will the Apples Be the Same Kind?



I have a mixed orchard, mostly Gravensteins, and I want to graft all the
other trees into a Gravenstein top if I can do so and at the same time
get the early Gravenstein bloom and the fruit would be as satisfactory
as though on other roots.

The new tree grown from the grafts will behave just like the tree from
which the scions were taken if similarly thrifty.



Places for Apples.



What quality is it in the soil in the vicinity of Watsonville that makes
that country peculiarly adapted to the culture of apples? Are there not
other portions of the State where apples could be produced on a
commercial basis?

It is not alone quality in the soil, but character of the climate that
underlie success in the Watsonville district. Apples can be and are
grown on a commercial scale through the coast district of Sonoma,
Mendocino, and Humboldt counties; also in suitable situations in the
coast counties south of Santa Cruz county. Along the coast, as far as
deep retentive soil and the cool air of the ocean extend, one may expect
to get apples similar to those produced in the Watsonville district. In
the interior valleys, on suitable soils with adequate moisture, early
apples are profitably grown, while in the higher foothill and mountain
valleys in all parts of the State, where moisture is sufficient, late
keeping apples of high quality are produced.



Summer-pruning Apples.



Will summer pruning cause apple trees to bear fruit instead of growing
so much new wood?

Over-growth can be repressed by summer pruning, and if done just at the
right time bearing is increased and late new growth is avoided, but it
is not easy to determine exactly the right time, and it has to be fixed
according to local conditions of length of growing season and growth
condition of the tree itself also. It is better for some varieties than
others, and, in fact, has to be done wisely. A summer slashing of apple
trees, simply because some one says so, is not only expensive, but may
do more harm than good. Therefore, those inclined to it, should try a
few trees at first and note results.



Grafting Apple Seedlings in Place.



I want to plant apple trees for home use. I have an idea to plant apple
seeds instead of trees: planting three or four seeds for each hill,
right in the place where I would grow the trees, and select the best one
to graft on. I will take seed of Bellefleurs, which are vigorous
growers. What do you think? Will the seed germinate readily and when is
the right time to plant?

Select plump, well ripened seed, keep them in damp sand until the ground
begins to get warm in January or February, according to location. But
such an undertaking will cost you vastly more in time, in labor, and
waste of land than it would to buy well-grown nursery trees budded with
the variety which you desire. Such trees would give you practically a
uniform lot of trees in your orchard while planting seedlings and
grafting afterward would give you very irregular and for the most part
unsatisfactory results - providing you get any seeds to grow at all in
the open ground, which is doubtful.



Resistant Apple Roots.



A few apple trees which are almost dead from ravages of the woolly
aphis. I am going to dig them out and plant in their places other apple
trees on woolly aphis-proof root. Will it be necessary to use measures
to exterminate the woolly aphis in the old roots or their places in the
ground before planting new trees in the places of the removed trees?

It is not necessary to undertake to kill aphis in the ground when you
are planting apple trees on resistant roots. It will give your trees a
better start to dig large holes, throw out the old soil, and fill in
with some new soil from another part of the land to be planted, but it
has been demonstrated that these roots are resistant, no matter if
planted in the midst of infestation.



Apples and Cherries for a Hot Place.



What kind of apple do you think would do best in a dry, hot climate?
What do you think of the Early Richmond cherry in such a place?

Apples most likely to succeed in a dry situation are those which ripen
their fruit very early. The Red Astrachan is on the whole the most
satisfactory, but there are many places which are altogether too dry and
hot for any kind of apple. Whether cherries would succeed or not you can
only tell by trying. Possibly the trees would not live through the
summer if your soil becomes very dry. The most hardy cherries are the
sour or pie cherries and the Early Richmond is one of this group.



Die-back of Apple Trees.



What causes the death of the top shoots in apple trees?

New wood is sometimes diseased by mildew, but die-back is usually due to
two different causes: One, the accumulation of water in the soil during
the excessive rains of mid-winter; second, the occurrence of low
temperatures, including frosts, after the sap has risen. Which of these
causes operate in a certain case depends, of course, upon whether the
soil was heavy and inclined to retain standing water too long, or
whether there were such frosts at about the time when the leaves should
start. Sometimes, of course, both of these conditions worked in the same
place; sometimes one and sometimes the other, but certainly both of them
are capable of causing the trouble. There seems to be no specific
disease; it is rather a matter of unfavorable conditions for growth.



Storage of Apples.



We desire to store two or three thousand boxes of apples for three or
four months and propose to do it in this way: Make an excavation in dry
earth, putting at the bottom of the excavation straw. Upon this straw
place the apples, then dry straw over the apples, and upon the top of
this two or three feet of dry earth. Will it be a good plan to pour on
water from time to time over the top of this to keep the apples and all
wet, or should the apples be kept dry?

Putting down loose apples in a straw-lined pit would be very expensive.
It would invite decay by bruising the fruit, and the result would
probably be a worthless mixture of rotten fruit and straw. The fruit
should be stored in boxes or shallow trays to reduce pressure and
promote ventilation, and not in bins or large piles. Apples will keep
for a long time in good condition if the boxes are put in piles in the
shade, covered with straw, which should be slightly moistened from time
to time; but in that case there would not be such an accumulation of
moisture and there would be ventilation at all times. Apples should be
kept dry, but they will shrivel and become unmarketable unless the air
in which they are stored is kept reasonably moist. This is generally
accomplished by making apple houses with double walls and roof to
exclude heat and with an earth or concrete floor which can be sprinkled
from time to time with a hose.



Apple Root-grafts.



I have an old apple orchard and would like to have two or three of the
best varieties positively identified, so that I can order these kinds
from the nursery for next year's planting.

Old California apple orchards have many varieties no longer propagated
largely. If you greatly desire to have a few trees of exactly the
varieties which you are now growing, you run some risk of mistake in
ordering by name, but if you make some root-grafts by taking a piece of
the smaller roots of the tree, which you can dig out, say about the size
of a pencil, and graft scions upon them, you can secure root-grafts for
planting in nursery this year and in that way be sure to have trees of
exactly the same kind. Root-grafts can be made in the winter, placed in
sand which is kept moist and not wet, planted out as soon as the ground
warms up, and you will get immediate and very satisfactory growth in
that way.



Pruning Old Apple Trees.



I have an old orchard containing some apple trees about 40 years
old - trees well shaped but with plenty of main branches and limbs all
very long. The trees bear profusely in alternate years but the fruit is
small. In pruning would you advise cutting out some main limbs where
there are over three or four and thus making a big wood reduction (where
sunburn protection can still be guarded) or would you only shorten in
the branches and thin the fruit severely?

Do not remove main branches unless they are clearly too numerous or have
been allowed to grow to interference with each other or have become
weakened or feeble in some way. In such cases the space is worth more
than the branch. If the tree has a fair framework do not disturb it in
order to get down to an arbitrary limit of three or four main branches;
sometimes the tree can carry more. If the tree is too thick, thin it out
by removing side branches of more or less size - saving the best,
judging by both vigor and position. Work through the whole top in this
way until you reach the best judgment you can form of enough space and
light for good interior foliage and fruit. Apple branches should seldom
be shortened, and when this seems desirable, cut to a side branch and
not to a stub which will make a lot of weak shoots or brush in the top
of the tree.



Pruning Apple Trees.



There is a great difference of opinion here regarding the pruning of
three-year or older apple trees. Many people cut back three, four and
five-year-old trees half the season's growth; others only cut back six
inches.

Apple trees are cut back during their early life to cause branching and
to secure short distances between the larger laterals on the main
branches. This secures a lower, stronger tree. Cutting back twice or
three times should secure a good framework of this kind, and then the
apple should not be regularly and systematically cut back as the peach
and apricot are. It is not possible to prescribe definite inches,
because cutting back is a matter of judgment and depends upon how thick
the growth is, what its position and relation to other shoots, etc. The
chief point in cutting back is to know where you wish the next laterals
to come on the shortened shoot, and if you do not wish more laterals at
once; do not cut back at all. Treatment, of laterals which come of
themselves is another matter. Do not clip the ends of shoots unless
laterals are desired. If you keep clipping the ends of apple twigs, you
will get no fruit from some varieties.



Grafting Almond on Peach.



I had good success with the peach trees which I grafted to almond last
spring, getting about 95 per cent of a stand, and many of the grafts now
are one and one-half inches diameter. In each of the trees I left about
a quarter of the branches, to keep up the growing process of the tree.
The universal practice around here in grafting is to cut the whole top
off the tree at the time of grafting, but the increased growth and vigor
of the grafts I have has proved to me and other growers around, that
much better results are obtained by leaving part of the top on the tree
at the time of grafting.

You did exceedingly well with your grafting. It seems a more rational
way to proceed than by a total amputation, and yet ample success is
often attained by grafting for a whole new top at once.



Pruning Almonds.



Should the main branches be shortened in a three-year-old almond tree?
Of course, I intend to thin out the branches. Some growers here advise
me to shorten the main branches; others say do not shorten them, as it
tends to give the trees a brushy top.

Although some growers are contending for regular shortening - in of the
almond as is practiced on the peach, it is not usual to cut back almond
trees after they have reached three years of age and have assumed good
form. Of course, if cutting back is done, the shoots coming from near
the amputation must be thinned out to prevent the brushiness your
adviser properly objected to.



Budding and Grafting Almonds.



Is it better to bud or graft bitter almond seedlings of one year's
growth, and, as they must be transplanted, would it be proper to do the
work this season or defer it for another year's growth?

Your almond seedlings should have been budded in July or August after
starting from the nut, which would have fitted them for planting in
orchard the following winter as dormant buds, as they cannot stay where
they are another season. Now you can transplant to nursery rows in
another place: cut back and graft as the buds are swelling, allowing a
good single shoot to grow from below on those which do not start the
grafts into which you can bud in June, and cut back the stock to force
growth as soon as the buds have taken. In this way you will get the
whole stock into trees for planting out next winter. Some will be large
and some small, but all will come through if planted in good soil and
cared for properly. Of course, you can plant out the seedlings and graft
and bud in the orchard, but it will be a lot of trouble and you will get
very irregular results.



Cutting Back Almonds.



I have some nice thrifty two-year-old almond trees which I did not "top"
this spring. The limbs are from about four to seven or eight feet long.
Would it not be best to "top" them yet?

Cut them back to a shoot of this year's growth, removing about a third
of last year's growth, perhaps. This will give you lower and better
branching.



Almond Planting.



I am contemplating the planting of about five to eight acres of almonds:
what variety is best to plant?

Before planting so many almonds, you should determine how satisfactory
the almond is in bearing in your location. Unless you can find
satisfactory demonstration of this fact, it is hazardous to plant such
an acreage. On the other hand, if you find that almonds are bearing
satisfactorily, the kinds which are perhaps most satisfactory to plant
are Nonpareil, Texas Prolific, Ne Plus Ultra and Drake's Seedling. The
Texas Prolific and Drake's Seedling are abundant bearers and profitable
because of the size of the crop, although the price is lower than the
soft-shelled varieties, Nonpareil and Ne Plus Ultra. These two varieties
are such energetic pollinizers that they not only bear well themselves,
but force the bearing of the larger varieties mentioned. Every third row
in your plantation should be either Texas Prolific or Drakes' Seedlings,
which would give you two-thirds of the larger varieties and one-third of
the smaller. There are, of course, other soft-shelled almonds which are
worth planting and are being considerably planted in localities where
they do well. This you can ascertain by inquiry among local growers and
nurserymen. The planting of a good proportion of active pollinizers is
the most important point.



Almond Pollination.



My almond trees look healthy but the fruit seems to be diseased. Is it
necessary to have male and female trees, and how can one distinguish
them?

The almond is monoecious and has perfect blossoms, therefore, there is
no such thing as male and female trees in the case of the almond, but
most of the best soft-shelled almonds are self-sterile and need
cross-pollination from another variety. This is discussed elsewhere in
answer to another question.



Roots for the Almond.



Which is the best root to have the almond grafted on, peach or bitter
almond? The soil is sandy.

The bitter almond and the hard-shelled sweet almond are both used and we
are not aware that any particular advantage has been demonstrated for
either of them. The almond does well on peach roots also, but the almond
is a better root where the soil conditions suit it.



Longevity of Almond and Peach.



What is difference in life of peach and almond in California?

The almond is the longer-lived, but we have seen both assuming the
aspect of forest trees in abandoned pioneer places. Both are apt to live
longer than their planters, if soil and moisture conditions favor.



Almond Seedlings.



I have been told that almond trees raised from seed, no matter what kind
of seed planted, will produce bitter almonds. Is this a fact?

It is not a fact. The majority will probably be hard-shell, sweet and
bitter, but others will be soft-shell, medium-shell, paper-shell, and
everything else you ever heard of in the almond line. The almond has the
sportiest kind of seedlings.



Do Not Plant Almonds in Place.



I have 30 acres which I intend to plant to almonds and peaches, and I
thought of planting the sprouted nuts and pits where I wanted my trees,
and budding the same there in orchard form. As one or two years' use of
the land is not considered, what is your advice? My idea is to plant in
orchard at start so as not to disturb roots, as when grown in nursery
and transplanted in orchard. Would it not progress as rapidly? Would you
advise budding peaches on almond roots; if not, why? My idea is that it
would give a longer-lived tree.

We would do nothing of the kind. If we decided it better to grow trees
than to buy them, we would grow and bud the seedlings in nursery and not
in the field. Field budding is open to all kinds of injuries and growth
from it, when saved from cultivation and all kinds of intruders, is
irregular and uncertain. As for starting the roots from the nut in
plate, it is largely a fanciful consideration. We count it no gain for
the walnut which makes a tap root, and still less gainful for the almond
and peach, which, usually make spreading roots. To cut off a tap root
does not prevent the tree from rooting deeply if the soil is favorable.
As to use of the land, you lose time by growing the seedlings in place.
The peach does well on the almond root if soil conditions favor the
almond. Perhaps it gives longer life to the peach, but the profitable
life of the peach tree in a proper soil does not depend on the root; it
depends upon the treatment of the top in pruning for renewal of
branches.



Almond and Peach.



With water-table at 18 feet, which root is best for almond trees? The
experience around here is that the peach root starts best. Which root is
most durable? What is the life of the peach root and of the almond?

It is not merely a question of depth to water, but of character of the
soil above the water. Neither of the roots will stand heavy soil which
holds water too long, and both enjoy a free loam which drains readily
down to the water-table or bottom water. If the soil is rather sandy,
letting the water down very quickly, the almond is better in getting to
it than the peach. If it is finer and still well drained the peach will
do well, and the almond enjoys that also. The almond probably can be
counted on to stand coarser soil and greater drouth than the peach and
under such conditions will outlive the peach, probably, but both of them
will live twenty to thirty years or more if pruned in the head to get
enough new wood and the trunk is kept from sunburn. Aside from this
choose the almond root for the almond.



Pollination of Almonds.



I have Drake's Seedling almonds. Some people have told me that I must
plant some hardshell variety between them, otherwise they will not bear.

It is not necessary to plant hardshell almonds near Drake's Seedling
trees in order to have them bear. Some varieties of almonds will set few
nuts unless they are cross-pollinated, but these are the paper-shell
varieties, as a rule - the Nonpareil, IXL and Ne Plus Ultra - and for
these the Drake's Seedling or Texas Prolific is planted as a pollenizer.
The highest-priced nut of all is the Nonpareil, and it is also a good
bearer when in a good location and planted with Drake's or Texas
Prolific.



Stick-tight Almonds.



I have leased seven acres of bearing almond trees which have the
appearance of being reasonably well cared for. I notice a few trees that
still have almonds on ("stick-tights"). What is the cause and remedy?

The occurrence of stick-tights is generally due to lack of moisture and
thrifty growth, although some trees may be weak from some other cause
and therefore deficient in sap-flow, which manifests itself in that way.
Single nuts may also fall into that condition of malnutrition. We know
no remedy except to keep the trees in good thrift by cultivation or by
the use of irrigation if necessary.



Shy-bearing Apricots.



Why do my apricot trees not bring fruit? They seem healthy and are
vigorous-looking trees. Five large trees have not borne 100 pounds of
fruit in three years. The trees are not over six years old.

You may have a shy-bearing kind of apricot, of which there are many, or
the trees may have grown too fast to hold the fruit, or the frost or
north wind may have blasted the bloom. Stop winter pruning, and summer
prune to prevent excessive growth; reduce irrigation; try to convince
the apricot that it is not a "green bay tree" and see what will happen.



Pruning Apricots.



In pruning apricots, if there should be a hollow center of a big branch
in center of a seven-year-old tree, should it be cut out with summer
pruning? Should heavy growing apricots be summer pruned? Would it be all
right to thin out a dense growth of wood in the prune trees in
September?

It is always desirable to cut below a hollow in a limb if possible.
Where, however, this would necessitate cutting below the desirable
laterals, the cavity may be filled with cement and thus rendered
serviceable for some years. Summer pruning of the apricot is desirable
if the growth is heavy and the tree has reached a bearing age. Thinning
out of prune trees can be undertaken in the autumn, providing the tree
has practically finished its growth, as indicated by the change in the
color and pose of the leaves.



Apricot Propagation.



Can Royal apricots be grafted into seedling apricots? Do the scions do
well? What is the best time to graft them?

The apricot is grafted readily by the ordinary cleft grafting,
amputating above the forks if the tree is low-headed enough to allow you
to work into the limbs instead of the trunk. Grafts will take all right
in the trunk by bark grafting, but working in smaller limbs makes a
stronger tree. This is for old trees and the grafting is done during the
winter. Younger seedlings can be cleft or whip grafted in the stems, but
it is better to bud into the young seedlings with plump buds of the
current year's growth, in June, and by shortening in the seedling above
the buds as soon as they have taken, get a growth on the bud in the
latter half of the same growing season. In nursery practice, trees are
usually made by budding in July or August into seedlings which are then
growing from the seed planted the previous winter. Little seedlings from
under old trees may be carefully transplanted to nursery rows in the
spring and budded the same summer. Cultivated well and irrigated if
necessary, they will not suffer from this transplanting.



Renewing Old Apricots.



Shall I prune back heavily a 15 to 20-year-old apricot tree which did
not mature its fruit this season, I think on account of neglect? It was
very poorly cultivated and not irrigated, consequently looks very sick.

Cut back all the main branches to six or eight feet from the ground,
leaving on whatever small growth there may be below that height. Paint
the stubs and thin out the shoots next summer to get the right number of
new branches properly distributed. Whether you will get a good renewal
of the head depends upon whether the sickness is in the root or not. Cut
back just before the buds swell toward the end of the dormant season.



Summer Pruning of Apricots.



Is it feasible to prune five-year-old apricot trees in August? They seem
in good growth and have been irrigated three times this season, though
they have never been pruned very closely.

Summer pruning would be perfectly proper and advisable. Summer pruning
immediately after the fruit is picked, has become much more general, and
winter pruning has proportionately decreased. Young trees are winter
pruned to promote low branching and short, stout limbs; bearing trees
are summer pruned to promote fruit bearing and check wood growth - the
excess of bearing shoots being removed by thinning during the winter.



Wild Cherries.



Where do the Mahaleb and Mazzard cherries grow naturally? How large are
the trees, and what kind of fruit do they bear?

The Mazzards, of which there are many, and some of them wild in the
Eastern States, are counted inferior seedlings of the species avium, and
are tall, large trees, the fruit being small and rather acrid and colors
various. The Mahaleb is a European type with a smaller tree, fruit
inferior to the Mazzards, and used as a root under soil and climatic
conditions under which the Mazzard is not hardy and vigorous. Neither of
the kinds are worth considering for their fruit.



Pruning Cherries.



I have some cherry trees that have not been pruned. They are beautiful
trees, but it a requires a 24-foot ladder to get near the top limbs. The
side limbs reach from tree to tree. They had a splendid crop this year.
People here tell me never to prune cherry trees. One man who claims
considerable experience with fruit says prune them as soon as the crop
is off.

Your cherry trees should have been pruned for the first two or three
years quite severely, in order to secure better branching and strength
in the main branches. If this is done, and the trees come into full
bearing, very little pruning has to be done afterward, except removing
diseased, interfering or surplus branches, if there are too many. It is
perfectly safe to cut back the trees which you now have as you have been
advised to do, after the leaves have fallen or after they have begun to
turn yellow. The trees can be safely topped and thinned, for the cherry
accepts pruning very readily. Even considerable amounts of the tops have
been cut off at fruit-picking time from trees which have been running
too high, so that the fruit could be secured, and this has not injured
the trees, according to our own experience and observation. Cherries can
be summer-pruned to check excessive growth and to promote fruit-bearing,
but as your trees have already begun to bear well, this treatment does
not seem to be necessary. You should do fall and winter pruning for the
shape of the trees.



Training Cherry Grafts.



I have grafted a lot of seedling cherries, leaving two or three buds on
each piece of grafted wood. In planting these out, shall I put the union
under ground (they are grafted at the crown of the root) and shall I
loosen the cloth a little later when they start to grow? How can I get
the head for the tree? Should I let only one shoot form, and when it is
as high as I want it, cut it off as I would a tree gotten from a
nursery?

If you have used waxed cloth in your grafting, it will be necessary to
loosen it after the tree gets a good start. Common unwaxed cloth could
be trusted to decay soon enough, probably, but it should be looked at to
see that it is not binding. The union should not be placed much below
the ground surface, although it can be safely covered, and the future
stem may look the better for it. One shoot could be allowed to grow from
each graft, choosing the best ones and pinching the others so that they
will stop extension and hold leaves during the first season. These can
be cleanly removed at the first winter pruning at the time you head back
the main shoot to the proper height.



Restoring Cherry Trees.



I have about two acres of cherry trees in Sonoma county said to be about
20 years old. They are in a very neglected condition and I am desirous
of putting them in good shape for next year's crop. They are in a very
light sandy loam sail which is easily worked.

Cherry trees under good growing conditions and proper care are very long
lived in California and bear abundant crops when thirty and more years
of age. In the San Jose district and elsewhere there are orchards
considerably older than the limit stated and are still very profitable.
If your trees have been so neglected that the branches have died back,
the trees should be pruned, of course, cutting out all dead wood and
shortening weak or dying branches to a point where a good strong shoot
can be found. Then a good application of farmyard manure plowed in
during the rainy season, followed by summer cultivation for moisture
retention. Although the cherry is very hardy, it is quite likely to
suffer on light soils which become too dry. On such soils as yours there
is little if any danger of too much water in the winter, unless the land
lies low, but the injury to the tree comes from the lack of moisture
during the summer time, and this, with your abundant rainfall, you can
probably assure by thorough summer cultivation.



Renewing Cherry Trees.



We have cherry trees set out diamond shape about 16 feet apart. We
cannot take out every other tree and have any order, so we ask you if it
would be possible to cut the trees back and keep them pruned down to a
smaller size. The trees are about 20 years old and are dying back quite
badly.

If the trees are dying for lack of summer moisture it is idle to do much
for them until you can give them irrigation right after the fruit
ripens. The cherry tree takes kindly to cutting back and will give good
new fruit-bearing shoots if the roots are in good condition. It is
desirable to remove surplus branches entirely rather than to cut back
everything to a definite height, the branches to be removed being those
which show disposition to die back and those which are running out too
far so as to reduce the space between the trees or to interfere with
branches from other trees. Branches which are failing above can in some
cases be cut back to a strong thrifty lateral branch below.
Shortening-in branches high up is less desirable because it forces out
too much new growth in the top of the tree and carries the fruit so high
that picking would be expensive. All cuts of any size should be painted
to prevent the wood from checking.



Pruning Cherries.



I have cherry trees in their third season which have been given the
usual winter pruning. The trees are putting forth a great many more
branches than are required, and naturally many of the branches are
growing across the tree. In cutting these extra branches, I am informed
that there is a way to trim them so that they will eventually form fruit
spurs. I had an idea that in order to do this it would be well to cut
about one inch from the main branch. Some one has told me that this
would merely cause the little branch to sprout again.

Cherry shoots which are not required or desired for branch-forming can
be transferred into fruit spurs, if the tree is of bearing age, by
shortening them in. Do not, however, cut at an arbitrary distance of one
inch from the starting point, but rather save one or two buds at
whatever distance from the starting point these may be growing. If the
tree is too young to bear, only growth shoots may appear from these
buds, but they are likely to be short and will support fruit spurs
later. This practice should not be carried to excess or you will have
too many small shoots which will not get light enough to bear good
fruit, even if fruit spurs should appear.



Pollination of Black Tartarian.



There are many old Tartarian cherry trees around our district that have
only borne a few cherries in years. There are Bing, Royal Ann and Early
Purple Guignes here with these, but they seldom, if ever, bloom with the
Tartarian at the proper time to pollinate. What varieties would cause
the trees to bear?

Sterility of the Black Tartarian is rather unusual. In the coast
regions, Bing, Black Tartarian and Early Purple Guigne are all
considered pollinizers for the Royal Ann. Inversely all these should be
pollinizers for the Black Tartarian, if that variety requires such
assistance, which we have all along supposed that it did not.



Treatment of Fig Suckers.



A few young fig trees are not growing from the tops, but are sending out
suckers, in some cases above and others below the point of grafting. Had
I better let these suckers grow and see what comes from them or plant
new trees?

Graft near the ground all those which are sending suckers from below the
graft. Suckers from above grafting point can be trained into trees by
selecting the best, tying to stakes to straighten up and removing all
other suckers but the one selected.



No Gopher-proof Fig Roots.



Is it necessary that figs should be grafted in some other roots to keep
the gophers from destroying the trees? What root should I order?

Figs are not grown on any other than fig roots and are generally
propagated by rooted cuttings for the purpose of avoiding the expense of
grafting. The fruit must then be protected by killing the gophers rather
than by an effort to get the tree upon a gopher-proof root.



Pollination of Bartletts.



Would Clapp's Favorite be a good pollinizer for the Bartlett as well as
the White Doyenne?

The white Doyenne and the Clapp's Favorite usually begin to bloom three
or four days later than the Bartlett, but the Bartlett period extends
about ten days into the blooming period of the others. Therefore, your
question is to be answered in the affirmative; that is, if the Bartlett
needs pollination, it will be likley to get it from either of these
varieties.



Comice Pears.



Would you plant Comice pears instead of Bartletts, and why? What is
their behavior as to bearing? Do they require any different treatment
than Bartletts? What roots? Do they need other varieties for
pollinizing?

Do not plant Cornice instead of Bartletts except for those who have
tested out the Cornice to their production and selling. Though
satisfactory in some places, it makes no such wide record of success as
the Bartlett and should be planted only on the basis of experience with
it. Its propagation and culture are the same as other pears. It takes to
the quince all right if you want dwarf trees. We have no record of its
pollination needs, but as the Bartlett in California defies its Eastern
reputation for self-sterility, it is likely that Cornice may also take
care of itself, for it is not handicapped by such Eastern condemnation.



No Pears on Peach.



I saw, the other day, some Bartlett pear grafts in Salway peach trees,
and the party informed me that he had seen three-year-old grafts that
had pears last season. I would like your opinion, as I always thought
that such a union was not possible.

Our opinion is like yours, and seeing some pear grafts set in peach
branches would not convince us that they would grow or bear fruit.



Pigs in the Orchard.



I have an orchard of Bartlett pears about fifteen years old, located on
sediment land. I desire to set this to alfalfa, and to feed the alfalfa
by letting hogs eat it off, thereby leaving the droppings on the land.
What I wish to know is this: Will this crop be beneficial or injurious
to the trees?

Alfalfa can be successfully grown in an orchard, providing you have
irrigation water so that the alfalfa shall not rob the trees of
moisture; otherwise it is a very dangerous practice. The practice of
running animals of any kind in an orchard is to be condemned. Pigs are
particularly liable to injure trees by gnawing the bark, and we have
seen fig trees barked clean as high as a pig could reach by standing on
his hind legs. Of course, if you try an experiment for your own
satisfaction, you will have to watch the pigs very carefully. It is true
that growing pasture crops in an orchard and grazing, it off is
injurious to trees, because the land lacks proper aeration, and good
orchard cultivation is even more necessary in this State than in humid
climates. Therefore, unless you are sure of a good water supply for
irrigation, it would be altogether safer to give the whole land to the
trees and keep them cultivated well, or else dig out the trees and use
the land for other purposes.



Dwarf Pears Not Commercially Grown.



Will you kindly give the experience of pear growers in California who
have grown the dwarfs? If you can give me the data or refer me to
persons who can give data showing that the growing of dwarf pears can be
made a commercial success the information will be of great value.

There is no commercial growing of dwarf pears in this State, except some
trees owned by the A. Block Company, Santa Clara. The late Mr. Block had
an old orchard of dwarf trees, planted perhaps forty or fifty years ago,
which he converted into an approach to a standard orchard by removing
alternate rows, and the trees being otherwise treated like standards
have been satisfactorily producing pears for many years. How far these
trees are still on the dwarf roots and how far they have supplied
themselves with roots from the variety growth above, we do not know.
There is no disposition whatever to plant dwarf trees in this State
except among a few amateurs who are making home fruit gardens. In view
of the successful growth of standard trees in this State, there seem to
be no adequate reasons for recourse to dwarf trees.



Yield in Drying Pears.



What is the loss of weight in drying Bartlett pears?

They run from 7 to 8 lbs. of fresh pears to 1 lb. hard dried. There is
quite wide variation according to condition of the fruit. Probably about
7 1/2 to 1 would be as near a realizable ratio as you could get by
arbitrary estimate.



Pear Problems.



Kindly let me know the advisability of grafting Bartlett pears onto
apple trees. In replanting pears in young orchard, how would it do to
take rooted pear suckers, graft the Bartlett on them, and save the cost
of nursery stock? Last year my five-year-old Bartlett orchard was full
of blossoms, but, though many pears became as large as white beans, the
majority of them dropped.

The pear and apple do not make a good union. The grafts may grow for a
while, but finally fail. Do not use suckers as stocks. You can dig up
some year roots and use them as starters by making root-grafts with
Bartlett scions and do better than with suckers, but a good pear
seedling is the proper thing either for budding or root grafting. Unless
you have some experience in such work, it will be cheaper in the end to
buy good nursery trees. The nonbearing of your young trees is probably
due to their youth and vigor.



Bees and Pear Blight.



A few years ago, I planted alfalfa between my pear trees and the trees
bore a very heavy crop that year. Then blight made its appearance, and
it was claimed that the bees carried the blight. I therefore plowed
under the alfalfa and destroyed what few beehives I had. If the theory
that the bees carry the blight from tree to tree is not correct, I will
experiment with alfalfa again this year.

It is true that bees carry pear blight. It is also true that you are not
likely to get many pears without bees to pollinate the blossoms. You
cannot escape the carriage of the pear blight by removing tame bees,
because wild bees are abundant in all parts of the State. The way to
overcome the blight is to pursue it by amputation of diseased branches
continually, so that there may be no contamination for the bees to
carry. You are certainly warranted in continuing your alfalfa growing
without regard to this question, using water enough to keep the alfalfa
growing well without saturating the soil to the injury of the trees or
inducing too much summer growth on them.



Forage Under Sprayed Trees.



Is it safe to use arsenical sprays in a pear orchard in which alfalfa is
raised between the trees and afterward cut and fed to cattle?

It was fully demonstrated by experiment about 25 years ago that herbage
under trees sprayed with paris green at the rate of 1 pound to 160
gallons of water was not injurious to animals pasturing upon it. We are
not aware that such an experiment has been made with the more recently
used arsenates - which can be used with a much higher amount of arsenic
to the gallon because they do not injure the foliage - to determine
whether the herbage below would be poisonous or not. Presumably not,
because modern spraying does not admit as much loss from run-off as was
the case with old Spraying methods.



Pears on Quince.



I saw some time ago a report of some French experiments in grafting the
pear onto quince root. The report said the fruit produced was much
larger than on any other root.

Most of our common pears will take readily when grafted on the quince,
but the quince transforms them into dwarfed trees. Such trees do
produce, with proper care, very fine fruit. The remark about their being
better than on standard trees refers, however, to other climates than
ours, for California grows just as large pears on standard trees as can
possibly be grown, while where conditions are harder the higher culture
of the dwarf tree and the protection which it requires from climatic
hardships, gives the dwarf tree the advantage. You can get pears on
quince roots from most of our California nurseries.



Pollination of Pears.



Is it necessary in growing the Comice pear successfully, to put some
other pear near for the purpose of pollination in order to make it
successful? Will the ordinary Bartlett pear do for pollination?

The Comice pear blooms with the Bartlett, and would therefore presumably
be of pollinizing benefit to the Bartlett if the latter should require
such treatment. Common experience in California, however, is that the
Bartlett is self-fertile and not self-sterile as it is commonly reported
in Eastern publications. California practice is, then, to plant
Bartletts solidly without reference to preparation for pollination.
Taking the matter the other way around, the Bartlett will do for
pollination of the Comice probably, if that should be necessary.



Lye-Peeling Peaches.



Please give the formula for peeling peaches by dipping them in caustic
soda or lye.

Lye for peeling peaches is used at the rate of half to one pound to the
gallon of water, according to the strength of the lye, which you can
determine by the quickness with which it acts. The lye water is kept
boiling, and the fruit is dipped in wire baskets, only being allowed to
remain in the lye a few seconds, and is then plunged at once into fresh
water. You must be careful to keep the lye boiling hot, also either to
use running water for rinsing or change it very frequently, for you have
to rely on fresh water to remove the lye, or the fruit is likely to be
stained.



Aged Peach Trees.



What should be done with peach trees 35 years old which are becoming
unthrifty,  bearing only at the ends of the limbs, etc.?

Old peach trees become bark-bound and need to be cut back to just above
the crotch for the forcing out of new branches, this being facilitated,
of course, by application of manure, good cultivation of the soil, use
of water during the dry season, etc. The peach is, under most
conditions, not a long-lived tree, and if your trees are 35 years of
age, it is probable that best results could be obtained by grubbing them
out and replanting with young trees on new soil if possible. The
profitable life of the Eastern peach tree is put down at five or six
years. In California the profitable life of the peach sometimes reaches
twenty or more years, if growing under exceptionally good conditions;
but 35 years would seem to be at least on the borders of decrepitude.
Growing at the tips shows that you have not pruned annually to induce
the growth of new wood lower down.



Renewing Peach Orchard.



Which is the best way to renew an old peach orchard? The trees are about
18 years old, Muirs and Fosters, and are yielding good crops, but some
of the trees show decline. Is it best to replace the old ones with new
trees or to plant a new orchard in between the old trees and cut out old
ones when new trees are three or four years old?

If the trees have sound bodies and are not badly injured by sunburn
borers, do none of the things you mention, but would cut back for a new
head. Cutting back should be done during the latter half of the dormant
period and thinning of shoots to proper balance a new head should be
carefully done the following winter. It is a hard job to get young trees
to start among old trees and you are apt to get a mixed lot of trees
which you will not be proud of. Cut back as suggested or rip out, plow
deeply and start anew, placing the rows midway between the old rows.



Will He Have Peaches?



I have a young orchard between five and six years old, mostly of the
Lovell variety. I didn't have much of a crop this year. Should I have a
good crop next year?

You ought to be able to tell now how full a set of fruit buds you have.
If you do not know what the fruit buds are, ask some neighbor who knows
peaches to point them out. If you have a good show of fruit buds, the
question in California is not whether they will winter-kill or not, but
whether the leaves held late enough the preceding summer and therefore
the tree had strength enough to make good strong fruit buds. The late
action of the leaves shows that the trees had enough autumn moisture.
You will soon learn to recognize the condition also from the plumpness
of the wood which carries the fruit buds. If all has gone well so far,
the next point is to spray with the bordeaux mixture in November or
December so that the new wood shall not be attacked by the peach blight
or shothole fungus. This disease comes on early in the winter, sets the
the new bark to gumming and endangers the crop. Then if you have San
Jose scale, or if your trees showed much curl-leaf last spring, you
ought to spray before the blossom buds show color with the lime-sulphur
wash. Supposing that you have good buds now and are willing to protect
them as suggested, your trees may be expected to come through with a
good crop if seasonal moisture conditions are right.



Peach Fillers in Apple Orchard.



I have heard some talk against planting peach fillers in an apple
orchard. What is your opinion on the subject?

There is no objection providing the peach is profitable in the locality;
and that point you must look into. The peach trees will not injure the
apples unless they are allowed to stand too long. In that case they
would interfere with the development of the apple.



Grafting Peach on Almond.



May I expect to get good results by grafting some kind of peach to
19-year-old almond tree? If so, what kind of peach will be best? When
shall I do grafting?

Peaches take to the almond all right. Cut off and graft in the branches
above the main forking of the tree; leaving at least one large branch to
be grafted later or to be cut out entirely if you have peach growth
enough to fill the top sufficiently. Graft in any kind of peach you find
to be worth growing. Graft toward the latter part of the dormant season,
say when the buds are swelling for a new start.



Peaches on Apricot.



I have a three-year-old peach orchard grafted or budded on apricot
roots, and interspersed through the orchard are young apricot trees,
from half-inch to inch and a half in diameter, which sprang from the
root, the peach bud or graft having died. I budded these over to peaches
in summer, but the buds all died for some cause. What is now the best
course to transform them into peach trees? If a graft, what form of
graft, and approximately when should it be made?

You can graft peach scions into the apricot sprouts by taking the peach
scions of the varieties you desire while the tree is perfectly dormant,
keeping them in a cool place and putting in the grafts just as the buds
are beginning to swell on the apricot stock. The scions can be buried in
the earth in the shade of a fence or building, selecting a place,
however, which is moist enough and yet where the water does not gather.
The ordinary form of top grafting in stems an inch or more in diameter
will work well. The half-inch stems can be whip-grafted successfully.
You will have to wax well and see that the wax coating is kept sound
until the growth starts.



Replanting After Root-knots.



In digging out some old peach trees, I find now and then a tree affected
with root knot. I am burning the root, of course, but as these trees are
scattered in the orchard, I wish to plant young trees in same locations,
thus preserving the rows. Can new stock be safely put in the earth from
which the old tree is removed? If treatment of the soil is essential,
what is recommended?

Dig a good large hole, removing the earth, and fill with new earth from
between the rows, and in this way healthy growth ought to be obtained,
although there is always a disposition in some trees to put on knots.
They should be looked at from time to time and all those affecting the
larger stem should be removed and the wound painted with bordeaux
mixture.



Buds in Bearing Trees.



In budding over some old peach trees, should I cut away the branch above
the bud when the latter seems to have taken?

The sap flow to the upper part of the branch should be checked by part
girdling or by part breaking or bending the top above the bud, after the
bud is seen to have set or taken. Do not remove the whole top until the
growth on the bud has started out well or else you will "drown it" with
excessive sap flow.



Pollen Must Be of the Same Kind.



Do peaches, nectarines and apricots set fruit with the pollen of one
another, and are the various peaches, nectarines and apricots
self-sterile, or will most kinds set fruit with their own pollen?

We do not count upon pollination between different kinds of fruit. Most
fruits are self-fertile, else we could not attain the practical results
we do, because it is only in the planting of almonds, cherries, pears
and apples that any regard is paid to the association of varieties for
that cross-fertilization. Some fruits are more apt to be self-fertile in
this State than in other States where the growing conditions are not so
favorable.



Peach Budding.



Which is easier with the peach, grafting or budding?

The peach is rather a difficult tree to graft, and budding, on the other
hand, is quite easy. You can bud into new shoots of this season's growth
in July, and, if necessary, you can improve the slipping of the bark by
irrigation a few days before budding. Buds can also be successfully
placed in June in the old bark of the peach, providing it is not too
old. For this select well-matured buds from the larger shoots and use
rather a larger shield than in working into new shoots. When the buds
are seen to have taken, the top growth beyond it can be reduced
gradually and some new growth forced on the buds the same season, if the
sap flow continues as it might be expected to do on young trees well
cared for.



Grafting on the Peach.



Will pears do to graft on the peach, or will plums do well on the peach?
How soon ought they to bear when grafted on the peach which is past
three years old?

Pears cannot be grafted on peaches. Plums generally do well on the
peach, and if the grafts are taken from bearing trees, should come into
fruit the second season. The peach is more difficult to graft than other
fruit trees, because of the drying back of the bark. Be extra careful in
the waxing and be sure that the waxing remains good until the growth
starts out well the following summer.



Young Trees Failing to Start.



Some peach and almond trees set out last spring lived, but made no
growth. Should they be replaced with new stock? If not, what may be
expected of them?

If your inactive trees have good plump dormant buds (though they may not
be large buds), they may make good growth the coming summer, if the land
is good and the moisture right for free growth.



Peach Planting in Alfalfa Sod.



Is it advisable to plant canning peaches in April, and will I gain time
in growth and development? I want to set out eight acres in Tuscans or
Phillips on deep rich soil near Yuba City. I have a pumping plant and
can irrigate. The land has been in alfalfa for several years. I have in
mind setting out trees without disturbing the alfalfa - until next
plowing season. Do you think it advisable to use commercial fertilizer
on ten-year-old Muirs?

Planting the best canning peaches on good peach soil near Yuba City
seems to be about the safest line of fruit investment which can be
undertaken. We doubt that you can get much growth from trees planted in
an old stand of alfalfa without some effort to kill out the plant which
now occupies the ground. Still, by deep digging, throwing out all the
alfalfa roots and thorough hoeing during the growing season and keeping
the alfalfa mowers from sawing off the tops of them, the trees may make
a good start. As the alfalfa will have to be irrigated, April may not be
too late to start the trees, providing you can find nursery stock which
is still quite dormant. Probably ten-year-old peach trees will be very
much improved by commercial fertilizers.



Prune on Almond.



What root is considered best for prune trees? The ranch lies above the
creek. A friend is very partial to the almond root instead of the
myrobalan, but I understand that the prune tree sometimes outgrows the
almond root.

If you have a deep rather light soil which drains well and which there
is, therefore, no danger of water standing during the rainy season, the
almond root is perfectly satisfactory for the prune. It is a
strong-growing root and keeps pace with the top growth well. The prune,
in fact, is more apt to overgrow the myrobalan than the almond, and the
myrobalan will not do well on light soils likely to dry out as the
almond will.



Re-grafting Silver Prunes.



I have five acres of Silver prunes which produce very little fruit. The
trees are strong and healthy. French prune trees adjoining bear
regularly and heavily. Can I graft French prunes on the Silver trees?
Will Silver prune trees take other grafts, such as apricots or apples?

The Silver prune is often unsatisfactory for reason of shy bearing. It
is perfectly feasible to graft over the tree to the French prune and
this has been done for years by different growers. Apricots will usually
take on the plum stock, but are apt to over-grow it or else be dwarfed
themselves, but the apricot is often worked upon a plum stock. Apples
have no grafting affinity whatever for the plum.



French or Italian.



In the prune-growing district around Salem, Oregon, Italian prunes are
grown exclusively for drying purposes. French prunes were considered
worthless. Here in Sutter county, California, a great many French prunes
are grown and we are advised to plant them, but would rather plant the
Italian prune. Which would you advise us to set out in this part of the
State?

The Italian or Fellenberg prune was grown to some extent in California
40 years and abandoned; it was not so sure in bearing as the French, and
it was not the type of prune which we had ambition to excel with. The
prune which we grow as the French is the true prune or plum of Agen. We
should plant it and let the Oregon people have the Italian.



Myrobalan Seedlings.



I am sending two small plums which I am told are Myrobalan plum. I
desire to grow seedlings on which later to bud and graft French prunes.
If these are Myrobalan plums, will trees from them be as good as trees
from pits that were imported?

The fruits are Myrobalan plums, and their seedlings would be suitable
for the French prune, providing the trees which bear them are strong,
thrifty growing trees. There is great variation in the colors of the
Myrobalan seedlings, from light yellow to dark red, and it is the
satisfactory growth of the tree rather than the character of the fruit
which one has to bear in mind when growing seedlings from selected trees
instead of depending so largely on imported seedlings.



Drying Plums and Prunes.



I have plum trees of various kinds that are loaded with fruit. I do not
know if any are of the variety used for drying as prunes: I know nothing
of the process of making or drying prunes. One man suggests that I dip
them for four or live minutes in a 3 or 4 per cent solution of lye and
then place them in the sun.

Dipping your plums is right providing they are very sweet, as they will
dry like prunes without removing the pit. If they are plums that are
commercially used for shipping, without enough sugar to dry as prunes,
the pit must be removed. Drying in this way, you do not need to use lye,
which is simply for the purpose of cracking the skin so that the
moisture can be more readily evaporated. There is no danger in using the
necessary amount of lye. Less is used than in making hominy.



The Sugar Prune.



What is the commercial value of the Sugar prune? Is there any other
early ripening variety better than the Sugar?

It is selling very well as a cured prune, and growers in the northern
bay counties especially have done so well that they are extending their
plantings. It is coarser in flesh than the French and generally flatter
in flavor when cooked and thus falls below the ideal of a cured prune,
but it has compensating characters, such as early ripening, with which
no other prune compares. The Sugar is also valuable as a shipping plum
to Eastern markets.



Glossing Dried Prunes.



Will you give the method for giving the gloss to dried French prunes?

There are various methods. One pound of glycerine to 20 gallons of
water; a quick dip in the mixture very hot gives a good finish. Where a
clear bloom rather than a shine, is desired, five pounds of common salt
to 100 gallons of water, also dipped hot, gives a good effect. Some use
a thin syrup made by boiling small prunes in water (by stove or steam)
and thinning with water to produce the result desired. Steam cooking
avoids bad flavor by burning. The salt dip is probably the most widely
used.



Price of Prunes on a Size Basis.



Explain the grading in price of prunes. For instance, if the base price
is, say, five and three-fourths cents, what size does this refer to, and
how is the price for other sizes calculated? Also, what is the meaning
of the phrase "four-size basis"?

Prunes, after being sold to the packer, are graded into different sizes,
according to the number required to make a pound, and paid for on that
basis. The four regular sizes are 60-70s, 70-80s, 80-90s, and 90-100s,
which means that from 60 to 70 prunes are required to make a pound, and
so on. The basis price is for prunes that weigh 80 to the pound. When
the basis price is 5 3/4 cents, 80-90s are worth 1/4 cent less than this
amount, or 5 1/2 cents. The next smaller size, 90-100s, are worth 1/2
cent less, or 5 cents, while prunes under this size are little but skin
and pit and bring much less to the grower. For each next larger size
there is a difference of 1/2 cent in favor of the grower, so that on the
5 3/4-cent basis 70-80s are worth 6 cents, and 60-70s 6 1/2 cents. This
advance continues for the larger sizes, 30-40s, 40-50s, etc., but these
quite often command a premium besides, which is fixed according to the
supplies available and the demand for the various sizes. The sizes for
which no premium or penalty is generally fixed are those from 60 to 100,
four sizes, so that this basis of making contracts and sales is called
the "four-size basis." The advantage that results in having this method
of selling prunes can be seen by the fact that on a 5 3/4-cent basis the
smallest of the four sizes will bring but 5 cents a pound, while 30-40s
would bring, without any premium, 8 1/2 cents, and with 1 cent premium,
9 1/2 cents. This size has this season brought as high as 10 and 11
cents a pound. It may be noted here that no prunes are actually sold at
just the basis price, as they are worth either less or more than this as
they are smaller or larger than 80 to the pound. No matter what the
basis price is, there is a difference of one-half cent between each size
and the sizes nearest to it.



Pollinizing Plums.



How many rows of Robe de Sergeant prune trees should be alternated with
the French prune (the common dried prune of commerce) to insure perfect
fertilization of the blossoms?

The French prune is self-fertile; that is, it does not require the
presence of other plum species for pollination of the blossoms. It is
the Robe de Sergeant prune which is defective in pollination and which
is presumably assisted by proximity to the French prune. If you wish to
grow Robe de Sergeant prunes your question of interplanting would be
pertinent, but if you desire only to grow French prunes you need not
plant the Robe de Sergeant at all.



Cultivating Olives.



How deep should an olive orchard be plowed? I was told that by plowing
deep I would injure my trees, in cutting up small rootlets and fibres
which the olive extends through the surface soil. Is this so or not?

Plowing olives is like plowing other trees, the purpose being to get a
workable soil deep enough to stand five or six inches of summer
cultivation, usually. If you have old trees which have never been deeply
plowed, you would destroy a lot of roots by deep plowing, and you should
not start in and rip up all the land at once. You can gradually deepen
the plowing, sacrificing fewer roots at a time, without injuring the
trees if they are otherwise well circumstanced. Small rootlets and
fibres in the surface soil do not count; they are quickly replaced, and
if you do not destroy them, the whole surface soil, if moist enough,
will be filled with a network of roots which will subsequently make
decent working of the soil impossible.



Moving Old Olive Trees.



Would there be anything gained by transplanting old olive trees 6 to 8
inches in diameter over nursery stock? They would have to be shipped
from Santa Clara to Butte county and grafted. Would they come into
bearing any sooner and be as good trees? Could the large limbs be used
to advantage? Would the fact that they are covered with smut cause any
trouble?

Old olive trees can be successfully moved a long distance by cutting
back, taking up a ball of earth, and possibly a short distance with bare
roots if everything is favorable. But do not for a moment think them
worth such an outlay for labor, freight and hauling which such a
movement as you mention involves. The trees on arrival would probably
only be firewood, and if they lived, the time required in getting a good
growth and grafting, etc., would perhaps be as great as in bringing a
young tree of the right kind to bearing, and the latter would be a
better tree in every way. Large limbs can be split and used as cuttings,
but the tree would be growth on one side and decay on the other. Use the
smaller limbs for hard-wood cuttings and the balance for firewood. The
smut shows that the trees are covered with scale insects and might
indicate that it is better to burn up the whole outfit unless you learn
to fight them.



Darkening Pickled Olives.



Is there anything that will make olives keep their black color when put
into lye? When I put my first picking of ripe olives in lye, a large
part of them turn green, the black leaving the fruit. My formula is one
pound of lye to five gallons of water. Have you any better formula?

By exposing the olives to the light and air, either during the salting
or immediately after, ripe olives may be given a uniformly black color.
Also, fruit which is less ripe and which shows red and green patches
after processing with lye, becomes an almost uniform dark brown color.
To do this, the olives are removed from the brine and exposed to light
and air freely for one or two days. Your lye was stronger than
necessary. With ripe olives it is desirable to use salt and lye together
to prevent softening, and the common prescription is two ounces of
potash lye and four ounces of salt to the gallon of water after the
bitterness is largely removed by using one or two treatments with two
ounces of lye to the gallon without the salt. It is necessary to draw
off the solution, rinse well, and put on fresh solution several times
during the process to get the best results.



Seedling Olives Must Be Grafted.



Will olive trees grown from the olive seed be the right thing to plant?
Will they be true to the parent tree or will they have to be grafted?

Olives which a seedling olive tree will bear will be, as a rule, very
inferior and generally of the type of the wild olive. All such trees
must be grafted in order to produce any particular variety which you
desire.



Olives, Oranges and Peppers.



We have been told that olive trees easily become infested with a fungus
disease which they then impart to the orange tree. The same objection is
raised to the planting of pepper trees. May this be true in some parts
of the State and not in others?

The fungus of which you have heard is the "black smut." It is a result,
not a cause. It grows on the honey dew exuded from scale insects and if
your trees have no scale they have no fungus. The olive trees and pepper
trees may communicate this trouble to citrus trees, or vice versa -
whichever gets it first gives it away to the other. If you will work
hard enough to kill the scale wherever it appears you can have all these
trees, but, of course, it costs a lot to fight scale on big pepper
trees, and it is, therefore, wisest usually to choose an ornamental tree
not likely to accept the scale.



Budding Olive Seedlings.



I have planted olive seeds which are just sprouting now. Can these be
budded next June or July in the nursery row, or can they be
bench-grafted the following winter?

Your seedlings may make growth enough to spur-bud this summer. The
ordinary plate-bud does not take freely with the olive. Some of them may
do this; other seedlings may be slow and have to be budded in the second
summer. Watch the size and the sap flow so that the bark will lift well
- which may not be at just the time that deciduous trees are budded. It
may be both earlier or later in the season. Graft evergreens like the
olive in the nursery row; not by bench grafting.



Budding Old Olives.



I have seedling olive trees, set out in 1904, which I wish to change
over to the Ascolano variety. Which is the best way to do it, by budding
or grafting, and what is the proper time?

Twig-budding brings the sap of the stock to bear upon a young lateral or
tip bud, which is much easier to start than dormant buds used either as
buds or grafts. A short twig about an inch and a half in length is taken
with some of the bark of the small branch from which it starts, and both
twig and bark at its base are put in a bark slit like an ordinary shield
bud and tied closely with a waxed band, although if the sap is moving
freely it would probably do with a string or raffia tie. Put in such
buds as growth is starting in the spring.



Olives from Small Cuttings.



In the rooting of small soft-wood olive cuttings is it necessary to
cover same with glass - say perhaps prepare a cold-frame and put stable
manure in the bottom with about eight inches of sand on top?

It ceases to be a cold-frame when you cover in manure for bottom heat;
it becomes a hotbed. Varieties of olives differ greatly in the readiness
with which they start from small cuttings. Some start freely and grow
well in boxes of sand under partial shade - like a lath house or cover.
Some need bottom heat in such a hotbed as you describe with a cloth
over; some start well in a cold-frame with a lath cover. To get the best
results with all kinds, it is safer to use some more heat than comes
from exposure to ordinary temperatures - either by concentration, as in
a covered frame, or by a mild bottom heat. If you have glass frames or
greenhouse, they are, of course, desirable, but much can be done without
that expense.



Olives from Large Cuttings.



I am about to take olive cuttings from one-half to one inch thick and 54
to 20 inches long, and wish to root them in nursery rows. Please advise
me if it is necessary to plant under half shade? Also, can same be
planted out right away, or should they be buried in trenches for a while
before setting out? Would it be best to strip all leaves or branches
off, or leave one on? How many buds should be left above ground?

Plant in open ground in the coast district generally; in the interior a
lath (or litter shade not too dense) is desirable in places where high
dry heat is expected and where sprinkling under the cover may be
desirable. Plant out when the soil is right as to warmth and moisture,
which is usually a little later than this in the central and northern
parts of the State. Remove all leaves and twigs and plant about
three-quarters of the length in the soil, which should be a well-drained
sandy loam. The cuttings can be taken directly from the trees and need
not be bedded. If the cuttings come some distance and get end-dried,
make a fresh cut at planting. If shriveled at all, soak a few hours in
water before planting out.



Trimming Up Olives.



Limbs are shooting out too low on my olive trees. Would it be right to
trim them up while dormant this winter, or should I let them grow
another year before doing so? I think I want the first limbs to start at
18 to 20 inches above the ground.

Take off the lower shoots whenever your knife is sharp. Do not let them
grow another year. Theoretically, the best time to remove them is toward
the end of the dormant season, but if they are not large as compared
with the whole growth of the tree, go to it any time.



Canning Olives.



What is the recipe for preserving olives by heat, and how long do they
have to remain in the heated state?

Canning olives is a process, not a recipe, and it has to be operated
with judgment. It resembles, of course, the common process of canning
other fruits and vegetables. It has been demonstrated that heating up to
175° Fahrenheit is effective to keep olives in sealed containers for
over two years. The heating was done in the jars in the usual canning
way for several minutes after 175° was reached, to be sure the contents
were heated through.



Renewing Olive Trees.



I have olive trees on first-class land; no pest of any kind is apparent.
The trees look healthy in every way, and average about 12 inches at the
butt and 30 feet high. They have borne fruit, but for the last three
years have not borne. I am advised to cut back to stumps, 5 or 6 feet
high, and start new tops.

Unsatisfactory olive trees may be cut back, but not to such an extent as
you mention. Thin out the branches if too thick and cut back or remove
those which interfere, but to cut back to a stump would force out a very
thick mass of brush which you would have to afterward go into and thin
out desperately. The branches which you decide to retain may be cut back
to twelve or fifteen feet from the ground. This would have the effect of
giving you plenty of new thrifty wood, which is desirable for the
fruiting of the olive, but we cannot guarantee that this treatment will
make the trees satisfactory bearers. Are you sure they are receiving
water enough? If not, give them more next summer. Also give the land a
good coat of stable manure and plow under when the land is right for the
plow.



Growing Olives from Seed.



How are seedlings grown from olive seeds?

Growing olives from seeds is promoted by assisting nature to break the
hard shell. This can be done by pinching carefully with ordinary wire
pliers until the shell cracks without injury to the kernel, or the shell
may be cut into with a file, making a very small aperture to admit
moisture. The French have specially contrived pliers with a stop which
admits cracking and prevents crushing. Olive seeds in their natural
condition germinate slowly and irregularly. They must be kept moist and
planted about an inch deep in sandy loam, covering with chaff or litter
to prevent drying of the surface. Before experimenting with olive pits,
crack a few to see if they have good plump kernels. Seedling olives must
be grafted, of course, to be sure of getting the variety you want. For
this reason growth from cuttings is almost universal.



Neglected Olive Trees.



I have a lot of olive trees which have grown up around the old stumps.
They are large trees and some of them have six or eight trunks. Should I
cut away all but one trunk or let them alone? There are some of the
trees with small olives; others none.

If the olive trees which were originally planted were trained at first
and still have a good trunk and tree form, the suckers which have
intruded from below should be removed. If, however, the trees have been
allowed to grow many branches from below, so that there is really no
single tree remaining, make a selection of four or five of the best
shoots and grow the trees in large bush form, shortening in the higher
growth so as to bring the fruit within easier reach and reduce the cost
of picking. You can also develop a single shoot into a tree as you
suggest. Of course, you must determine whether the trees as they now
stand are of a variety which is worth growing. If they are all bearing
very small fruit, it would be a question whether they were worth keeping
at all, because grafting on the kind of growth which you describe would
be unlikely to yield satisfactory tree forms, though you might get a
good deal of fruit from them.



Olives from Cuttings.



I have two choice olive trees on my place. I am anxious to get trees
from these old ones and do not know how to go about it. Can I grow the
young trees by using cuttings or slips from these old trees ? If so,
when is the proper time to select the cuttings, and how should they be
planted?

Take cuttings of old wood, one-half or three-quarters of an inch in
diameter, about ten inches long, and plant them about three-quarters of
their length in a sandy loam soil in a row so water can be run alongside
as may be necessary to keep the soil moist but not too wet. Such dormant
cuttings can be put in when the soil begins to warm up with the spring
sunshine. They can be put in the places where you desire them to grow in
one or two years. Olives, like other evergreen trees, should be
transplanted in the spring when there is heat enough to induce them to
take hold at once in their new places, and not during the winter when
dormant deciduous trees are best transplanted.



Water and Frost.



I have in mind two pieces of land well adapted to citrus culture. Both
have the same elevation, soil, climate and water conditions, except that
one piece is a mile of the Kaweah river, while the other is four or five
miles distant. In case of a frost, all conditions being about the same,
which piece would you consider to be liable to suffer the more? In the
heavy frost of last December, while neither sustained any great damage,
that portion of the ground nearer the river seemed to sustain the less.
Is this correct in theory? The Kaweah river at this point is a
good-sized stream of rapidly flowing water.

The land near the river, conditions of elevation being similar, would be
less liable to frost. There are a good many instances where the presence
of a considerable body of water prevents the lowering of the temperature
of the air immediately adjacent. It is so at various points along the
Sacramento river, and it is recognized as a general principle that
bodies of water exert a warming influence upon their immediate
environment even in regions with a hard winter. How much it may count
for must be determined by taking other conditions into the account also.



Thinning Oranges.



Is it advisable to thin fruit on young citrus trees? Our trees have been
bearing about three years, but they are still small trees. The oranges
and grape fruit ripen well and are large and of excellent quality, but
the trees seem overloaded.

The size of oranges on over-burdened trees can be increased by thinning,
just as other fruits are enlarged, but it is not systematically
undertaken as with peaches and apricots, because it is not so necessary
and because it is easy to get oranges on young trees too large and to be
discounted for over-sized coarse fruit. Removing part of the fruit from
young trees is often done - for the good of the tree, not for the good
of the fruit. It should be done after the natural drop takes place,
during the summer.



Wind-blown Orange Trees.



What would you do for citrus trees five years old that have been badly
blown out of shape?

Such trees must be trued up by pruning into the wind; that is, cutting
to outside buds on the windward side and to inside buds on the lee side;
also reducing the weight by pruning away branches which have been blown
too far to the leeward. Sometimes trees can be straightened by moving
part of the soil and pulling into the wind and bracing there by a good
prop on the leeward side, but that, of course, is not practicable if the
trees have attained too much size.



Handling Balled Citrus Trees.



I have some orange and lemon trees which were sent me with their roots
balled up with dirt and sacks. As we are still having frosts I have not
wanted to set them out. Would it not be better to let them stay as they
are and keep the sacks wet (they have a sack box over them) than to put
them out while the frosts last?

Your citrus trees will not be injured for a time unless mold should set
in from the wet sacks. Get them into the ground as soon as the soil
comes into good condition, and cover the top for a time after they are
planted to protect them against frosts. This would be better than to
hold them too long in the balls, but do not plant in cold, wet soil;
hold them longer as they are.



The Navel Not Thornless.



I have lately purchased some Washington navel orange trees, and upon
arrival I find they have thorns upon them. I thought the Washington
navels were thornless.

The navel orange tree is not thornless. It is described as a medium
thorny variety, so that the finding of thorns upon the trees would not
be in itself sufficient indication that they were not of the right
variety.



Over-size Oranges.



I have some orange trees in a disintegrated granite with a good many
small pieces of rock still remaining in the soil. What I wish to know is
whether it is probably something in the soil that makes them grow too
large, or is it probably the method of treatment? What treatment should
be adopted to guard against this excessive growth?

Young trees have a natural disposition to produce outside sizes of
fruit, and this is sometimes aggravated by excessive use of fertilizers,
sometimes by over-irrigation. We would cease to fertilize for a time and
to regulate irrigation so that the trees will have enough to be thrifty
without undertaking excessive growth. Such soil as you describe is
sometimes very rich at the beginning in available plant food, and
fertilization should be delayed until this excess has been appropriated
by the tree.



Budding or Grafting in Orange Orchard.



I have land now ready to be planted to oranges, but it is impossible for
me to buy the necessary budded stock now or even later this year. Would
you advise me to plant the "sour stock" as it comes from the nursery and
have it budded or crown-budded later? Are there any real objections to
this method, and, if so, what are they?

It is perfectly feasible to plant sour-stock seedlings and to graft them
afterward to whatever variety of oranges you desire to grow, but it is
undoubtedly better to pay a pretty good price for budded trees of the
kind you desire rather than incur the delay and the irregular growth of
young trees budded or grafted in the field. There is also danger of an
irregular stand from accidental injuries to new growth started in the
field without the protection which it finds in the nursery row.



Budding Oranges.



How late in the fall can budding of orange trees be done - plants that
are two years old - and what advantage, if any, is late budding? What
shall I do with some old trees that were budded about two months ago and
are still green but not sprouted yet? The budding was done on young
shoots.

Late budding of the orange can be done as late as the bark will slip
well; usually, however, not quite so late as this. Such buds are
preferred because in the experience of most people they make stronger
growth than those put in in the spring. Such buds are not expected to
grow until the lowest temperatures of the winter are over. The buds
which you speak of as green but still dormant are doing just what they
ought to do. They will start when they get ready.



Under-pruning of Orange Trees.



My Washington Navels have a very heavy crop on the lower limbs, as is
usual. These branches are so low down that many of the oranges lie on
the ground, and it takes a good deal of time to prop them up so that
they will not touch the ground. What would be the result of pruning off
these low branches, after the fruit is off? Will the same amount of
fruit be produced by the fruit growing on the limbs higher up?

Certainly, raise the branches of the orange trees by removing the lowest
branches or parts of branches which reach to the ground. A little later
others will sag down and this under-pruning will have to be continuous.
It would be better to do this than to undertake any radical removal of
the lower branches. The progressive removal as becomes necessary will
not appreciably reduce the fruiting and will be in many ways desirable.



Keeping Citrus Trees Low.



My tangerines last fall shot up like lemon trees - a dozen to twenty
shoots two or three feet high. The trees are eight years old and are
loaded with bloom and some of the shoots have buds and bloom clear to
the top. Some shoots have no bloom. What should I do with these shoots?
Cut them back like lemons or let them remain?

You must shorten the shoots if you desire to have a low tree. This will
cause their branching and it will be necessary, therefore, to remove
some of the shoots entirely, either now or later, in order that the tree
will not become too compact.



Dying Back of Fruit Trees.



I have a few orange and lemon trees that are starting to die. One tree
has died on the top. What kind of spray shall I use?

The dying back of a tree at the top indicates that the trouble is in the
roots, and it is usually due to standing water in the soil, resulting
either from excessive application of water or because the soil is too
retentive to distribute an amount of water which might not be excessive
on a lighter soil which would allow of its freer movement. Dig down near
the tree and see if you have not a muddy subsoil. The same trouble would
result if the subsoil is too dry, and that also you can ascertain by
digging. If you find moisture ample, and yet not excessive, the injury
to the root might be due to the presence of alkali, or to excessive use
of fertilizers. The cause of the trouble has to be determined by local
examination and cannot be prescribed on the basis of a description of
the plant. It cannot be cured by spraying unless specific parasite is
found which can be killed by it.



Young Trees Dropping Fruit.



I have a few citrus fruit trees about three years old. They have made a
good growth and are between seven and eight feet high with a good shaped
top or head. I did not expect any fruit last year and did not have any.
This spring they blossomed irregularly at blooming time, but quite an
amount of fruit set and grew as large as marbles, some of it the size of
a walnut, but lately it has about all fallen off the trees.

There is always more or less dropping from fruit trees. Some years large
numbers of oranges drop. There may be many causes, and the trouble has
thus far not been found preventable. When the foliage is good and the
growth satisfactory, the young tree is certainly not in need of
anything. It is rather more likely that fruit is dropped by the young
trees owing to their excessive vegetative vigor, for it is a general
fact that fruit trees which are growing very fast are less certain in
fruit-setting. It is, of course, possible that you have been forcing
such action by too free use of water. You will do well to let your trees
go along so long as they appear thrifty and satisfactory, and expect
better fruiting when they become older.



Orange Training.



Is not a single leader in an orange tree more desirable than the
much-forked tree so commonly seen! Can a single-leader tree be made from
the nursery trees which have already formed their heads, by cutting off
the heads below so that only a straight stick without any branches is
left?

An orange tree with a central leader would not be at all satisfactory if
it were carried very high. Of course, a central stem can be to advantage
taken higher than it is often done, but we would not think of growing an
orange tree with a central stem to the apex. The laterals would droop,
crowd down upon each other badly, open the center to sunburn, and
encourage also a growth of central suckers and occasion an amount of
pruning altogether beyond what is necessary with a properly branched
tree without a central stem.



Curing Citron.



I wish to know a way to cure citrons at home. I have a fine tree that
has borne very fine-looking fruit for the past two years.

An outline for the preparation of candied citron is as follows: The
fruit, before assuming a yellow color, and also when bright yellow, is
picked and placed in barrels filled with brine, and left for at least a
month. The brine is renewed several times, and the fruit allowed to
remain in it until required for use, often for a period of four or five
months. When the citrons are to be candied they are taken from the
barrels and boiled in fresh water to soften them. They are then cut into
halves, the seed and pulp are removed, and the fruit is again immersed
in cold water, soon becoming of a greenish color. After this it is
placed in large earthen jars, covered with hot syrup, and allowed to
stand about three weeks. During this time the strength of the syrup is
gradually increased. The fruit is then put into boilers with
crystallized sugar dissolved in a small quantity of water, and cooked;
then allowed to cool, and boiled again until it will take up no more
sugar. It is then dried and packed in wooden boxes.



Crops Between Orange Trees.



What crop can I plant between rows of young orange trees to utilize the
ground as well as pay a little something?

It depends not alone upon what will grow, but upon what can be
profitably sold or used on the place, and unless sure of that, it is
usually better not to undertake planting between young trees but rather
to cultivate well, irrigate intelligently, and trust for the reward in a
better growth and later productiveness of the trees. It is clear,
California experience that planting between trees except to things which
are demonstrated to be profitable should not be undertaken, and where
one does not need immediate returns is, as a rule, undesirable. The
growth of a strip of alfalfa, if one is careful not to submerge the
trees by over-irrigation, would be the best thing one could undertake
for the purpose of improving the soil by increasing the humus content,
reducing the amount of reflected heat from a clean surface, and is
otherwise desirable wherever moisture is available for it. You could
also grow cow peas for the good of the land if not for other profit. You
can, of course, grow small fruits and vegetables for home use if you
will cultivate well. Common field crops, with scant cultivation, will
generally cause you to lose more from the bad condition in which they
leave the soil than you can gain from the use or sale of the crop.



Navels and Valencias.



Navel trees are being budded to Valencias in southern California,
because of the higher price received for the late-ripening Valencias.
Are the orchards in central and northern California being planted in
Navels, and is there any difference in soil or climate requirements of
Navels and Valencias?

There is no particular difference in the soil requirements of Valencia
and Navel oranges. They are both budded on the same root. The
desirability of Navel oranges in the upper citrus districts arises from
the fact that the policy of those districts at the present time is to
produce an early orange. This they could not accomplish by growing the
Valencia. The great advantage of the Valencia in southern California, on
the other hand, lies in the very fact that it is late and that it can be
marketed in midsummer and early autumn when there are no Navels
available from anywhere.



Orange Seedlings.



What about planting the seed from St. Michael's oranges or of grapefruit
for a seed-bed to be budded to Valencias?

Good plump St. Michael's seeds would be all right if you desire to use
sweet seedling stock. Grapefruit seedlings are good and quite widely
used, though the general preference is for sour-stock seedlings.



Acres of Oranges to a Man.



In your opinion, is it possible for one man, of average strength, to
take perfect care of a twenty-acre citrus orchard? Are the services of a
man who takes the entire responsibility of an orchard (citrus) worth
more than those of a common ranch hand?

It depends upon the man, upon the age of the trees, upon the kind of
soil he has to handle, upon the irrigation arrangements and upon what
you mean by "perfect care." If you contract the picking and hauling of
fruit, the fumigation and allow extra help when conditions require that
something must be done quickly, whatever it may be, a man with good legs
and arms, and a good head full of special knowledge to make them go, can
handle twenty acres and if he does it right you ought to pay him twice
as much as an ordinary ranch hand.



Roots for Orange Trees.



What are the conditions most favorable to orange trees budded upon sour
stock; also upon sweet stock and trifoliata?

The sour stock is believed to be more hardy against trying conditions of
soil moisture - both excess and deficiency, and diseases incident
thereto. The sweet stock is a free growing and satisfactory stock and
most of the older orchards are upon this root, but it is held to be less
resistant of soil troubles than the sour stock, and therefore
propagators are now largely using the latter. The trifoliata has been
promoted as more likely to induce dormancy of the top growth during cold
weather, because of its own deciduous habit. It has also been advocated
as likely to induce earlier maturity in the fruit and thus minister to
early marketing. The objection urged against it has been a claimed
dwarfing of the tree worked upon it.



Citrus Budding.



I wish to bud some Maltese blood orange trees to pomelos and lemons.
Will they make good stock for them, and, if so, is it necessary to cut
below the original bud?

It is possible to bud as you propose, and it is not necessary to go back
to the old stock. Work in above the forks.



No Citrus Fruits on Lemon Roots.



Would it be any advantage to bud the Washington Navel on grapefruit and
lemon roots?

The grapefruit or pomelo is a good root for the orange, and some
propagators prefer it. The lemon root is not used at present, because of
its effect in causing a coarse growth of tree and fruit and because it
is more subject to disease than the orange root. In fact, we grow nearly
all lemons on orange roots.



Budding Oranges.



My first attempt at budding, I cut 20 buds and immediately inserted in
stock of Mexican sour orange "Amataca." I left bands on them for ten
days at which time about half seemed to have "stuck," but after a few
days the bark curled away and the buds dried up and died. I then tried
again, but left the bands on for thirteen days and lightly tied strings
around below the bud to prevent the bark from curling, and also put
grafting wax in the cut and over the bud. These appeared fresh and green
at time of taking off the bands, but three weeks later I found them
rotted. The grafting wax used was made of beeswax, resin, olive oil and
a small amount of lard to soften it. Do you think that the action of the
lard on the buds would cause them to rot?

Consider first whether the buds which you use are sufficiently
developed; that is, a sufficient amount of hardness and maturity
attained by the twig from which you took these buds. Second, use a waxed
band, drawing it quite tightly around the bark, above and below the bud,
covering the bud itself without too much pressure for several days, then
loosening the band somewhat, but carefully replacing over all but the
bud point. It is necessary to exclude the air sufficiently, but not
wholly. The use of a soft fat like olive oil or lard is not desirable.
If you use oil at all for the purpose of softening, linseed oil, as used
by painters, is safer because of its disposition to dry without so much
penetration. Having used olive oil and lard together you had too much
soft fatty material.



Budding Orange Seedlings in the Orchard.



What are the objections or advantages of planting sour stock seedlings
where one wishes the trees and one or two years later bud into the
branches instead of budding the young stock low on the trunk?

Planting the seedling and at some future time cutting back the branches
and grafting in the head above the forks is an expensive operation and
loses time in getting fruit. You will get very irregular trees and be
disappointed in the amount of re-working you will have to do. Suckers
must be always watched for; that has to be done anyway, but a sucker
from a wild stock is worse in effects if you happen to overlook it.
Avoid all such trouble by planting good clean trees budded in nursery
rows. You may have to do rebudding later, if you want to change
varieties, and that is trouble enough. Do not rush at the beginning into
all the difficulties there are.



Grapefruit and Nuts.



Peaches, pears and plums predominate in this section, but would not
grapefruit, almonds and English walnuts be just as profitable? What is
your idea about English walnuts on black walnut root?

You can expect grapefruit to succeed under conditions which favor the
orange. Therefore, if oranges are doing well in your district,
grapefruit might also be expected to succeed on the same soils and with
the same treatment. Planting of almonds should proceed upon a
demonstration that the immediate location is suited to almonds, because
they are very early to start and very subject to spring frost and should
not be planted unless you can find bearing trees which have demonstrated
their acceptance of the situation by regular and profitable crops.
English walnuts are less subject to frosts because they start much later
in the season. They need, however, deep, rich land which will be sure
not to dry out during the summer. English walnuts are a perfect success
upon the California black walnut root.



Soil and Situation for Oranges.



Is it absolutely essential that orange trees be planted on a southern
slope, or will they thrive as well on any slope? What is the minimum
depth of soil required for orange trees? How can I tell whether the soil
is good for oranges?

Orange trees are grown successfully on all slopes, although in
particular localities certain exposures may be decidedly best, as must
be learned by local observation. How shallow a soil will suit orange
trees depends upon how water and fertilizer are applied; on a shallow
soil more fertilizer and more frequent use of water in smaller
quantities. Any soil which has grown good grain crops may be used for
orange growing if the moisture supply is never too scant and any excess
is currently disposed of by good drainage. There can be no arbitrary
rule either for exposure, depth or texture of soils, because oranges are
being successfully grown on medium loam to heavy clay loam, providing
the moisture supply is kept right.



Transplanting Orange Trees.



Can you transplant trees two years old with safety to another location
in same grove, same soil; etc.?

Yes; and you can move them a greater distance, if you like. Take up the
trees with a good ball of earth, transplanting in the spring when the
ground has become well warmed, just about at the time when new growth
begins to appear on the tree. The top of the tree should he cut back
somewhat and the leaves should be removed if they show a disposition to
wilt. You should also whitewash or otherwise protect the bark from
sunburn if the foliage should be removed.



Protecting Young Citrus Trees.



Is it necessary to have young orange trees covered or leave them
uncovered during the winter months?

It is desirable to cover with burlaps or bale with cornstalks, straw or
some other coarse litter, all young trees which are being planted in
untried places; and even where old trees are safe, young trees which go
into the frost period with new growth of immature wood should be thus
protected. Do not use too much stuff nor bundle too tightly.



Not Orange on the Osage.



Can the Navel orange be grafted on the osage orange? I understand it is
done in Florida, and would like to know if it has been tried in
California.

It cannot. It has not been done in Florida nor anywhere else. The osage
orange is not an orange at all. The tree is not a member of the citrus
family.



No Pollenizer for Navels.



I read that the flowers of the Navel orange are entirely lacking in
pollen, or only poorly supplied. If this is true, what variety of orange
would you plant in a Navel grove - to supply pollen at the proper time?

We would not plant any other orange near the Navel for the sake of
supplying it with pollen. Pollen is only needed to make seeds, and by
the same process to make the fruit set, and Navels do not make seeds,
except rarely, nor do they seem to need pollen to make the fruit set.



Water and Frost.



From how many acres could I keep off a freeze of oranges with 1000
gallons per minute? The water is at 65 degrees.

The amount of water will prevent frost over as large an area as you can
cover with the water, so as to thoroughly wet the surface, but the
presence of water will only be effective through about four degrees of
temperature and only for a short time. If, then, the temperature should
fall below 27 degrees and should remain at that point for an hour or
two, it is doubtful if the water would save your fruit. Water is only of
limited value in the prevention of frost, and of no value at all when
the temperature falls too low.



What to Do with Frosted Oranges.



What is the best plan of treatment for frosted orange trees? The crop
will be a total loss. It does not show any tendency to fall off the
trees, however. Should it be picked off, thrown on the ground and plowed
under? Should this be done right away or later?

Unsound fruit should be removed as soon as its injury can be
conveniently detected and worked into the soil by cultivation; never,
however, being allowed to collect in masses, which is productive of
decay and which may be injurious to roots. If trees are injured
sufficiently to lose most of their leaves, the fruit should also be
removed if it shows a disposition to hang on. This will be a
contribution to the strength of the tree and its ability to clothe
itself with new foliage.



Pruning Frosted Citrus Trees.



How shall I prune two-year-old orange orchard, also nursery stock buds
that are badly injured by frost; how much to prune and at what time?

As soon as you can see how far injury has gone down the branch or stem,
cut below it, so that a new shoot may push out from sound wood, and heal
the cut as soon as possible. This applies to growths of all ages. In the
case of buds, if you can only save a single node you may get a bud
started there and make a tree of that. In the case of trees, large or
small, it is always desirable to cut above the forkings of the main
branches, if possible, and when this much of the tree remains sound, a
new tree can be formed very quickly. If the main stem is injured, bark
cracked, etc., cut below the ground and put scions in the bark without
splitting the root crown; wax well or otherwise cover exposed wood to
prevent checking. If this is successfully done, root-rot may be
prevented and the wound covered with new bark while the strong new stems
are developing above.



Pruning Oranges.



Is it best to prune out orange trees by removing occasional branches so
as to permit free air passage through the trees? Some are advocating
doing so; but as I remember, the trees in southern California are
allowed to grow quite dense, so that we could see into the foliage but
very little.

It is a matter of judgment, with a present tendency toward a more open
tree than was formerly prescribed. Trees should be more thrifty and
should bear more fruit deeper in the foliage-wall if more air and light
are admitted. But this can be had without opening the tree so that free
sight of its interior is possible. We believe thinning of the growth to
admit more light and air is good, but we should not intentionally cut
enough to make holes in the tree.



Pecan Growing.



Would you advise planting of pecans in commercial orchards here? Walnuts
in their proper location constitute some of California's best
improvements. After visiting some bearing paper-shell pecans here in
Fresno county, I believe a pecan orchard of choice variety would be more
desirable than a walnut orchard.

Pecans do well on moist rich land in the interior valleys where there
are sharper temperature changes than in the coast valleys, except
perhaps near the upper coast. Such planting as you propose seems
promising on lands having moisture enough to carry the nuts to full
ripening.



Growing Filberts.



Please give information about growing filberts.

Filberts have been largely a disappointment in California and no product
of any amount has ever been made. Good nuts have been produced in the
foothills of the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Range. Theoretically, the
places where the wild hazel grows would best suit the filbert, and so
far this seems to be justified by the little that has actually been
done, but there is very little to say about it beyond that. It requires
much more experience to lift the nut out of the experimental state.



Early Bearing of Walnuts.



Please inform me if young walnut trees grafted on black walnut stock
will produce fruit within 18 months after being planted.

It is true that the French varieties of English walnuts have produced
fruit the second summer of their growth. This does not mean, however,
that you can count upon a crop the second year. These are usually grafts
in nursery rows, and one would have to wait longer, as a rule, for trees
planted out in orchards with a chance to make a freer wood growth. This
is rather fortunate, because it is better to have a larger tree than to
have the growth diverted into bearing a small amount of fruit while the
tree is very young. We do not know any advantage in getting nuts the
second year except it be to see if you really have secured the variety
you desire to produce later.



Handling Walnut Seedlings.



What is the best time to transplant seedlings of the black walnut?

Transplant during the dormant season (as shown by absence of leaves)
when the soil is in good condition. Handle them just as you would an
apple tree, for instance.



How to Start English Walnuts.



In starting English walnuts, shall we get nursery stock grafted on
California black, or shall we start our black walnut seedlings in
nursery plats, or plant the nuts where the tree is wanted, and graft
them at two or three years? What is the advantage, if any, of the long
stock from grafting high, over the grafted root?

If we had the money to invest and were sure of the soil conditions,
etc., we should buy grafted trees of the variety we desired, just as we
would of any other kind of fruit. If we were shy of money and long on
time, we would start seedlings in nursery, plant out seedlings, and
graft later, because it is easier to graft when the seedling is two or
three years in place. We count the planting of nuts in place troublesome
and of no compensating advantage. The chief advantage known to us of
grafting high and getting a black walnut trunk is the hardier bark of
the black walnut.



Walnut Planting.



I am planning to plant walnuts on rather heavy soil. I have been told to
put the nut six inches below the surface, but think that too deep, as
soil is rather heavy.

In a heavy soil we should not plant these nuts more than three inches
below the surface, but should cover the surface with a mulch of rotten
straw to prevent drying out.



Pruning Grafted Walnuts.



Should English walnut trees be pruned? I have along the roadside English
walnuts grafted on the California black, and they have grown to very
large size and the fruit seems to be mostly on the outside of the trees.

English walnuts are not usually pruned much, though it is often
desirable, and of course trees can be improved by removing undesirable
branches and especially where too many branches have started from
grafts, it is desirable that some be removed. They should be cleanly
sawed off and the wound covered with wax or thick paint to prevent the
wood from decaying.



Pruning Walnuts.



When is the best time to remove large limbs from walnut trees?

This work with walnuts or other deciduous fruit trees should be done
late in the winter, about the time the buds are swelling; never mind the
bleeding, it does no harm, and the healing-growth over the wound is more
rapid while the sap is pushing.



Grafting Walnuts.



In cleft grafting walnuts is it necessary to use scions with only a leaf
bud, or with staminate or pistillate buds?  Is cutting the pith of the
scion or stock fatal to the tree?

In grafting walnuts it is usual to take shoots bearing wood buds, and
not the spurs which carry the fruit blossoms, although a part of the
graft containing also a wood bud can be used, retaining the latter.
Cutting into the pith of the scion or of the stock is not fatal, but it
is avoided because it makes a split or wound which is very hard to heal.
For this reason it is better to cut at one side of the pith in the
stock, and to cut the scion so that the slope is chiefly in the wood at
one side of the pith and not cutting a double wedge in a way to bring
the pith in the center.



Grafting Nuts on Oaks.



I have 10 to 15 acres of black oak trees which I wish to graft over to
chestnuts. Can grafting be done successfully?

Some success has been secured in grafting the chestnut on the chestnut
oak, but not, so far as we have heard, on the black oak. But grafts on
the chestnut oak are not permanently thrifty and productive, though they
have been reported as growing for some time. The same is true of English
walnut grafts on some of the native oaks.



Grafting Walnut Seedlings.



Would it be proper to graft one-year California black walnut seedlings
that must also be transplanted?

As the seedlings must be moved, plant in orchard and graft as two or
three-year-olds, according to the size which they attain.



Pruning the Walnut.



What is the proper time for pruning the walnut?  Is it bad for the tree
to prune during the active season? I have recently acquired a
long-neglected grove in which many large limbs will have to be removed
in order to allow proper methods of cultivation to be practiced, and I
am in doubt as to the wisdom of doing this during the rise of sap.

The best time to remove large limbs to secure rapid growth of bark from
the sides of the cut, is just at the time the sap is rising. There will
be some outflow of sap, but of no particular loss to the tree. As soon
as the large wounds have dried sufficiently, the exposed surface should
be painted to prevent cracking of the wood.



Eastern or California Black Walnuts?



I am told that the Eastern black walnut is a more suitable root for the
low lands in California than the California black. Is this true?

There has been no demonstration that the Eastern black walnut is more
suitable to low moist lands than the California black walnut. Our
grandest California black walnut trees are situated on low moist lands.
Walnut Grove is on the edge of the Sacramento river with immense trees
growing almost on the water's edge. Walnut Creek in Contra Costa county
is also named from large walnut trees on the creek bank land. We have
very few Eastern black walnut trees in California and although they do
show appreciation of moist land, they are not in any respect better than
the Californian.



Ripening of Walnuts.



I send you two walnuts. I am in doubt if they will mature.

The nuts are well grown, the kernel fully formed in every respect.
Whether they will attain perfect maturity must be determined by an
observation of the fact and cannot be theoretically predicated. Where
trees are in such an ever-growing climate as you seem to have, they must
apparently take a suggestion that the time has arrived for maturity from
the drying of the soil. The roots should know that it is time for them
to stop working so that the foliage may yellow and the nuts mature. It
is possible that stopping cultivation a little earlier in the season may
be necessary to accomplish this purpose.



Cutting Below Dead Wood.



I have some seedling English walnut trees which are two years old, but
they are not coming out in bud this year. They are about three feet
high, and from the top down to about 10 inches of the ground the limbs
are dark brown, and below that they are a nice green. I cut the top off
of one of them to see what is the matter that they do not leaf out, and
I found that there is a round hole right down through the center of the
tree down to the green part. The hole is about three-sixteenths of an
inch in diameter. The pith of the limbs has been eaten away by some kind
of a worm from the inside. Would it be better to cut the tree down to
the green part, or let them alone?

It is the work of a borer. Cut down to live wood and paint over the
wound or wax it. Protect the pith until the bark grows over it or you
will have decay inside. If buds do not start on the trunk, take a sucker
from below to make a tree of. You could put a bud in the trunk, but it
is not very easy to do it.



Walnuts in Alfalfa.



Will the walnut trees be injured in any way by irrigating them at the
same time and manner as the alfalfa - that is, by flooding the land
between the checks? Will the walnuts make as good a growth when planted
in the alfalfa, and the ground cultivated two or three feet around the
tree, as though the alfalfa was entirely removed? Is it advisable to
plant the trees on the checks rather than between the checks?

Walnut trees will do well, providing you do not irrigate the alfalfa
sufficiently to waterlog the trees; providing also that you do use water
enough so that the trees will not be robbed of moisture by the alfalfa.
This method of growing trees will be, of course, safer and probably more
satisfactory if your soil is deep and loamy, as it should be to get the
best results with both alfalfa and walnuts. It would be better to have
the trees stand so that the water does not come into direct contact with
the bark, although walnut trees are irrigated by surrounding them with
check levees. Planting walnut trees in an old stand of alfalfa is harder
on the tree than to start alfalfa after the trees have taken hold,
because the alfalfa roots like to hang on to their advantage. In
planting in an old field, we should plow strips, say, five feet wide and
keep it cultivated rather than to try to start the trees in pot-holes,
although with extra care they might go that way.



Walnuts in the Hills.



Will walnuts grow well in the foothill country; elevation about 600
feet, soil rich, does not crack in summer and seems to have small stones
in it?

Walnuts will do well providing the soil or subsoil is retentive enough.
If you have water available for irrigation in case the trees should need
it, they would do well, but if the soil is gravelly way down and likely
to dry out deeply and you have no water available an opposite result
might be expected. It is a fact that on some of the uplands of the coast
mountains there is a lack of moisture late in the season which
interferes with the success of some fruit trees.



To Increase Bearing of Walnuts.



We have a walnut orchard which does not bear enough nuts. The trees are
all fine, even trees, 10 and 12 years old, and we are told that the crop
was light this year because the trees were growing so vigorously and put
most of their energy into the new wood. Is there any special fertilizer
which will make the trees bear more and not prompt such heavy growth?

If your adviser is right that the trees are not bearing because of
excessive growth, it would be better not to apply any fertilizer during
the coming year, but allow the trees to assume more steady habit and
possibly even to encourage them to do so by using less cultivation and
water. If you wish to experiment with some of the trees, give them an
application of five pounds of superphosphate and two pounds of potash to
each tree, properly distributed over the land which it occupies. You
certainly should not use any form of nitrogen.



Temperature and Moisture for the English Walnut.



What amount of freezing and drouth can English walnuts stand? Under what
conditions is irrigation necessary?

The walnut tree will endure hard freezing, providing it comes when the
tree is dormant, because they are successfully grown in some parts of
the Eastern States, though not to a large extent; but the walnut tree is
subject to injury from lighter frosts, providing they follow
temperatures which have induced activity in the tree. On the Pacific
Coast the walnut is successfully grown as far north as the State of
Washington, but even in California there are elevations where frosts are
likely to occur when the tree is active, and these may be destructive to
its profit, although they may not injure the tree. You are not safe in
planting walnuts to any extent except in places where you can find trees
bearing satisfactorily. Planting elsewhere is, of course, an
enterprising experimental thing to do, but very risky as a line of
investment. Irrigation is required if the annual rainfall, coupled with
the retentiveness of the soil and good cultivation, do not give moisture
enough to carry the tree well into the autumn, maintaining activity in
the leaves some little time after the fruit is gathered.



Walnuts from Seed.



There is a reliable nursery company selling seedling Franquette walnut
trees on a positive guarantee that they will come true to type. Are
orchards of this kind satisfactory?

Walnuts do come truer to the seed than almonds and other fruits and the
Franquette has a good reputation for remembering its ancestry. Until
recently practically all the commercial walnut product of California was
grown on seedling trees. But these facts hardly justify one in trusting
to seedlings in plantings now made. The way to get a walnut of the
highest type is to take a bud or graft from a tree which is bearing that
type.



High-grafted Walnuts.



What is the advantage of a high-grafted walnut? I am about ready to
plant 10 acres to nuts and do not know whether to purchase Franquette
grafted high on California Black or not.

The advantage of grafting English walnut high on California Black walnut
consists in securing a main trunk for the tree, which is less liable to
sunburn and probably hardier otherwise than is the stem of the English
walnut, and the present disposition toward higher grafting or budding
seems therefore justified and desirable.



Grafting and Budding the Mulberry.



What is the most approved manner of grafting mulberry trees? Am told
that they are very difficult to successfully graft.

Most propagators find the mulberry difficult by ordinary top and cleft
grafting methods. A flute or ring graft or bud does well on small
seedlings - that is, removing a ring or cylinder of the bark from the
stock and putting in its place a cylinder from the variety desired, cut
to fit accurately. For large trees this would have to be done on young
shoots forced out by cutting back the main branches, but when this is
done ordinary shield budding in these new shoots would give good
results. Cut back the trees now and bud in the new shoots in July or
August.



Hardiness of Hybrid Berries.



How much cold will Phenomenal, Himalaya and Mammoth blackberries stand
in winter? Is it safe to plant where the temperature goes below 32
degrees?

These berries are hardy to zero at least, for they are grown in northern
parts of this coast where they get such a touch once in a while. They
have also endured low temperatures in the central continental plateau
States and eastward. Whether they can endure the lowest temperatures of
the winter-killing regions of the northern border cannot be determined
in California, for we do not have the conditions for such tests. The
berries are very hardy while dormant, and probably their value in colder
regions would depend rather more upon their disposition to remain
dormant than upon what they can endure when in that condition.



Pruning Himalayas.



Shall the old wood be cut away in pruning Himalayas?

All the old wood which has borne fruit should be cut out in the fall and
new shoots reduced to three or four from each root, and these three or
four shoots should be shortened to a length of ten or twelve feet and be
trained to a trellis or fence, or some other suitable support. Vines
which are allowed to grow riotously as they will, are apt to be
deficient in fruit bearing.



Strawberries with Perfect Flowers.



Has Longworth Prolific an imperfect bloom? I have Longworths in bearing
which apparently are perfect. Is there another strain of Longworth that
are not self-fertilizing?

The Longworth Prolific strawberry has both staminate and pistillate
elements. Possibly some other variety, because of its resemblance to
Longworth and the popularity of it, may have been wrongly given its
name. Most of the varieties which are largely grown in California are
perfect in blossom, though some of the newer varieties need association
with pollinizers.



Pruning Loganberries.



Should the new shoots of Loganberry vines, which come out in the spring,
be left or cut away? If cut, will more shoots put out in the fall and be
sufficient for the next year's crop?

The Loganberry shoots which are growing should be carefully trained and
preserved for next year's fruiting. The old canes should be cut away at
the base after the fruit is gathered. The plant bears each year upon the
wood which grew the previous summer.



Strawberry Planting.



Should I plant strawberries in the spring or fall?

Whether it is wise to plant strawberry plants in the fall depends on
several things, such as getting the ground in the very best of
condition, abundance of water at all times, splendidly rooted plants,
and cool weather (which is very rare at the time plants are to be
planted, August and September). Plants may be taken with balls of earth
around the roots, and water poured in the hole that receives the plant.
After planting, each plant should be shaded from the sun; after this the
ditches must be kept full of water so the moisture will rise to the
surface; this must be done till the plant starts growth. This method can
only be used in small plantings, as it is too expensive for large
plantings, as is also the potted plant method where each plant is grown
in a small pot and transplanted by dumping out the earth as a ball with
the plant and putting directly in the ground. From potted plants, set
out in the fall, one may count on a fine crop of berries the following
spring. Strawberry plants are never dormant till midwinter, and there is
no plant more difficult to transplant when roots are disturbed in the
hot season, which usually prevails in the interior valleys of
California. To have a long-lived strawberry field and to get best
results, planting must be done in the spring, as soon as the soil can be
put in best condition to receive plants. From this a fall crop can be
expected - Answer by Tribble Bros., Elk Grove.



Blackberries for Drying Only.



What variety of blackberries or raspberries are the best for drying
purposes? Are berries successfully dried in evaporators? This is a
natural berry country. Wild blackberries are a wonder here.
Transportation facilities do not allow raising for the city market. In
your opinion, would the planting of ten acres in berries for drying be a
success?

The blackberries chiefly grown in California are the Lawton, Crandall
and the Mammoth. The raspberry chiefly grown is the Cuthbert. There are
very few of these berries dried. It would be better to dry them in an
evaporator than in the sun, but little of it is done in this State. It
is doubtful whether it would pay to plant blackberries for drying only,
because there is such a large product flow in various places where the
berries are either sold fresh or sold to the cannery, and drying is only
done for the purpose of saving the crop if the prices for the other uses
are not satisfactory. To grow especially for drying would give you only
one chance of selling to advantage, and that the poorest.



Planting Bush Fruits.



What is the best time to set out blackberries and Loganberries?

Any time after the soil is thoroughly wet down and you can get good,
mature and dormant plants for transplanting. This may be as early as
November and may continue until February or later in some places.



Growing Strawberry Plants.



In a patch of strawberries planted this spring, is it advisable to cut
off runners or root some of them?

In planting strawberries in matted rows, it is usual to allow a few
runners to take root and thus fill the row. It is the judgment of plant
growers that plants for sale should not be produced in this way, but
should be grown from plants specially kept for that purpose.



Strawberries in Succession.



Is there any reason, in strawberry culture, when the vines are removed
at the end of the fourth year, why the ground may not be thoroughly
plowed and again planted to strawberries?

It is theoretically possible to grow strawberries continuously on the
same land by proper fertilization and irrigation. Practically, the
objection is that certain diseases and injurious insects may multiply in
the land, and this is the chief reason why new plantations are put on
new land and the old land used for a time for beans or some root crop,
so that the soil may be cleaned and refreshed by rotation and by the
possibility of deeper tillage.



Limitations on Gooseberries.



Why is it that gooseberries are not grown more in California? Is there
any reason, climatic or other, why the gooseberry should not be as
successfully grown in California as elsewhere?

There are two reasons. First, the gooseberry does not like interior
valleys, although with proper protection from mildew or by growing
resistant varieties, good fruit can be had in coast or mountain valleys.
Second, practically no one cares for a ripe gooseberry in a country
where so many other fruits are grown, and the demand is for green
gooseberries for pies and sauce, and that is very easily oversupplied.



Dry Farming with Grapes.



I have heard that they are planting Muscat grapes on the dry farming
plan. Will it be successful?

Grapes have been grown in California on the dry farming plan ever since
Americans came 60 years ago. Grapes can be successfully grown by
thorough cultivation for moisture retention, providing the rainfall is
sufficient to carry the plant when it is conserved by the most thorough
and frequent cultivation. Unless this rainfall is adequate, no amount of
cultivation will make grape vines succeed, because even the best
cultivation produces no moisture, but only conserves a part of that
which falls from the clouds. Whether grapes will do depends, first, upon
what the rainfall is; second, upon whether the soil is retentive; third,
upon whether you cultivate in such a way as to enable the soil to
exercise its maximum retentiveness. These are matters which cannot be
determined theoretically - they require actual test.



Cutting Back Frosted Vine Canes.



Vines have been badly injured by the late frosts, especially the young
vines which were out the most. Is there anything to be done with the
injured shoots now on the vines so as to help the prospects of a crop?

If shoots are only lightly frosted they should be cut off at once as low
as you can detect injury. This may save the lower parts of the shoot,
from which a later growth can be made. Frosted parts ferment and carry
destruction downward, and therefore should be disposed of as soon as
possible. Where vines have run out considerably and badly frosted, the
best practice usually is to strip off the frozen shoots so as to get rid
of the dormant buds at the base, which often give sterile shoots. A new
break of canes from other buds is generally more productive.



Dipping Thompson Seedless.



What is the process of dipping and bleaching Thompson seedless grapes?

One recipe for dipped raisins is as follows: One quart olive oil;
3/4-pound Greenbank soda and 3 quarts water are made into an emulsion,
and then reduced with 10 gallons water in the dipping tank, adding more
soda to get lye-strength enough to cut the skins, and more soda has to
be added from time to time to keep up the strength. The grapes are
dipped in this solution and sulphured to the proper color. This is the
general outline of the process. The ability to use it well can only be
attained by experience and close observation.



The Zante Currant.



Is the currant that grows in the United States in any way related to the
currant that grows in Greece? If so, could it be cured like the currant
that comes from Greece?

The dried currants of commerce are made in Greece and in California (to
a slight extent) from the grape known as the grape of Corinth. They are
not made from the bush currant which is generally grown in the United
States, and the two plants are not in any way related.



Grape Vines for an Arbor.



How shall I prune grape vines, viz: Tokay, Black Cornichon, Muscat,
Thompson Seedless, Rose of Peru, planted for a grape arbor?

You can grow all the vines you mention with high stumps reaching part
way or to the top of the arbor as you desire side or top shade or both.
You can also grow them with permanent side branches on the side slats of
the arbor if you desire. Each winter pruning would consist in cutting
back all the previous summer's growth to a few buds from which new canes
will grow for shade or fruiting, or you can work on the renewal system,
keeping some of these canes long for quick foliage and more fruit
perhaps and cutting some of them short to grow new wood for the
following year's service, as they often do in growing Eastern grapes.



Pruning Old Vines.



I have some Muscat grape vines 30 years old. Can I chop off most of the
old wood with a hatchet and thereby bring them back to proper bearing?

Not with a hatchet. If the vines are worth keeping at all, they are
worth careful cutting with a saw and a painting of all cuts in large old
wood. If the vines have been neglected, you can saw away surplus prongs
or spurs, reserving four or five of the best placed and most vigorous,
and cut back the canes of last summer's growth to one, two or three
buds, according to the strength of the canes - the thicker the canes,
the more buds to be kept. It is not desirable to cut away an old vine to
get a new start from the ground, unless you wish to graft. Shape the top
of the vine as well as you can by saving the best of the old growth.



Topping Grape Vines.



Is topping grape vines desirable?

Topping of vines is in all cases more or less weakening. The more
foliage that is removed, the more weakening it is. Vines, therefore,
which are making a weak growth from any cause whatever can only be
injured by topping. If the vines are exceptionally vigorous, the
weakening due to topping may be an advantage by making them more
fruitful. The topping, however, must be done with discretion. Early
topping in May is much more effective and less weakening than later
topping in June. Very early topping before blossoming helps the setting
of the blossoms. Topping in general increases the size of the berries.



Bleeding Vines.



Will pruning grape vines when they bleed injure them?

It has been demonstrated not to be of any measurable injury.



Vines and Scant Moisture.



Would it be well to sucker vines and take also some bearing canes off,
or in a dry year will they mature properly as in other years if the
ground is in good condition?

Vines usually bear drouth-stress better than bearing fruit trees. On
soils of good depth and retentiveness, they are likely to give good
crops in a dry year with thorough cultivation; still, lightening the
burden of the vines is rational. Suckering and cutting away second-crop
efforts should be done. Whether you need to reduce the first crop can be
told better by the looks of the vines later in the season.



Sulphuring for Mildew.



For two years I have not sulphured my vineyard and had no mildew. My
vines seem as healthy and thrifty as any of the neighbors' that were
duly sulphured. Have I lost anything by not sulphuring?

Certainly not. In sections where mildew is practically sure to come,
sulphur should be used regularly as a preventive without waiting for the
appearance of the disease. There are, however, many locations,
especially in the interior valley, where the occurrence of mildew is
rare in sufficient volume to do appreciable harm, and then sulphuring
should depend upon the weather, which favors mildew or otherwise. But be
always on the watch and have everything ready to sulphur immediately;
also learn to recognize the conditions under which appearances of mildew
become a menace.



Grape Sugar in Canned Grapes.



How can I prevent the formation of grape sugar in canned grapes?

Take care that the syrup is of the same density as the juice of the
grape when the fruit and the juice are placed together in the can. The
density of the syrup and the juice are, of course, to be obtained by the
use of the spindle, the same arrangement employed for determining when
the percentage of sugar in the grape juice is right for raisin-making or
for wine-making. Whatever the density of the juice, make the syrup the
same by the use of the right amount of sugar.



Part II. Vegetable Growing



California Grown Seed.



Which are the best garden seeds to use, those raised in Ohio and the
East or those raised in Washington and Oregon or those raised in this
State?

It has been definitely shown by experience and experiment that is does
not matter much where the seed comes from, providing it is well grown
and good of its kind. There is no such advantage in changing seed from
one locality to another as is commonly supposed. Besides, it is now very
difficult to tell positively where seed is grown, because California
wholesale seeds are retailed in all the States you mention, and the
contents of many small packets of seeds distributed in California went
first of all from California to the Eastern retailers, who advertise and
sell them everywhere.



Cloth for Hotbeds.



Would cloth do to cover a hotbox to raise lettuce, radishes, etc., for
winter use where we get a very heavy rainfall?

Yes, if you make the cloth waterproof for its own preservation from
mildew and other agencies of decay. The following recipe for
waterproofing cloth is taken from our book on "California Vegetables":
Soften 4 1/2 ounces of glue in 8 3/4 pints of water, cold at first; then
dissolve in, say, a washboiler full (6 gallons) of warm water, with 2
1/2 ounces of hard soap; put in the cloth and boil for an hour, wring
and dry; then prepare a bath of a pound of alum and a pound of salt,
soak the prepared cloth in it for a couple of hours, rinse with clear
water and dry. One gallon of the glue solution will soak about ten yards
of cloth. This cloth has been used in southern California for several
years without mildewing, and it will hold water by the pailful. Where
the rain is heavy and frequent, the cloth should be well supported by
slats and given slope to shed water quickly. Of course, this is only a
makeshift. Glass would be more satisfactory and durable in a region of
much cloudiness and scant sunshine; the greater illumination through
glass will make for the greater health and growth of the plants.



Soil for Vegetables.



Some of my soil bakes and hardens quickly after irrigation, but I have
an acre or so of sandy soil. Would this be best for garden truck and
berries?

Sandy, loamy soil is better than the heavy soil for vegetables and
berries, if moisture is kept right, because it can be more easily
cultivated and takes water without losing the friable condition which is
so desirable. A heavier soil can, however, be improved by the free use
of stable manure or by the addition of sand, or by the use of one or
more applications of lime at the rate of 500 pounds to the acre, as may
be required - all these operations making the soil more loamy and more
easily handled.



Vegetables in a Cold, Dark Draft.



What vegetables will thrive in localities where the sun shines only part
of the day? I have a space in my garden that gets the sun only between
the hours of 11 and 5, thereabouts; I would like to utilise those places
for vegetables if any particular kind will grow under such conditions.
The soil apparently is good, of a sandy nature, with some loam. The
place is high and subject to much wind.

You can only definitely determine by actual trial what vegetables will
be satisfactory under the shade conditions which you describe. You may
get good results from lettuces, radishes, beets, peas, top onions, and
many other things which do well at rather a low temperature, while
tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, etc., would probably be worthless. Your
soil is probably satisfactory and you can easily keep the moisture right
by being careful not to use as much water as you would in open sunshine.
The behavior of the plants will be directly dependent upon the
temperature and the sunshine which they receive under the conditions
described.



Jesusalem Artichokes.



What is the best time for planting Jerusalem artichokes?

Jerusalem artichoke tubers are planted in the spring after the ground
has become warm and the heavy frosts are over. The planting may be done
in rows far enough apart for cultivation, the tubers being set about a
foot apart in the row. This tuber grows like a potato, but is more
delicate than the potato. It is inclined to decay when out of the
ground, but will not start growth as early as the potato, and therefore
it is not desirable to start it early in the winter if the winters are
cold and the ground apt to be very wet. Do not cut the tubers for seed
as you would potatoes.



Globe Artichokes.



I have land that will grow magnificent artichokes. Two plants last year
(variety unknown) produced heavy crops of buds, but the scales opened
too wide and allowed the center to become fibrous and were unsalable. Is
this due to climate, lack of sufficient water, or to not having the
right variety?

Many artichokes which are planted should really be put in the ornamental
class - they are either a reversion from a wilder type in plants grown
from the seed or they never have been good. In order to determine which
varieties you had better grow on a large scale, it is desirable to get a
few plants of the different varieties as offered by seedmen. In this way
you would find out just what are considered best in different parts of
the State, and propagate largely the ones which are best worth to you.
By subdivision of the roots you get exactly the same type in any
quantity you desire - ruling out undesirable variations likely to appear
in seedlings.



Artichoke Growing.



Is the Globe artichoke a profitable crop to raise commercially? Near
Pescadero a company has been formed to raise it for Eastern shipment. Is
it a very profitable crop to raise? Are certain varieties worthless?

Considerable quantities of Globe artichokes are grown in southern and
central California for Eastern shipment. There is a limit to the amount
which can be profitably shipped, because people generally, at the East,
do not know the Globe artichoke and how to eat it, but more of them are
learning the desirability of it every year. There are species which are
only ornamental, as a bad weed.



Asparagus Growing.



What is the average commercial yield of asparagus to the acre in
California? Also, how long it takes asparagus to come into full bearing,
and what yield could be expected after two years' growth? Is asparagus
resistant to moderate quantities of alkali in the soil?

The yield of asparagus is from one to four tons of marketable shoots per
acre, according to age and thrift of plants, etc., the largest yields
being on the peat lands of the river islands. On suitable lands one
ought to get at least two tons per acre. Roots may yield a few days'
cuttings during their second year in permanent place; the third year
they will stand much more cutting, and for several years after that will
be in full yielding. Asparagus enjoys a little salt in the land, but one
would not select what is ordinarily called "alkali land" for growing it
- not only because of the alkali but because of the soil character which
it induces.



Bean Growing.



We have a small field of beans, and would like to know which is the best
and most profitable way to crop them.

Cultivate the beans so that the plants may have plenty of moisture to
fill the pods, then let them dry and die. Gather the dry plants before
the pods open much, and let them dry on a clean, smooth piece of ground
or on the barn floor. When they are well dried, thresh with a flail,
rake off the straw, sweep up the beans and clean by winnowing in the
wind or with a fanning mill with suitable screens.



Hoeing Beans.



Should beans be hoed while the dew is on 

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