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.