THE MONTHLY BULLETIN". 



417 



man might be called "dieback," for here the skin is surely in a sense 

 dead or weakened; that malnutrition would first manifest itself far 

 away from the source of supplies in wilt or death is just what we should 

 expect. Thus such terms as "wither tip" and "dieback" are not 

 only significant in locating affection, but they indicate peripheral dis- 

 turbances in the most susceptible location. 



Chlorosis, yellow leaf or variegated leaf is precisely like pallor in the 

 human subject. Here through malnutrition chlorophyl is not sufficiently 

 provided, and the plant yellows. If asked why the chlorosis, we can 

 only reply : ' ' The plant is sick. ' ' To name the cause, we cannot ; we 

 must know the entire condition of the soil as to mineral and moisture 

 content and physical texture as well to diagnose the ailment correctly. 

 The same can be said of "gummosis," scaly-bark, "mal di gomma" and 

 possibly brown spot of the orange. 



We see then that to know the needs and exact condition of our soils 

 and subsoils is of supreme importance to every tiller of the soil; the 

 health and fruitfulness of his trees are wholly dependent on the compo- 

 sition, texture and general physical condition of the soil of his orchard, 

 and no study or research from himself or experts w^hom he may secure 

 to aid him can pay better than a thorough investigation of his soils. 



How to Investigate. 



Before one purchases land for orchard purpose he should know 



accurately the conditions of not only the surface soil, but also the subsoil. 



If he already possesses an orchard and is not informed of the exact 



character of both soil and subsoil, he cannot too quickly acquire this 



knowledge. There are two kinds of data that are very essential: 



Character of the soil as to texture and mechanical make-up and 



composition. There are two ways to determine the first; by digging 



trenches in several places in the orchard, from a point immediately 



beneath the tree to the center between four trees. This ditch should be 



five feet deep and of convenient width to work easily. This shows the 



mechanical condition, the moisture content and root distribution. Such 



trenches are often a great surprise to the owner of the orchard and will 



often entirely modify his practice. A second way is to use the King 



soil tester, which costs about $7.00, and should be possessed and regarded 



as invaluable by every orchardist. This enables one to secure a cylinder 



of soil an inch in diameter quickly and easily in many portions of the 



orchard down to a depth of six feet. Except for root distribution 



this gives all the data that are secured from the ditch and at very slight 



expense and labor. For soil analysis I believe we are now dependent on 



private aid, which we engage and for which we pay. Doctor Hopkins, 



in his address at Santa Barbara, emphasized the value and importance 



of such analyses, and suggested that the state ought to provide for such 



service, but that each orchardist should pay for the same. This would 



insure a reliable report and would give the amount of humus, nitrogen, 



lime and available potash and phosphoric acid. 



,5 — nc 



