690 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN, 



The White Winter Pearniain seems to have been ciuite a general 

 favorite for planting in this locality. It pleased me to see this variety 

 doing so well, afe it certainly possesses much merit, and but for its 

 color, would be one of our greatest sellers. A tree of this variety is 

 shown in Fig. 376, growing at an altitude of between 4,000 and 5,000 

 feet. It has on it a good crop of fruit this season ; this is also true of 

 other trees of the same variety in the orchard. Fig. 377 gives a good 

 idea of the character of the country where the orchard is growing. 



Small Acreage Best. 



At present it would probably not be policy to plant apples extensively 

 in the mountains of Madera County (and what is said of Madera will 

 apply to some of the other mountainous counties as well), but the fact 

 that the soil and climate are well adapted to the growing of this, one of 

 the finest of all fruits, indicates that there are great possibilities for suc- 

 cess with small tracts at least, of good varieties, well cared for. Some 

 have planted too extensively and have failed, partly because of poor 

 varieties, but principally because of distance from market. At the 

 present time there should be no trouble about picking out suitable 

 varieties, provided the prospective planter will take the pains to investi- 

 gate and find out which have done the best. It is doubtful, however, 

 that a large acreage of the best varieties could be made to pay at the 

 present time. On the other hand, a small tract, not to exceed 5 acres, 

 would not necessitate a heavy expense in caring for it, and should be 

 made to pay good interest on the investment, even though the distance 

 from a railroad point is great. 



Only Good Fruit Pays. 



The growing of the very best (luality and grade of any variety should 

 be the ambition of one starting in the business. To accomplish this end 

 the orchard should be properly pruned, tilled, fertilized, sprayed, etc. 

 Fig. 378 is a good illustration of the extreme neglect of some of the 

 orchards seen. The tall tree was estimated to l)e 35 feet high. The 

 tree alongside is about the desirable height. Careful annual pruning 

 would overcome this fault, and the fruit, instead of being small, would 

 be of good size ; the tree instead of breaking down under a load, if 

 properly pruned, would hold it up well. Not only is pruning neglected 

 in these orchards, but also cultivation, fertilization, and spraying. No 

 orchard will care for itself, and unless these different phases of man- 

 agement are properly conducted, there can be little chance for good 

 fruit, which, after all, is the only kind that it pays to raise. 



