THE MONTHLY BUI^LETIN. 203 



eomuienced to out l)ac'k, causing the fruitage to form near the ground. 

 The dense inner growth was thinned out, and the term "vase model" 

 was coined to designate this opening up to admit light and air. This 

 pruning also eliminated dead twigs and l)ran('hes which are always 

 ngly and unwholesome. Today all of the most progressive lemon 

 growers are advocates of and practice liberal pruning. But another 

 reform is being generally practiced. The pruning knife and shears 

 are invading the orange groves. Low heading, thinning and removing 

 dead branches are called for in orange culture as in all fruit tree 

 culture. All fruit trees hunger for light and air; all are the better 

 with all dead branches cut away, and we can not aiford to mount to 

 cloudland to pick our fruit. 



Still another change is very conducive to orchard prosperity. Refer- 

 ence is made to pruning up from the ground so that cultivation may 

 reach to the tree trunks. The trees need all the fertility, moisture 

 and ])acterial activity in all the soil. This calls for thorough aeration 

 and an ample dry earth mulch reaching far and wide throughout 

 the grove. There should never be any hard, compact earth where 

 the tree roots seek for food, air and moisture. — A. J. C. 



The Potato Prize. — It has been decided to modify the pliin for the 

 potato prize. Some who desire to enter the contest find it impossible 

 to plant five acres of potatoes but can compete if the acreage is reduced 

 to one, so this change has been made. The object of this prize is: 

 first, to educate ; second, to increase the production per acre of potatoes 

 in the State; third, to improve the quality of the potatoes grown; 

 fourth, to curtail the poisoning of the soil for potato production, and 

 fifth, perhaps the most important, to aid in the production of disease- 

 free seed stock, which is none too abundant anywhere in the United 

 States. There is no reason why one acre may not yield as good results 

 in every way as five, and the reduction in the acreage in securing more 

 contestants for the prize Avill serve a better purpose. We hope to 

 educate all the growers so that no one will fail because of ignorance. 



This contest should be a powerful eye-opener. Some of the growers 

 last season secured more than 300 sacks of potatoes of 100 pounds each 

 per acre from their plantings, while others failed to harvest more 

 than the seed. We aim at nothing less than that all the potato growers 

 shall achieve success unsurpassed by any at the present time. 



Of late the potato has been a sorry product. Soil and climate are no 

 whit to blame. The growers must brace up, and the object of this 

 contest is to furnish the bracer. This State can and ought to product- 

 banner potato crops. We hope every contestant will do just this, and 

 that the success will be the leaven that shall make California the banner 

 potato State. 



Diseased seed potatoes taint the soil, and this poisoned soil, probably 

 aided by bad seed, has reduced the yield in the best potato growing 

 district;-? to one-third or one-fourth of the former production, from 

 300 sacks to less than 100. We must restore this sick soil by crop 

 rotation or by not cropping with potatoes for six or eight years. The 

 contestants must use only virgin .soil, or soil where potatoes have never 

 been grown, unless, forsooth, they know positively that the soil is germ 

 free. We are on a big hunt for potatoes that are absolutely sound. 



