92 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



tree. The stake is driven on the west side of the tree on account of our 

 prevailing winds coming from that quarter. By having the tree cut 

 back to about 12 inches above the ground, you equalize the top and the 

 roots, which have also been cut off, and avoid having the tall top draw 

 more moisture than your limited root system can supply, making the 

 circulation of sap sluggish. 



The thrifty new shoot which you select to make the butt of the future 

 tree will have an active sap supply and will not sunburn. This treat- 

 ment of the newly planted tree in hot climates is most important, for 

 though they may not show it to the naked eye, one that is headed high — 

 say 4 or 5 feet from the ground — without any protection, will be more or 

 less sunburned and the tree does not fully recover from it for a long time. 



Cutting back the top makes the tree prone to sucker badly. These 

 suckers and limbs should be kept cut off, except the one selected to make 

 the butt of the future tree. This suckering should be done after the buds 

 begin to swell and repeated every ten days at least three or four times 

 until the suckers stop coming. If allowed to grow these suckers get the 

 first sap and limit the growth of the top buds or stop its growth 

 altogether. At the time of suckering the tree should be hoed around, 

 as it is necessary to dig down 4 or 5 inches below the surface of the 

 ground to reach all the suckers. These should be cut off with a little 

 of the bark of the old roots in order to get all the blind eyes that are 

 surrounding the sucker. If they are only broken off or the blind buds 

 are not removed they will immediately start to grow. 



If you wish j^our trees to make the best growth possible, another 

 important point is that trees thus transplanted should have an irrigation 

 of 10 to 12 gallons of water about every three weeks during the first 

 summer, according to the moisture conditions. The cheapest way to do 

 this is to have a large tank on a wagon with a large hose 1-| inches in 

 diameter connected with the bottom of the tank, which is used to run 

 the water around the tree. The end of this hose can be pulled up above 

 the top of the tank by a string over a pulley on the end of a stake which 

 is higher than the tank and extending out from the wagon bed. Then 

 when you are along beside the tree, lower the end of the hose until the 

 proper amount of water runs out ; then raise the end of the hose by 

 pulling on your string and drive to the next tree. By having a gasoline 

 engine to fill your wagon tank, one man can water a great many trees in 

 a day. One man should go ahead and dig a little ditch around each 

 tree to receive the water, after which the dirt should be hoed loosely 

 around the tree, or, what is better, one can place a mulch of straw about 

 6 inches deep for several feet around the tree. In this way you avoid 

 the hoeing and conserve the water that is applied to the tree much 

 better. By following the detail I have just described one will be well 

 repaid with the amount of growth that the tree will make. 



INTERPLANTI.NG. 



When walnut trees are planted at such wide intervals as 50 to 60 feet 

 and are somewhat slow in coming into bearing as compared with some 

 other trees, it is generally advisable to interplant with some tree, or 

 plant some crop to get revenue while the nuts are coming into bearing. 

 This is not especially objectionable, as the walnut is a deep rooted tree, 

 provided you do not grow your crop too close to the walnut tree. It 

 is aji admirable plan to replace vineyards and unprofitable orchards 



