324 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



them completely, and with them, the fruit spurs, or else so mutilate the 

 leaves that they are worthless to fulfill their functions. Consequently, 

 the tree is weakened. Several methods of control have been tried on 

 this pest with more or less success. Deep plowing in the fall is one, but 

 the most effective is spraying with a tobacco wash several times during 

 March and April. 



Sour-sap is a disease which is very bad in some cherry orchards. It 

 is easily detected by gum exuding from the part affected. The bark 

 dies and in some cases the whole limb or trunk is girdled. This disease 

 is caused by uneven temperatures during the dormant period of the tree 

 and by excess of moisture during a wet, cold winter. It appears during 

 the spring months. There is no effective remedy so far found for sour- 

 sap. All that can be done is to cut out the part affected at once and 

 paint the wound with wax or asphaltum. If the disease has girdled the 

 tree, nothing can be done. Sour sap is most prevalent in orchards 

 planted on light, gravelly soils which change temperature quickly. 



The peach borer is also troublesome to the cherry grower. It is found 

 even in the trees as they come from the nursery, but as a rule, the 

 orchard will not have to be gone over until the trees are three years old. 

 From then on, they must be dug for yearly. If the holes around the 

 trees are opened early in the fall and left open till ]\Iay, the bark on the 

 roots will harden and the young grub cannot penetrate it so easily. A 

 mixture of very thick whitewash applied to the roots is also good. 



Within the last few years, the Italian scale and the Cherry scale, 

 which is said to be bad in Contra Costa County, have made their appear- 

 ance in the cherry orchards. A crude oil spray can be used success- 

 fully against these pests. 



A red spider infests some orchards. They also can be eradicated by 

 spraying. 



Caterpillars are bad in some sections, but as a rule they do little 

 damage. They can be prevented from ascending the trees by placing 

 sticky bands around the tree trunks. 



These are about all the pests the cherrj^ grower has to contend with, 

 but he will find them sufficient to keep him busy. 



Bearing orchards should "have a yearly application of commercial 

 fertilizer. Either use a complete formula, or supply the ingredients 

 which are found by soil analysis, to be deficient. 



A cover crop of vetch or cow peas is also good to use if plowed under 

 late in the spring when the vines have matured. If plowed early, the 

 humus effect is lost. 



I would advocate yearly plowing of cherry orchards, and keeping the 

 ground loose during the summer so that air can get at the roots. Some 

 growers do not plow, but use the disc harrow instead, claiming that 

 this method does not disturb the roots as plowing does. "While there is 

 some truth in this, a plowing depth of five or six inches, with careful 

 work around the trees, gives a deep mulch and is beneficial in many 

 ways which more than offset the small root damage. 



The picking and packing of the cherry for eastern shipment requires 

 a great amount of labor. To get the best results, this labor should be 

 experienced and at the grower's command at short notice, depending on 

 weather conditions. The fruit is quickly damaged by extreme hot 

 weather, or by rains. In the Santa Clara Valley, the picking is done 

 largely b}^ Italians and Japanese. The trees are gone over every few 



