PLANTING A FIG ORCHARD. 167 
of the trees and raking away the large clods so as to leave as smooth 
a soil as possible for the figs to drop on. 
THE CREATION OF A FIG ORCHARD IN CALIFORNIA. 
During the first period of fig raising in California and the other 
Pacific States—Arizona, Sonora, and Baja California, the latter two 
situated in Mexico—no special attention was given to the care and 
creation of a fig orchard. During the second period, when the early 
immigrants arrived in California and brought with them cuttings of 
figs from their homes in Italy, Greece, and Spain, some little attention 
was paid to the cultivation of the fig, especially for the purpose of 
supplying the market with the fresh fruit. It is only now, during the 
third period of the fig industry, after the introduction of the Blasto- 
phaga wasps by the United States Government, that more attention 
and care is bestowed on the fig. For the reader who desires to have 
asummary of the operations and proeesses necessary to create a fig 
orchard on the Pacific coast the following résumé may be of interest: 
The first move is to select the site for the orchard, and upon its 
proper location depends the future success. The first condition to be 
considered is the absence of frosts during the spring, when the trees 
are in active growth. The second condition refers to the nature of 
the soil, its quality, drainage, facilities for irrigation, etc., points 
which have already been referred to more or less. Taking it all in 
all, deep mesa or table-lands are the most suitable to produce first- 
class figs in quantities that will pay. An atmosphere that is too dry 
is almost as bad as one that is too moist. Our river-bottom lands are 
ideal places, provided they are not subject to spring frosts. In such 
places the mesa lands surrounding the river bottoms are the best. In 
some localities it is necessary to go to the second mesas or table-lands 
in order to find the most desirable locality. The land should, if pos- 
sible, be summer fallowed, in order to take up readily the first rain in 
theautumn. After the first rain the land should be plowed as deeply 
as possible, and a final cultivation should be made just before the 
planting. The deeper the soil is plowed and the more mellow it is, 
the cheaper will be the planting. After the last eultivation the land 
should be dragged with a wooden drag made of boards and loaded 
down with sand bags or stones. 
The best time for planting is immediately after the first frost in the 
fall, or, if there is no frost, after the leaves of the fig trees have fallen. 
This is in December on the Pacific coast, earlier or later according to 
the season. The best success is always had from early planting, and 
in soils where early planting is not practicable it is advisable not to 
plant figs to any great extent. After the land is dragged, the first 
step is to stake the ground in the manner described elsewhere. The 
stakes may be set from 25 to 50 feet apart, according to the object in 
view. If 25 feet is decided on, it will not be advisable to grow any 
23740—No. 9—01——12 
