104 CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



five trees to the man, digging holes two feet square in land which had 

 been plowed twelve inches deep. Such work is only possible on good 

 soil, well prepared, and by men who work well together. 



Mapping and Labeling. Where mixed varieties of fruit are 

 planted, the orchard should be mapped as soon as the trees are set. A 

 good durable map is made of the glazed muslin, such as carpenters and 

 architects use for their drawings. The map can be easily drawn to a 

 scale by using a fraction of an inch to represent a foot. After the map 

 is made, it can be rolled on a broom stick and easily preserved. With 

 such a record, the grower need not care what becomes of the labels, 

 as he can locate a variety at any time by its row and tree number. If, 

 however, one desires labels, let them be made in .this way: Take a 

 piece of common sheet zinc five inches wide. Across this, cut pieces 

 three-quarters of an inch wide at one end and tapering to a point at 

 the other. Near the wider end write plainly with a common lead-pencil 

 the name of the variety ^ This will get brighter by exposure to the 

 weather. The small end may be coiled around the branch of the tree ; it 

 will yield as the tree grows and will do no injury. Such labels will last 

 for a long time. Labels attached by a cord or wire should be removed 

 as soon as the trees are set, for they are apt to be forgotten and the 

 tree seriously injured by the cutting in of the ligature. Even when 

 labels are used the map is the only surety, because any kind of a label 

 is apt to be lost by accident or through malice or mischief of intruders. 



Mulching. Although early planted trees on 'deep soils in re- 

 gions of sufficient rainfall need only good cultivation, after planting, 

 there are cases in which mulching is desirable. Various light mate- 

 rials may be used for a mulch, but nothing is better than well-rotted 

 straw, in which fermentation has killed all weed seed. Apply it to a 

 distance of two feet around the tree, arid to a depth of not less than six 

 inches. It is best done as soon as the tree is planted, and is to be 

 especially recommended when late planting is practiced. Even in lo- 

 calities of light rainfall, if the trees are well mulched early in the winter, 

 irrigation may be unnecessary for the young deciduous tree. Trees 

 planted very late in the spring may, by using great care and mulching 

 well, make as great a growth as those set out early in winter. This 

 should not be an excuse for late planting, but where late planting is 

 necessary, mulching will help the trees to pull through. It is a far 

 easier way of keeping the ground moist than by irrigating, but is not 

 a substitute for it where systematic irrigation is necessary, though irri- 

 gation may often be lessened, and in some cases obviated, by extra cul- 

 tivation or mulching, at least until the trees come into bearing. 



Guarding Against Sunburn. Newly-set trees should be pro- 

 tected against sunburn. This can be easily done by winding strips 

 of burlap from old grain sacks spirally around the stems beginning 

 just below the ground surface to the points where the young shoots 

 will appear. When these start the strip can be loosened and rewound 

 so as to protect the bark between the shoots. The top can be fastened 

 with a stitch or two with a twine needle. Manufactured "tree pro- 

 tectors" of paper or rushes which are readily adjusted around the trees 



