jQ4 CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



experience of recent years is decidedly against deep planting, which 

 used to be advised because of our dry climate. Thousands of trees 

 have been ruined by planting too deep except in light sandy soil. 



Speed in Planting. On good soil, well prepared, trees can be 

 put in rapidly and the job still be well done. It is reported that on 

 one occasion, in planting almonds, tVenty men finished sixty-four 

 acres from Friday noon to Wednesday night, placing the stakes, dig- 

 ging the holes, and planting the trees. This would be almost three- 

 quarters of an acre per day per man. In planting peaches and 

 apricots an average of one hundred trees per day to the man has 

 been attained. On the mellow loam, in another case, the average 

 was one hundred and twenty-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 pre- 

 served. 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 t!he 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 in- 

 jured 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 regions 

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

 are cases in which mulching is desirable.^ Various light materials 

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

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

 a distance of two feet around the tree, and 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 practised. 

 Even in localities 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, 



