CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



cannery waste may be applied broadcast or by means of irrigation 

 water. 



Amount of Organic Matter to Apply. It is impossible to apply 

 too much organic matter to soils and still maintain economic condi- 

 tions on a farm. The relatively high cost of animal manures will 

 render it unprofitable to apply enough to injure the v soil. For that 

 reason the thing to guard against is not too large, but too small an 

 application of organic matter. When animal manures are used, the 

 following amount should be considered as minima per annum : 



Per acre 



Horse manure 10 tons 



Cow manure 10 



Hog manure 5 



Sheep or goat manure 3 



Green manure crops, of course, cannot be too large to plow 

 under. Every effort should be made to prepare the seed bed and 

 irrigate so as to obtain the largest possible yield of green matter.* 



Precautions in the Use of Organic Matter. To be of much serv- 

 ice to the soil, organic matter must decay with a fair degree of 

 rapidity. Such decay cannot occur without the presence in the soil 

 of an ample supply of moisture. It is, therefore, obvious that much 

 organic matter should not be applied to soil in the absence of suf- 

 ficient moisture. Indeed, such practice may lead to distinct injury 

 to the soil, owing to the drying out of the soil through the mechan- 

 ical effects of the organic matter above discussed and to the use of 

 moisture by micro-organisms attacking it, thus setting up a competi- 

 tion with the plant. It is essential particularly to give heed to this 

 warning in connection with dry and not easily decayed organic 

 matter like grain straws, prunings and stable manure consisting 

 chiefly of litter. 



Most careful attention should be given in such cases, and in the 

 case of cover crops, that the supply of water is ample, the soil in 

 good tilth, and the incorporation of the organic matter thorough. 

 After such incorporation, the surface soil should be harrowed down 

 to a fine state of division. 



Legume Straws. A source of organic matter and additional 

 nitrogen which deserves attention by itself is that of the legume 

 straws. The most feasible ones to use in California are alfalfa hay, 

 bean straw, and pea straw, the first two being most important. It 

 is not sufficiently appreciated by fruit growers how valuable these 

 materials are to their soils. Especially where they are to be ob- 

 tained cheaply, these legume straws are to be used wlierever possible 

 in liberal dressings. Four to five tons per acre of any of these straws 

 plowed under every year for periods of five to ten years will exert 

 markedly beneficial effects on any orchard or vineyard soil. 



Further information regarding cover or green manure crops and their use on Cali- 

 fornia soils will be found in Circular No. 110 and Bulletin No. 292 of the California 

 Agricultural Experiment Station at Berkeley. 



