394 CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



of new wood, which will set a fine crop of lemons the following spring. 

 Heavy pruning after August 15 or September 1 makes the new growth 

 come so late in the season that it is short and stubby and does not make 

 enough fruit. Lower wood of good foliage and color, which is left, will 

 bloom in the fall for the crop to be picked the following spring. 



The heavily pruned trees lose about one-fourth of their height and over 

 half of their brush. Cuts are made as low as necessary in the tops to get 

 rid of most of the big brush on each main limb. Always a horizontally 

 growing branch is left just below the cut. Few main limbs are taken out at 

 the head of the tree on account of the danger of starting decay in the trunks. 

 All considerable wounds are covered with a mixture of asphaltum and creo- 

 sote. This is applied with a brush fixed at an angle on the end of a long 

 stick; for many of the cuts are 10 to 12 feet up. The tops are heavily 

 thinned out, but inside and low-growing fruit brush is partly cut back 

 and left to the fullest extent possible. It has been found that after the 

 heavy topping even the leafless, seemingly dead, twigs in the skirts of the 

 tree will put out leaves and fruit when light is let in through the opened 

 centers. Not even the dead twigs in the skirts are taken out, because un- 

 observant pruners would take much live wood with it. 



Too much of the skirt growth was cut from the first trees heavily 

 pruned, and long growth was left on the corners of the top. Both of these 

 practices were seen to be serious faults. The upper corners whipped in 

 the wind, bore terminal fruit, and by the extra leverage and exposure 

 split off more limbs. 



On trees so pruned three weeks previously an abundant shooting of new 

 growth was already seen all along the main limbs, even down to the head 

 of the tree, the more horizontal limbs having the most numerous shoots. 

 These will bear fruit abundantly close to the strong framework of the tree 

 for years to come, if kept properly thinned out. Many of them will set fruit 

 next spring. Meanwhile the old growth left in the skirts will set fruit more 

 abundantly this fall to mature next spring. 



As there is some fruit on the brush cut out, pickers follow the pruners 

 and save the fruit. Following closely after the pruners is a spray rig apply- 

 ing whitewash to all the main limbs to prevent sunburn. 



When it is remembered that harvesting lemons is a continuous 

 operation as will be stated presently, keeping the bearing wood of 

 the tree within easy reach is more imperative from an economic 

 point of view than with trees from which fewer pickings gather 

 the crop. 



Pruning is also related to preventing infection of the fruit with 

 lemon rot fungus spores from the ground. Fruits which touch the 

 ground or upon which dirt is splashed by rains is first infected. 

 This question of infection is discussed in Bulletin 190 of the Cali- 

 fornia Experiment Station. 



PREPARATION OF LEMONS FOR MARKETING 



The lemon as taken from the tree is not in condition for market- 

 ing except to packers who wish to undertake the curing. To secure 

 best results in quality and in keeping properties, the lemon should 

 be carefully cut from the tree as soon as proper size is reached, 

 o allow the fruit to hang upon the tree until lemon color is as- 

 imed, gives a lemon which is deficient in juice, oversized, apt to 

 levelop bitterness, and prone to decay. Two and five-sixteenths 

 ings are used for winter pickings and 2y 2 for spring and summer, 

 lever more than six weeks being allowed to elapse between pick- 

 ?s, and the fruit is usually picked once a month. By careful at- 



