California Agriculturist 



A.m^^ 



EM^wm e^QioiE orour^st^E* 



Vol. 6. 



Saxx Jose, Cal., Septexxxber, 1875. 



ITo. 9. 



CONSISTENT AND INCONSISTENT 

 IRRIGATION OF ORCHARDS. 



If au orchard has been irrigated until the 

 surface soil is filled with roots, and then tho 

 irrigation of it is neglected for a single sea- 

 son, tho drying out of the soil, filled with 

 roots dependent upon it for moisture, will be 

 likely to kill tho trees outright; and at any 

 rate they will be severely injured. We have 

 noticed sever.al cases of this kind, first and 

 last, and although we have several times spo- 

 ken of it, yet we every season see some or- 

 chard suffering from such neglect, through 

 tho apparent ignorance of tho proprietor, who 

 as likely as not, wonders what is the matter 

 with his orchard, and thinks that fruit-trees 

 are short-lived in this California soil and cli- 

 mate. He will teU you how he has irrigated 

 his orchard and cared for it, to give it a good 

 start, and now, when the trees should grow 

 and bear fruit without all that extra care, they 

 *' up and die." 



Kow, while we advocate the irrigation of 

 the orchard where one is so situated that it 

 can be done every summer, we must advise 

 not irrigating at all unless it can be done ev- 

 ery year in a consistent manner. There are 

 several good orchards that we have noticed, 

 growing on upland soil without irrigation. 

 They will not jiroduce as much, nor as fine, 

 large, juicy fruit, as an orchard that is irri- 

 gated, but the trees are always looking fine 

 and healthy. Such trees, not irrigated, run 

 their roots deeply into tho soil, and do not de- 

 pend upon surface moisture. They grow 

 their roots, as do the California oaks, away 

 below the reach of drouth and hot, dry, 

 cracking surface soil. 



On the contrary, trees grown upon soil 

 kept moist by irrigation, spread their roots 

 upon the surface, and send very few deejily 

 into the earth. If such trees are not kept 

 BUiJplied with surface-water, the result must 

 bo, and always is, serious. The roots and 

 sap dry up, the leaves turn yellow and fall, 

 and the tree dies of thirst and starvation. 

 The soil in an orchai'd to be gi'own without 

 irrig.-vtion should bo kept loose by cultivation, 

 to prevent the loss of moisture from the un- 

 der soil by evaporation. 



The pruning should bo just enough to pre- 

 vent straggling — just enough to make close, 

 symmetrical, spreading heads. No inside 

 thinning-out should bo done. An orchard 

 that, for lack of water, can be irrigated only 

 one, two or three times during tho dry season 

 should be cultivated on the same plan as for 

 one not irrigated ; .ind when tho water is to 

 be let ou, it should be run between the rows 

 in a deep furrow, and not bo allowed to wet 

 the loose soil ujion the surface at all. And 

 further, when the water is turned out of a 

 furrow, the furrow should be covered up with 

 loose soil to prevent the soil from cracking 

 and the water from escaping into the air. 



This system, where trees are watered only 

 occasionally, is excellent, as the roots are en- 

 couraged to run deeply, and will never come 

 near the surface excejjt at the furrow in 



which tho water is run. This being some dis- 

 tance from the trees will be all the better: the 

 feeder-roots will take it up gradually. One 

 or two good waterings in this way during tho 

 season, letting the water soak into the soil 

 thoroughly iu one furrow before running it 

 into the next, will help an orchard wonder- 

 fully. The same amount run about tho trees 

 upon the surface, would injure instead of 

 benefitting the orchard. The only exception 

 to this rule is upon loose sandy soil with a 

 gravel bottom, where the wafer would leach 

 away instead of soaking into the under soil. 



Where abundance of water can be had for 

 irrigating purposes, it has been found to bo 

 the best plan to conduct it through among the 

 trees, as nearly upon the sui-faco as is conve- 

 nient. The soil is to be cultivated lightly as 

 soon as the ground is dry enough to work well 

 after irrigating, and when the soil shows that 

 it is getting dry the same thing is to be re- 

 peated. Au orchard irrigated on this plan 

 will make a very vigorous growth and produce 

 an immense crop of fruit, and fine fruit, too. 

 Tho roots will be found near tho surface 

 spread like a mat. The finest orchard in the 

 State, Mr. G. W. Tarleton's, is irrigated on 

 this plan, and a plow is never stuck into the 

 ground for fear of injuring the roots, but a 

 cultivator, gi'aded to cut two inches, is run 

 amongst the trees often enough to keep the 

 surface clean and light. 



Several persons near San Jose who have 

 cultivated strawberries in their orchards for 

 some years, irrigating the same all summer 

 to keep them growing nicely, and who have 

 dug up tho berries and stopped irrigation, 

 have seen their trees die and become worth- 

 less. We think it important that every far- 

 mer should understand the philosophy of ir- 

 rigation well enough to never make mistakes 

 of this kind. 



SOMETHING ABOUT ORCHARDING 



We have taken a look through several 

 orchards this month, and observed many 

 things iu the way of fruit and culture worthy 

 of note. Mr. J. M. Patterson, Avho owns the 

 finest prune orchard, although his crop was 

 cut very short by frost, is still as sanguine as 

 ever and making improvements. His orchard 

 is on moist rich soil, and has never been ir- 

 rigated, but Mr. P. is making preparations for 

 irrigation, has a Kipp's viprigbt boiler and 

 engine of 3% horse power which will run two 

 (i inch pumps, raising water about ten feet. 

 Tho water stands in the bored well only seven 

 feet from the surface. Ho has laid a six 

 inch square redwood pipe or floom, IS inches 

 under ground along the upper side of his 

 grounds. At convenient distances are plugs 

 four inches iu diameter, .so that the pipe can 

 bo tapped and tho water coudiicted at will 

 through any portion of the orchard or black- 

 berry patch. The cost of such a pipe laid 

 down is about $2.00 per rod, and when once 

 placed will last for yeiirs and no trouble. 

 Mr. P. thinks that evenou his superior moist 

 soil it will pay to irrigate when the fruit is 

 growing. Heretofore he has produced the 

 finest plums and prunes ever seen in market. 

 The cost of Kipp's 3J^ horse power upright 

 engine and boiler was $4.50 laid down, and 

 about $60 to set the same, including crank 

 attachments to the pumps. The pumps cost 

 $25 each. 



Persons wishing to irrigate with steam 

 power, would do well to examine Mr. Patter- 



sons rig which is most complete and econom - 

 ical in every respect. Mr. Patterson has 

 some old fashioned damson trees in his or- 

 chard which the frost did not injure. They 

 have been planted 22 years, and are still fine 

 and healthy and loaded with beautiful fruit. 

 He has several times realized $25 per tree 

 from them in a single season, and will got 

 probably more this year. We picked from a 

 pear tree some Sickle pears that were larcer 

 than the average of large Winter Nelhs pears. 

 We had to ask the name of them, although 

 we are used to seeing the wonderful produc- 

 tions of California. We never saw finer 

 Bartletts, Flemish Beauties or Buorre 

 Clargeaus. Mr. Patterson's system of cul- 

 tivation is similar to that of Sir. Tarleton's 

 thorough surface cultivation, only a Uttle 

 deeper, as the surface has not been irrig.ated. 

 Mr. Pattersons orchard trees are set closer 

 together than trees in any other orchard 

 we know of, excepting the one we shall next 

 notice. He has obtained more fruit from the 

 acre and better fruit by so planting. In our 

 sunny and windy country, we have long been 

 satisfied that close planting is best and have 

 frequently said so before. 



Mr. Charles Caine, a prominent fruit pro- 

 ducer and dealer, has tried the experiment of 

 planting cherry trees in au ajiplo orchard, be- 

 tween the trees in every row — and with the 

 best success. He can show as fine a growth 

 of cherry trees — and that without irrigation — 

 as any person in the State. His apple or- 

 chard, when he purchased it a few years 

 since, was in a neglected condition. It is 

 now fine, all grafted to Newtown pippins and 

 valuable, bringing in a good revenue annual- 



ly. 



Next season Mr. Caine expects a fine crop 

 of cherries from the same orchard without 

 diminishing the apple crop. The only fair 

 crop of peaches near San Jose this season 

 was produced by Mr. Caine. When the nights 

 were frosty in Ain-il, and killing everj'body's 

 else fruit, Mr. C. built fires among his trees, 

 using brush, straw, and strawy manure for 

 the purpose. As the frosts continued several 

 nights in succession, he ran short of fuel, but 

 managed so as to get a very fair crop of splen- 

 did peaches, and he sold them for a big price. 

 A lot of large old ajiricot trees that are on 

 one of his rented pieces became straggly and 

 spreading out of shape. He cut the limbs 

 well back ^vithin a few feet of the trunk hvst 

 Spring. The result is beautiful, round heads 

 of numerous new limbs, promising lots of 

 fine fruit another season. Every season Mr. 

 Caine "colors" his best fruit for market. 

 This is not done with paint and brush, but 

 with sunbeams. The fruit, after picking, is 

 laid for a few days under a half-shade, so as 

 to get the light "without sun-burning. The 

 fruit soon colors up in a beautiful manner. 

 Every one has noticed that while some fruits 

 on a tree are high-colored, others ou the 

 same tree are not. The action of sunlight ia 

 only needed to give all a charming color. 

 This ripening and coloring process completed, 

 the fruit is nicely packed in boxes and brings 

 the fancy prices — more than double what it 

 would if shipped at once without this trou- 

 ble. Mr. C. studies to make whatever he 

 undertakes pay, and so far with success. The 

 day we were at his place his team was haul- 

 ing manure to spread thickly upon the soil 

 among his trees. This is something that he 

 knows will pay in increased size of fruit and 

 tree-growth. Thorough surface cultivation is 

 the rule with him, as with all best orchard 

 ists. 



