California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



FRUITS AND FRUIT TREES -BEST 

 VARIETIES FOR PLANTING- 



In our auuuiil ailvit-e as to the best varieties 

 of fruit trees to plant for a home orchard, and 

 for profit, we find it necessary to repeat the 

 most important parts of previous articles; in 

 fact, we simply revise our former ones, mak- 

 ing such corrections and alterations as the ex- 

 perience of our best orchardists have devel- 

 oped. There may be some good varieties of 

 fruit that we have not included in our list, 

 but certainly we have given none but what 

 are first-rate and well adapted to the peciiliar 

 climate of California. We do not give selec- 

 tions from guess work, nor in the interest of 

 any party, but have taken the most careful 

 pains to be as correct and reliable as possible 

 for the general good of our readers. 



There is one thing in favor of tree-planters 

 this season — a very important one -and that 

 is the soil is well filled with moisture. This 

 makes it a very favorable season for planting, 

 and one that our farmers should take advau- 

 t.ige of. We have never known a more pvom- 

 ising opportunity for tree-planting, particu- 

 larly on upland or dry farms. For a family 

 orchard, more varieties than for a market or- 

 chard should be selected. A succession of 

 ripening should be chosen from early to late. 

 A few early varieties are enough, as what are 

 not at once consumed will decay. More trees 

 of late sorts should be chosen, for the keeping 

 qualities of late ripening fruits will extend 

 the time for consumption. The best fruits 

 for canning are neither the very earliest nor 

 the latest varieties; and as putting up fruits 

 hermetically has come to be an important' 

 consideration, in addition to drying fruits, 

 more trees of medium ripening kind are re- 

 quired for a complete family orchard than 

 formerly. 



For a market orchard but few varieties are 

 profitable to cultivate, and they should be 

 grown with a view of commanding the high- 

 est prices; consequently they should be only 

 of the handsomest sorts, and such as will 

 ripen or be ready for market at the season 

 when there is the best demand for them. The 

 locality and effect cf climatic conditions must 

 lie considered in the matter of selecting fruits 

 for market. For instance, at Marysville and 

 Sacramento the very earliest apples, pears, 

 apricots, peaches, cherries and grapes, will 

 bring the best prices in San Francisco, be- 

 cause in these localities they can produce 

 early fruits several weeks ahead of many 

 other portions of the State. At San .Jose, and 

 within the influence of the sea climate, such 

 apples as the Alexander, Maiden's Blush, etc. 

 —Fall apples— are as profitable as any apples 

 that can be grown here. We can get them 

 into market after the run of early apples is 

 over and before the Oregon Winter apples 

 flood the market. Winter apples ar(^ also 

 profitable to cultivate in San .lose. But, 

 owing to the nearness to the sea and the cool 

 climate, San Jose is six weeks behind Marys- 

 ville iu ripening early apples. While the 

 early apples that grow at Marysville are very 

 fine, the Fall and Winter fruits grown there 

 are comparatively inferior. At San Jose 

 suiK'rior apples <^au be produced of any va- 



riety. Near the bay, currants, gooseberries, 

 strawberries, etc., of superior quality are 

 produced, while in the hotter interior valleys 

 few or none are grown, as they will not do 

 well. So great is the influence of climate on 

 fruits that it is a matter of much importance, 

 and, in connection with the demands and sup- 

 ply of markets, it should be well understood 

 by orchardists. 



There are special varieties best suited to 

 dry localities. For instance, where the Kam- 

 bo and Wine Sap varieties of apples will dry 

 up so as to be worthless, the Skinner's Seed- 

 ling and Gravenstein will do very well. The 

 Newton Pippin will make a better apple on 

 dry soils than the White Winter Pearmain, 

 but the former falls off badly, while the lat- 

 ter hangs on. The home orchard should be i 

 set where it will be handy to the house, and 

 where it will add beauty to the place. When 

 one makes orcharding a specialty for profit 

 other things should conform to that. Where 

 there is not a natural shelter for an orchard 

 one should be provided by planting trees- 

 evergreens are best — on the two sides from 

 whence prevailing winds blow. Acacia, pep- 

 per trees, and Monterey cypress are perhaps 

 the best to plant in hedge form for shelter. It 

 will certainly pay to provide some break-wind, 

 and even willows are better than nothing. 



Laying off the orchard, set nearly every- 

 thing at a uniform distance, and not over 16 

 feet apart where exposed; when well shelt- 

 ered, not over twenty feet aprrt. The experi- 

 ence of our best orchardists is in favor of 

 closer planting than is advised by Eastern 

 orchardists. To make true lines and set trees 

 in perfect line, is much neater than careless 

 planting. As an aid to this, a long wire with 

 marks made by tying on strings securely at 

 regular distances we have found to be an ex- 

 cellent line for staking off an orchard— a 

 twine will stretch too much. Find a base- 

 line for one side of the orchard, then get a 

 true right angle at one end cornering on the 

 first line. Then, by setting the wire by the 

 stakes of either side and running parallel 

 lines, sticking the stakes at each mark on the 

 wire, the rows will come perfectly in line 

 without any squinting or laborious sighting 

 with the eyes. 



Digging holes for the trees is not such a 

 terrible job as some might think. We would 

 make the holes just deep and broad enough 

 to take the roots at their natural depth with- 

 out cramping. Let the hole be a little the 

 deepest at the edges and highest in the centre, 

 so that the roots will incline a little down as 

 the tree rests upon the bottom of the hole. 

 Be sure that e ich root is laid in a natural po- 

 sition, and that nothing but clean earth is 

 placed in contact with the roots, as manure or 

 trash of any kind induces a mould or fungus 

 growth that is poisonous to the tree. What 

 we said last year as to the matter of planting 

 trees we repeat: There are a great many 

 hobbies that are passing current as coin iu 

 orchard matters that should be exploded, 

 which are yearly repeated by nurserymen and 

 newspapers about digging immense holes and 

 putting trash under trees, etc. Our advice 

 is, don't put any manure or other trash under 

 trees when you plant them. Put no 



manure or rubbish into the holes about the 

 roots. Plant the tree at about the same depth 

 as it grew, in clean soil, laying the roots in a 

 natural position pointing a little downward. 

 Y'.ni may put all the manure on the surface, 

 after the tree is planted, that you please, but 

 remember, never put manure next to the 

 roots nor under the tree in our dry climate. 

 Tread the soil firmly about the tree so that 

 the winds shall not shake it loose in the soil, 

 particularly where the soil is light. Prepar- 

 ing of the soil for an orchard, we believe it 

 best to plow deep, narrow furrows, and cross- 

 plow and haiTOw, with long teeth, weighted 

 harrows, so as to thoroughly pulverize the 

 soil. At any rate, let the pulverization of 

 the soil be perfect, whether you plow deep or 

 shallow. 



vour 



As to the after care and treatment, keep the 

 surface of the soil throughout the orchard 

 loose and light, and free from weeds, all 

 through the season, and especially during 

 Spring and Summer. Never sow gi-ain or 

 grass in the orchard, no matter who advises 

 it. If the laud is naturally moist, or can be 

 irrigated, vegetables may be planted and kept 

 cultivated between the rows; but on dry soil, 

 let the trees have all the advantage of clean, 

 well-pulverized soil, so that they can resist the 

 drouth of Summer and grow rapidly. An or- 

 chard stunted while young can never fully 

 recover. The best preventative against borers 

 is to shade the stem of the trees. This can 

 be best done by winding strips of cloth about 

 the trunk, from the ground up to the limbs. 

 Be sure to cover the base of the tree, as the 

 borers are most likely to attack the tree close 

 to the ground. Another good way is to put 

 two clap-boards on the south and we.st sides. 

 Set them firmly into the ground; they will 

 shade the trunks for years, and prevent borers 

 as well as keep the. bark fresh and healthy. 

 Selecting the trees is a matter of very much 

 importance. Let every tree be of healthy 

 growth and of symmetrical form. Stunted 

 trees, or such as look bad in the nursery, are 

 seldom worth having at any price. 



FOK A EAMILY OKCHAJSD. 



Apples— Sfrtj/ — Three Ked Astrachan ; 2 

 Rod June; '2 White Astrachan; 2 Golden Pip- 

 pin; 3 Skinner's SeetUing, or Maidens' Blush; 

 1 Gravenstein; 1 e.arly Sweet Bow, for baking. 

 The Golden Pippin is a very tart apple, mak- 

 it desirable for cooking and drying. It does 

 not dry white as some; not so fine for market 

 as for hoiue use. The Gravenstein falls from 

 the tree badly before ripening, but is fine for 

 eating. Skinner's Seedling hangs well to the 

 tree; is an extra eating and cooking apple. 



Karly n'inkr Applea—Ct Yellow Bellflower; i 

 Johnathan. Laie KeejiiiKi Appk.'i— 10 Yellow 

 Newton Pippins: ;i White Winter Pearmain; 

 1 Nickerjaek, and 1 late Talman's Sweet. 

 This makes 31 apple trees, all extra good kinds 

 for California. There are other sorts, favor- 

 ites with some. Of course we advise each 

 person to have a treee of his favorite in addi- 

 tion to this list. 



The apples that dry white, and are iu de 

 mand by the .\ldeu facto.ues for dessieaticm, are 

 Skinner's Seedling, Gravenstein, Smith's 

 Cider, Fall Pippin and Yellow Bellflower. 

 For an apple orchard for profit, where winter 



