204 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT STATION. 



Intercalary Crops. Many growers have been raising melons and 

 other annual crops between the vines, especially during the first year 

 or two. It is doubtful whether this is good practice so far as the 

 success of the vines is concerned. Any crop which requires frequent 

 irrigations leads to the keeping of the top layer of soil unduly wet 

 and promotes the shallow rooting of the vines. It is possible that by 

 growing the intercalary crop in the middle of the row and irrigating 



Fig. 31. Cantaloupes, apricots, and grapes growing together. 



in such a way that the top soil near the vines is not moistened by each 

 application of water that no harm would be done to the vines when 

 young. Any crop which requires constant or frequent irrigation 

 should not be grown among bearing vines or the quality of the fruit 

 will suffer. 



Other growers make mixed plantings of fruit trees, peaches, 

 apricots, etc., with vines. There are indications that this may be a 

 good practice. The trees break the force of the wind and make it 

 easier to raise the vines and give them a suitable shape. 



Diseases of the Vine. So far no fungous disease of the vine of 

 any importance has been noted in Imperial County. The dryness of 

 the air during the growing and ripening season of the early grapes 

 makes it unlikely that there should ever be much trouble from this 

 source. The moister weather which occasionally occurs after mid- 

 summer might involve danger in this respect, but no fungous disease 

 has yet been called to the attention of the Experiment Station. 



