30 CALIFORNIA CITRUS CULTURE. 



not content unless all of the soil is mellowed everywhere, even up to the 

 very trunk of the tree. It is only in a mellowed, aerated soil that the 

 bacterial action, so necessary to root activity, can take place; so all 

 uncultivated area is waste land. He who leaves the earth under the 

 tree hard and uncultivated is satisfied with the "half loaf" when a 

 whole one is entirely within his reach. 



SCHEDULE OF CULTIVATION. 



The first cultivation of the calendar year will generally be when the 

 cover crop is plowed under in February. If a too wet soil forbids work 

 in February, then as soon thereafter as the soil is in condition to be 

 worked. This early plowing promotes rapid decay, as the moist soil 

 induces bacterial action, and is best done by the use of a disc plow, and 

 disc harrow following right after, as any other will tear up some of the 

 vetch, etc., which should be kept wholly under the surface soil. In 

 case cover crops are not grown, many prefer to plow in January. This 

 is a good time to plow under bone meal, tankage or other organic 

 fertilizers. The cultivation after this, until September, should be just 

 sufficient to preserve the four to six-inch dry earth mulch. Cultivating 

 at varying depths prevents the formation of irrigating hardpan, which 

 must never be permitted to form. Early deep plowing also helps to 

 prevent the formation of plow sole. Of course cultivation will follow 

 irrigation as soon as the soil can be worked without injury. In Sep- 

 tember the seed for the cover crop will be drilled in after the phosphates 

 have been placed deep down in the soil. These latter may be placed 

 in the furrows or drilled in in case one does not plow. If necessary, 

 the cover crop should be irrigated in the fall months, and if desired, 

 the crop can be grown in drills far enough apart to be cultivated. 

 Some excellent citrus growers are growing alfalfa in their orchards as 

 an experiment, in which case no cultivation is required, and bacterial 

 nitrogen is being manufactured in the soil every week of the year. In 

 this case much water must be at one 's command and most liberally used. 

 This is better grown in alternate rows of the orchard for three years, 

 then plowed under and the other rows utilized for alfalfa as before for 

 the same period. This practice has not been general at all, but some, 

 notably Mr. Hampton, of Corona, who have tried it have expressed 

 themselves well pleased. Dr. Hopkins suggests that alfalfa be grown 

 in a separate field, hauled to the orchard, arid worked into the soil. 

 He says it is as well to convert this into concentrated fruit products, 

 like oranges and lemons, as into beef, pork and mutton. 



