solution to spread easily. The primer is a tree surgeon who must tend 

 the wounds he has made. 



The young growth should be clipped with the definite idea of 

 developing a close and systematic head. Suitable clipping during the 

 early and rapid stages of growth of sprouts and stray branches should 

 obviate almost entirely the need of pruning. 



Propping Propping of overladen trees is an essential feature of 



Overladen orchard work. Adjustable props made of wood have 



Trees. taken the place of the old style willow poles. The props 



are so arranged that the ends rest under the tree and do 



not interfere with the cultivator, as they did when placed surrounding 



the tree on the outside. 



Improvement Stock may be improved by budding. As before 

 by said, care should be taken in buying nursery stock 



Budding. that the trees be true to name ; but if upon coming 



into bearing they are not, or do not bear well, they 

 should be cut back and budded over. Many different varieties of 

 oranges may be grafted on one tree. An orange tree may be budded 

 to lemons, or a lemon tree to oranges, according as one crop is more 

 profitable than the other. This is something of a gamble, as it can- 

 not be determined by one year's sales which way the market will go 

 the next. 



This bulletin is restricted in length and for directions for budding 

 the reader is referred to "The Culture of the Citrus in California," 

 which contains full information with illustrations. ' 



IRRIGATION, CULTIVATION AND FERTILIZATION. 



Orange Raising The raising of the orange in California should only 

 Partially be attempted in districts where irrigation is pos- 



Artificial. sible. The tree is a native of tropical forests, 

 where it grows in warm soil and obtains abundant 

 moisture ; and its successful culture in California, which lacks sum- 

 mer rains and moisture-laden atmosphere, is necessarily in a degree 

 artificial, and may be regarded as a notable triumph of modern horti- 

 culture. 



How to Cultivate Cultivation and irrigation are closely related to 



and each other. In order to achieve the best results, 



Irrigate. water should be applied in sufficient but not 



excessive amounts; and deep irrigation as well 



as cultivation will keep the feeding roots as low as possible. The 

 depth of cultivation should vary from year to year ; twelve inches, 

 eight inches, ten inches, fourteen inches, eight inches, twelve inches, 

 ate. Such variation in cultivation puts an end to much of the out- 

 ery against "hardpan," which frequently is not hardpan at all, but 

 only the well-known "plow-sole," which comes from plowing to the 

 same depth each time, with the added aggravation of shallow irriga- 

 tion. Experience shows that the best results with irrigation are ob- 

 tained where water is slowly run in deep furrows, and the greater 

 part of the surface is kept dry and deeply cultivated. With this 



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