Fruit Growing 49 



that this basis of making contracts and sales is called the "four- 

 size basis." The advantage that results in having this method of 

 selling prunes can be seen by the fact that on a 5->:4-cent basis the 

 smallest of the four sizes will bring but 5 cents a pound, while 30-40s 

 would bring, without any premium, 8>i cents, and with 1 cent 

 premium, 9^ cents. This size has this season brought as high as 

 10 and 11 cents a pound. It may be noted here that no prunes are 

 actually sold at just the basis price, as they are worth either less or more 

 than this as they are smaller or larger than 80 to the pound. No 

 matter what the basis price is, there is a difference of one-half cent 

 between each size and the sizes nearest to it. 



Pollinizing Plums. 



Hozv many rows of Robe dc Sergeant prune trees shotild be alter- 

 nated with the French prune (the common dried prune of commerce) to 

 insure perfect fertilization of the blossoms? 



The French prune is self-fertile; that is, it does not require the 

 presence of other plum species for pollination of the blossoms. It 

 is the Robe de Sergeant prune which is defective in pollination 

 and which is presumably assisted by proximity to the French prune. 

 If you wish to grow Robe de Sergeant prunes your question of in- 

 terplanting would be pertinent, but if you desire only to grow French 

 prunes you need not plant the Robe de Sergeant at all. 



Cultivating Olives. 



How deep should an olive orchard be plowed? I zvas told that by 

 plowing deep I would injure my trees, in cutting up small rootlets and 

 fibres wliich the olive extends through the surface soil. Is tliis so or 

 not? 



Plowing olives is like plowing other trees, the purpose being 

 to get a workable soil deep enough to stand five or six inches of 

 summer cultivation, usually. If you have old trees which have never 

 been deeply plowed, you would destroy a lot of roots by deep plow- 

 ing, and you should not start in and rip up all the land at once. 

 You can gradually deepen the plowing, sacrificing fewer roots at a 

 time, without injuring the trees if they are otherwise well circum- 

 stanced. Small rootlets and fibres in the surface soil do not count; 

 they are quickly replaced, and if you do not destroy them, the whole 

 surface soil, if moist enough, will be filled with a network of roots 

 which will subsequently make decent working of the soil impossible. 



Moving Old Olive Trees. 



Would there be anything gained by transplanting old olive trees 6 to 

 8 inches in diameter over nursery stock? They would have to be shipped 

 from Santa Clara to Butte county and grafted. Would they come into 

 bearing any sooner and be as good trees? Could the large limbs be 

 used to advantage? Would the fact that they are covered tvith smut 

 cause any trouble? 



