Soils, Fertilizers and Irrigation 183 



Irrigated or Non-Irrigated Trees. 



Is there any difference between the same kind of fruit trees grozvn 

 without irrigation and zvith it? 



It does not make a particle of difference, if the trees are grown 

 well and matured well. Over-irrigated trees or trees growing on land 

 naturally moist may be equally bad. Excessively large trees and 

 stunted trees are both bad; with irrigation j-ou may be more likely to 

 get the first kind; without it you are more likely to get the latter. 

 There is, however, a difference between a stunted tree and a well- 

 grown small tree, and as a rule medium-sized trees are most desirable 

 than overgrown trees. The mere fact of irrigation does not make 

 either good trees or bad trees: it is the man at the ditch. 



Too Little Rather Than Too Much Water. 



Looking through an orchard of i8-year-old prune trees on river- 

 bottom land, I found a number of the trees had died. A well bored in 

 the orchard strikes water at about 15 feet. I find no apparent reason for 

 the death of these trees unless it is that the tap roots reach this body of 

 ivater and are injuriously affected thereby. 



We do not believe that water at 15 feet depth could possibly kill 

 a prune tree. It is more likely that owing to spotted condition of 

 the soil, gravel should occur in different places, and with gravel three 

 or four feet below the surface a tree might actually die although 

 there was plenty of water at a depth of 15 feet. There is more danger 

 that the trees died from lack of water than from an oversupply of 

 it, and it is quite likely also that you could pump and irrigate to 

 advantage large trees which did not seem to be up to the standard 

 of the whole place, as manifested by lack of bearing, smallness of 

 leaves, which would be apt to turn j'ellow too early in the season. 



Possibly Too Much Water, 



My trees are four years old and are as folloivs: Peach, fig, loquat, 

 apple, apricot and plum. Last year they had plenty of blossoms, but I 

 got no fruit. I aht.>ays zvatered them twice a week in summer. 



You are watering your trees too much; stimulating their growth 

 too much, and this, while a tree is young, is apt to postpone its fruit 

 bearing. Give the soil a good soaking about once a month, unless 

 you are situated in a sandy or gravelly soil, in which more frequent 

 applications may be necessary. 



Too Little Water After Dynamiting. 



In planting almonds on a dry hard soil I dynamited the holes and 

 ran about 200 gallons of water into each hole before planting. About 

 95 per cent of the trees started growth, but seem nozv to be in a some- 

 zvhat dormant state, the leaves of some being slightly zviltcd. All the 

 trees were watered since planting. I have been told I made a mistake by 



