899 



Many i 



ag plants in the 

 u' native grasses to 

 I I uits, as beggar-weed 

 t beans, etc., part of 

 toi li J} , the rest left to add 

 IS later plowed under. In 

 late autumn most growers apply 

 fertilizer, usually composed of 

 sulfate of potash, sulfate of am- 

 monia and bone-black, which is 

 broadcasted at the rate of 800 to 

 1,500 pounds per acre. This fer- 

 tilizer is not wasted by the ac- 

 tion of the sun, and is either 

 left on the surface to be washed 

 in by rain or is mixed in the 

 soil by h:irrow or turning-plow. 

 Fertilizinij is also done in the 

 e.irly suiiimer. and occasionally 

 a third u;iplication is made be- 

 fore ripening of the fruit, but 

 the rule is, two applications per 

 year of about the same amount 

 each. E. N. Reasoxer. 



L FORNIA. 



for h: 

 tl t the cu 



-Tlv 



1260. Floral details 

 aa, stamens; b, pistil. 

 iLMi-i have 



bee 



II - ii - liiily during 



I I iiisiderable 



1 t uce. Till II I'lwn by the 



t lit, which iii'liiii.r. iri.u! :i iiuarter of 



a t es and about a uiilliou non-bearing 



i\ n the aggregate of Lemon planting in 



The e ly product consisted of seedlings 



of ex essive size, with juice of low acid 



1 f narked bitterness. The closest at- 



ue afterwards, to the tcstinir of the 



n 1 the varieties Ijrouglit from the Medi- 



n to secure acceptable size, thinness of 



e 1 n from bitterness, with high percen- 



a d n the juice. The result was that a 



et e were found and they were demon- 



1 1 n these characteristics to the imported 



Then, f.ir tin- tirst time, California 



mil. rr with the imported fruit, 



t LiMUMii^ l..'_-:in upon a large scale. 



v'vi- tii-~t ^ui>iilied, overland ship- 



1 ken, and the fruit was found to be 



Calitn.i ,,: .;:-.-.i~ ||:i-i- altinnril i], ii|»Ution with 



1. I.I III ii.hL|iiiiti..ns of climatic and soil conditions to 

 rli. i,-r..\\ili lit till' l..'inon have required long and close 

 >tuily tiiid rx]".iiiin'iitation. The Lemon is less hardy 

 than tlie oranf;e, and will suffer seriously with degrees 

 of frost which the orange will endure. Almost frostless 

 situations are, therefore, most promising. The Lemon 

 will reach perfection in a region where the summer 

 heat may be slightly less than required to develop sat- 

 isfactory sweetness in the orange. These desiderata of 

 very light frost and somewhat lower summer tempera- 

 ture are found to coincide in places most open to ocean 

 influences in southern California. Roughly speaking 

 then, the Lemon region is on or near the coast and the 

 orange region in interior valleys. Differentiation in 

 planting these two fruits has proceeded along these 

 lines quite largely, though it is still true that in certain 

 places most excellent Lemons are grown at interior 

 points and most excellent oranges near the coast. The 

 orange has proved to be, however, rather more easily 

 grown and prepared for market than the Lemon, and on 

 the whole, more profitable, perhaps; so that these facts 

 are to be properly included when an effort is made to 

 account for the disposition of those owning Lemon or- 

 chards in the interior to work them over to the orange. 



A light warm loam is best suiteil to the trrowtli of the 

 Lemon, while the orange root s.-i-m-^ t.> Im- ;i<l;ii>ted to a 

 range of heavier soils. This was ..f innri' iii.iini iit when 

 the practice was to grow the L.iih.m .mi ii^ ..wii roots, 



either fr.-iii euttini;s or by budditiu' "n s iliiii; Lemon 



stock. r::ii lii. i.iiiiluctjou of a Lemon tree of less 

 rioti.ii— ' I uit of less average size and, withal, 



ahciili stitisfactory tree, was found to be 



attain. I i .hl ii range seedling as a stock for the 



Leiii..ii II. .. .ui.l tills is the universal practice at the 

 ]n-esLtit tiiuc. Propagation is by the ordinary process 

 lit building on a seedling root two or three years old. 

 Dist.iuces ..if planting in the orchard differ somewhat 

 according to the judgment of growers, but about 100 

 trees to the acre is the average. 



Pruning the Lemon has been a vexed problem with 

 the growers for years. The tree is naturally of rangy 

 growth, running out long leaders which afterwards as- 

 sume a pendent form and are toss,-. I about in tlie wind, 

 to the detriment of both tree ami fruit, wlii. Ii is apt to 



come at the ends of the long, pliant si s. Thus an 



uupruned Lemon orchard beconi.-s alm.ist iiiij.i-netrable 

 for necessary orchard work. This is in marked contrast 

 to the growth of the orange, which is more compact and 

 symmetrical, and needs but slight regulation after a 

 good form is secured in the young tree. Regular 

 shorteniug-in of the branches of tlie L.-inon is therefore 

 necessary, followed by thinnitig ..f tlic n. w shoots, so 

 that the tree shall not make too nniny li.ai in- twigs and 

 become too dense in the center. In ilmt \\.i\ the fruit 

 can be kept within easy reach, tm.l th.' l.nni.'hes stiff 

 and strong to carry it. 



Ample irrigation and frequent cultivation to prevent 

 evaporation afterwards are essential to thrift and bear- 

 ing of the Lemon in California. Neglected trees lose 

 their leaves and pi-ematurely ripen fruit lacking in 

 juice. 



Scores of varieties have enjoyed fleeting popularity in 

 California and now not more than six are largely grown ; 

 viz., Villa Franca, Lisbon, Eureka, Genoa, Messina and 

 Bonnie Brae. Of these, the first three constitute prob- 

 ably four-fifths of the crop. 



The preparation of the Lemon for marketing has been 

 a matter of discussion and experiment for years. The 

 bulk of the crop ripens in the winter: the time to sell 

 Lemons is in the summer. The Lemon ripened on the 

 tree has very poor keeping quality. Both for meeting 

 the market demand and to secure a fruit which will en- 

 dure shipping. Lemons need storage for a considerable 



