PREFACE 



Dear Reader, I am about to enter upon one of the 

 most important subjects that has ever been dealt with 

 in the State of California. My purpose is to give to 

 the citrus grower a more perfect understanding of the 

 nature of his tree. We all realize that life is practi- 

 cally the same to all things that have life. No, doubt, 

 my readers will be somewhat surprised to read some 

 things concerning the facts laid down by nature, as it 

 has not, so far in the history of all times, been 

 made as clear as it should have been. There is only 

 one way in which we can obtain absolute facts con- 

 cerning the life of a tree, as books, periodicals and 

 science differ so greatly upon their construction of life 

 and health concerning trees and plants. It has been 

 my pleasure for the past sixty years to study the won- 

 derful book called "NATURE" and to not copy from 

 any writer. 



We can only understand our soils, our plants, our 

 trees and our shrubs by the careful study of our soil 

 conditions and our distributions of the many elements 

 connected therein. We all have a natural understand- 

 ing and as quick as the facts are thrown in front of 

 us with this natural understanding we can readily 

 take the values therein. 



The writer, when a little boy, had a grandfather 

 who so loved the trees that he became a nurseryman 

 and grew the first nursery stock grown in western Illi- 

 nios. The writer at six years became very fond of this 



