TREES AND SHRUBS 321 



growth, tend to retard the development of fruit-buds for 

 the ensuing year. Fruit-buds seem to develop more 

 rapidly when growth is slow, due perhaps to the fact that 

 rapid growth consumes the supply of stored food, which 

 is necessary in constructing wood or buds. It is the general 

 opinion that young peach orchards should not be watered 

 after August 1, and that apples or pears should not ordi- 

 narily be watered after August 15. Withholding water, 

 from these dates, enables the trees to ripen their fruit 

 properly, and to produce fruit of high color and fine 

 quality. If the soil is well stored with moisture early in 

 August, the trees are not likely to suffer if no further 

 irrigations are applied. A light green color and dead 

 edges of the leaves and the shriveling of the young fruit 

 are evidences that the soil moisture supply is so low 

 that the root-hairs are drying up. No harm comes to 

 a tree that has been irrigated well up to the middle of 

 August, even if the soil becomes very dry thereafter, 

 although occasionally, under such conditions, the leaves 

 become yellow and fall before frost comes. This, how- 

 ever, does not injure the tree, and need not worry the 

 farmer. 



Citrous trees are really evergreens. They make their 

 chief growth in autumn, when the deciduous tree rests. 

 Citrous trees are always active. Transpiration goes on 

 practically the whole year and such trees must, therefore, 

 be provided with water in summer and winter. This 

 increases the total water requirements and also the 

 number of tunes that irrigation should be applied. Com- 

 mon practice seems to be that, whereas deciduous fruits 

 are irrigated three or four tunes during the season, citrous 

 trees must be irrigated at intervals of about a month 

 each, leaving the wet season to take care of the trees 

 u 



