20 



ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE 



An improved French Prune tree. Note its tendency to spread out and that the branches are inclined to hang down. 

 This is characteristic of this tree. Except to thin out interfering branches this tree has had very little pruning 

 in recent years. 



THE PRUNE 



Prunes and plums are so closely allied that remarks 

 pertaining to one fruit are equally applicable to the 

 other. Practically speaking the prune is characterized 

 by its sweet firm flesh and has the property of drying 

 and curing without the seed being removed. 



The varieties of prunes having their origin in France 

 seem to find conditions more congenial in the counties 

 clustering around San Francisco bay than in any other 

 part of the state. There are certain favored spots, 

 more particularly in the silty soils of the river bottom 

 in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, where the 

 prunes not only are very thrifty but are very dependable 

 in their production of crops. From a standpoint of 

 quality the dried product from the interior is inferior in 

 quality to the prune from the coast counties. One of 

 the strange anomalies in connection with the growing 

 of the French prune is that in the coast counties, even 

 with their much lower average of temperature units in 

 the summer months, the harvesting season commences 

 at least two weeks earlier than in the interior, while the 

 apricot in the same section is six weeks later in maturing 

 than the apricots in the interior valley counties. Trees 

 should be planted from twenty-four to thirty feet 

 apart. 



STOCKS 



It is very difficult for nurserymen outside of Cali- 

 fornia to grasp the situation concerning the demand 

 which exists for trees on different roots to meet soil 

 conditions. The answer is that in California the growing 

 of fruit is just as much a great commercial business and 

 is justr as much a staple as the growing of cotton and 

 sugar in the Southern States. 



The stability of the tree and its fruitfulness must be 

 guarded by the selection of a root best adapted to the 

 particular soil in which the growler contemplates plant- 

 ing, therefore the extreme care in securing the right 

 root. The Myrobolan root is preferred by most grow- 

 ers, although there are many soils on which this root is 

 used where the peach could be used to advantage. In 

 behalf of the peach root it may be said that the trees 

 are stronger growers than on the Myrobolan, although 

 not quite so long lived. There is another point which 

 must not be lost sight of and that is that there is a lack 

 of affinity of some varieties of prunes for the peach root j 

 among them may be mentioned Robe de Sargent, Im- 

 perial Epineuse, and Sugar. 



The Robe de Sargent lacks affinity for the almond 

 root, while the other two take well on this root and 

 make good unions. 



