ROBBING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE 



63 



same amount of space between the trees, as a matter of 

 fact, as the trees develop, there is less room for culti- 

 vating and harvesting the crops. This is an important 

 item, in caring for the orchard and its production. 

 I would advise those wishing to plant trees by the 

 equilateral method, to do so with the idea of giving the 

 tree more room rather than of getting more trees to 

 the acre. 



The Washington Navel and other varieties of similar 

 growth should not be planted closer than twenty-two 

 feet apart. In such localities where the soil conditions 

 are good and there is every indication that the trees 

 will make a strong growth, plant twenty-four feet apart. 

 The Washington Navel is not usually a rapid or vigor- 

 ous growing tree. When planted in light alluvial soil 

 it makes a much larger tree than when growing in 

 heavier soils. 



The Valencia Late should be planted from twenty- 

 four to thirty feet apart, as it is a very vigorous and 

 strong growing tree. 



Lemon and pomelo trees, as they are both very 

 strong and rapid growers, should be planted at least 

 twenty-four feet apart. It is safe and probably advis- 

 able in most cases to plant them even a greater dis- 

 tance apart than this. 



The slow-growing varieties, such as Satsumas, Limes 

 and Kumquats, can be planted as close as fifteen feet 

 apart, as they never make very large trees. 



One idea should be borne in mind always, and that 

 is, that it is far better to waste a little ground, if one 

 might term it so, in getting an orchard planted seem- 

 ingly too far apart, than to have it too close. 



PRUNING 



If a tree is headed at twenty-eight inches from the 

 ground, all that is necessary to do is to cut the laterals 

 forming the head back to about six inches. In case the 

 tree in the nursery has been permitted to make a 

 straight stem and has not been headed back as it 

 should have been, then the top should be cut off to 

 within thirty inches of the ground to cause the tree to 

 form a head. 



High-headed trees are always objectionable, for they 

 not only expose much of the stem, causing sunburn, but 

 in addition to this the tree is retarded in acquiring a 

 sturdy, compact growth. 



In pruning, above all things do not be deceived into 

 the idea that the trees must be thinned out to admit air 

 and sun. The tendency of nearly all budded varieties 

 is to droop, so in shaping a tree cut to a lateral which 

 has an upward tendency. 



It seems too bad that there are thousands of acres of 

 citrus orchard in California which are not pruned be- 

 cause the grower is afraid to apply the shear to hold 

 rampant branches in check. 



In order to develop a well rounded, symmetrical tree 

 it is very important indeed to prune the tree regularly 

 every year until it is six years old. To establish a com- 

 pact, symmetrical orange tree, the straggling branches 

 should be shortened in rather severely the first year 

 after being set out, as this will cause the tree to force 

 out a number of strong, vigorous shoots. 



A one-year-old orange tree showing one year's growth in 

 the orchard. If these branches are allowed to grow un- 

 checked, the tree will be drawn out of shape. 



In the second year it frequently happens that one or 

 more of these shoots will grow to such an extent that 

 the tree is pulled out of shape, and it is only by cut- 

 ting this growth back severely that the shape of the 

 tree will be retained. 



The building up of the tree is secured by cutting 

 branches having a tendency to grow too close to the 

 ground, to an upper branch, and shortening this in. 

 The result of this method of pruning, if followed care- 

 fully, causes ambitious shoots to send out numerous 

 fruit-bearing laterals. The tree, when it reaches its 

 fifth year, should apparently present a mass of foliage, 

 with branches well distributed but not crowded. It is 

 as important to cut out dead branches and branchlets, 

 wriich will become very numerous, as it is to prune. 



Suckers, if too numerous and having a tendency to 

 draw the tree out of shape, should be removed entirely. 

 If, however, the suckers apparently help to fill out the 

 tree and build it up, they should be shortened in to con- 

 form with the natural growth of the tree. 



In its finality, a well pruned orange tree should pre- 

 sent a compact mass of foliage with none of the frame- 

 work branches exposed to view. 



PRUNING THE LEMON 



The tree is a straggling grower and the branches must 

 be held in check by a systematic annual pruning, for 

 if the tree is permitted to grow at will the fruit will be 

 at the ends of the long, unrestrained branches. 



There are many systems of pruning, but the funda- 

 mental principle is to produce a compact but not too 

 dense low-headed tree with a large amount of bearing 

 surface on easily accessible branches. 



When the tree is transplanted from the nursery to 

 the orchard the same directions as given for the orange 



