54 ORANGE CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 



rapid the growth, the more moisture is required ; but his expe- 

 rience showed that the thrifty trees had sent their roots deeper 

 into the earth, and had gathered an abundance of moisture, 

 while the less thrifty trees, having more circumscribed roots, 

 feel more quickly the lack of moisture. He had had no experi- 

 ence in mulching, but believed it would pay to cultivate thor- 

 oughly and enrich the soil, as less irrigation would be needed 

 under such treatment, and a much more rapid growth would 

 be secured. 



Mr. Carter, of San Gabriel, believed it to be injurious to trees 

 to put water next to their trunks. He irrigated some trees, and 

 killed part of them, by running the water too long around the 

 trees. 



Mr. Thomas had been examining orange groves extensively 

 during the past ten days. Pasadena had the best system of 

 irrigation in the county. The trees in that settlement were 

 making the best growth, considering the quantity of water used, 

 of any he had ever seen. If all the water could be used as 

 economically and effectually as the stream is used that supplies 

 Pasadena, there would be enough to irrigate every acre of land 

 in the county. Less irrigation would be necessary if people 

 would cultivate more. He believed in winter irrigation, and 

 that ground should be thoroughly soaked at a time of the year 

 when water is most abundant. 



Remarks by J. W. North : "The application of water to the 

 earth's surface, in the mode and time and in quantity to produce 

 the best result in this State, may very properly be termed the 

 grand art of husbandry and horticulture. The study of this art 

 is especially called for in our portion of the State, and here are 

 its greatest achievements; yet we are only in the infancy of 

 knowledge on this subject. The adequacy of our water supply 

 is little known. The arts by which it can be raised from great 

 depths, in quantities for irrigation, are but imperfectly under- 

 stood, yet they are being constantly improved upon and are 

 already much advanced. The application and control of run- 

 ning streams, and the art of making them the most useful, are 

 yet, to those best informed, in the experimental stage ; but they 

 are being studied with increasing care and assiduity. Upon 



