1 70 ORANGE CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 



growth. Had this budding been done on a seedling orange, 

 and seedling buds been used, the difference in earliness of bear- 

 ing would be little, if any certainly no more than like pruning 

 to the stock would make. It is a well known fact that the con- 

 tinued excessive pruning of a tree will dwarf it and cause it to 

 bear early. Pruning is at best only a violent remedy, and when 

 standard trees are wanted it is useful only so far as it is neces- 

 sary in order to plow. The less pruning the better, provided 

 the trees have plenty of room. But I am digressing from my 

 subject. I wanted to show what effect the stock had upon the 

 fruit, in my experiment, and that the early bearing was owing 

 to the dwarfing of the tree the influence of the smaller stock. 

 On the other hand, take a seedling stock and use a bud of an 

 early-bearing variety one of a small growth, a dwarf habit, 

 and the result would be early-bearing qualities, with, perhaps, 

 some thrift from the seedling stock. I believe all early bearers 

 of the orange family are of a dwarf habit." 



Extracts from Mr. Carey's remarks: "This question is of 

 more than ordinary importance. It lies at the foundation of 

 successful orange culture in this country. The necessity of 

 solving the question becomes apparent when we consider the 

 interest of the many engaged in the business, and of those who 

 will yet engage in it, many of whom have invested or will 

 invest their all upon its promises of future reward. It cannot 

 be denied that orange culture is now one of the leading in- 

 dustries of Southern California, and that it will so continue "is 

 beyond question. It behooves us, then, to start right, so that 

 when our orchards begin to fruit the product will be of a uni- 

 formly good quality, of a class that will be in demand, and that 

 will enable us to compete with oranges from other portions of 

 the world. Orange culture is prosecuted vigorously, not only in 

 Australia and in other countries' across the ocean, and upon 

 many of the islands, but Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and 

 Texas are producing this fruit in great abundance, or are pre- 

 paring to do so. Look around us here and see how fast our 

 orange orchards are increasing in numbers and extent. Fifteen 

 years ago the Wolfskill orchard of two thousand trees was the 

 largest in the county. Now the Cooperative Nursery and Fruit 



