160 Fruit-growing in Arid Regions 



a foot above where the cions are to be placed. This 

 saves some time, and by hauling the brush out before 

 the grafts are set, it saves some of them from being knocked 

 out by careless men in removing it later. When ready 

 to graft, the stub is recut from a foot to eight inches 

 lower. 



Protecting the Body. Since the removal of any con- 

 siderable part of the top often exposes the body of the 

 tree to the direct rays of the sun, it is well in the arid 

 regions to whitewash the trunk and main branches. The 

 whitewash reflects the rays of the sun, and by such an 

 application many cases of sun-scald may be avoided. 

 (See Formula, p. 390.) The wash can best be applied 

 with a spray pump. A good coating can only be secured 

 with two applications, the second to follow as soon as the 

 first is dry. 



Cion Wood. In this connection, it is well to say a 

 word about the selection of cion wood for grafting. The 

 man who is interested in his bearing orchard has early 

 learned that the individual trees in the plantation show 

 a great variation, especially in productiveness, and very 

 often in the size, color, and quality of the fruit. Some 

 of this variation may be accounted for in various ways, 

 but, after all, we are coming to believe that, environ- 

 mental conditions being equal, no two trees are constitu- 

 tionally alike in bearing habits. It is a natural variation. 

 There are trees that never bear well, and cions from such 

 trees will, no doubt, produce trees very much like them. 

 Mark your favorite trees and select cion wood from them. 



The cion wood should be one year old, strong and well 

 matured, but not overgrown. The terminal shoots from 



