PLANTING SEEDLINGS IN NURSERY 77 



wood of the previous season's growth, and planted in rows and in 

 well-prepared soil, as has already been described for the sowing 

 of fruit tree seeds. The cuttings should be taken before the sap 

 begins running in the winter. A cuttings about ten inches long, 

 four-fifths of its length buried in the ground, will answer. Be 

 sure that the ground is firmed well at the base of the cutting, but 

 keep the surface loose. Small wood is better than large, though, 

 of course, the extreme ends of twigs should be rejected usually. 

 Cultivation of cuttings is the same as that of seedlings, and bud- 

 ding, when the cuttings are to be used as stocks, is also governed 

 by the same rules. 



The orange and lemon can be grown from cuttings, but the 

 work is done during the summer while the ground is warm. Cut 

 from wood one or two years old ; set in open ground with partial 

 shade and give plenty of water (dry ground is death to their tender 

 roots), but be sure that there is free escape for surplus water. 

 Cuttings started in the warm weather and given partial shade and 

 plenty of irrigation are very apt to succeed. This method of grow- 

 ing these fruits is not, however, in wide use or favor. 



The propagation of the grape, olive and fig from cuttings will 

 be considered in the chapters on those fruits. 



Planting Out in Nursery. For planting out in nursery, the 

 term "spring" is given as the proper time, but in California it must 

 be remembered that spring is not any definite division of the year. 

 ''Spring weather" comes from the first of February to the first of 

 May, according to the latitude or elevation or exposure resulting 

 from local topography. Cherries may be ripe in Vaca Valley 

 before fruit trees put out leaves in Modoc county; and between 

 these extremes there are advents of spring in other places accord- 

 ing to the situation. These facts are more fully set forth in the 

 chapter on climate. Spring must be detected in the behavior of 

 vegetation and not by the calendar. When the tree buds swell and 

 the leaves appear, spring has come for that locality. But whether 

 one can plant his nursery then or not will depend upon the char- 

 acter of the soil and the condition of the rainfall for that season. 

 This varies much from year to year. As a rule, however, in most 

 parts where fruit is grown at present in large quantities, the heavy 

 cold rains will be over by the first of February, and then nursery 

 operations can commence if the soil is in good condition. If not, 

 the planter must wait until the soil is dry enough to work 

 nicely. There will, of course, be heavy rains after the first of 

 February; but they will only necessitate cultivation to loosen the 

 soil, if the nursery ground is well situated for drainage, and if it 

 is not it should not be used for this purpose. 



Supposing the ground has been deeply plowed and thoroughly 

 harrowed, as has been already described, the laying out of the 



