CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



In my own experience there is no single operation in connection with 

 fruit growing of more importance than thinning. The past season, in order 

 to test the difference in expense of preparing large and small peaches for 

 drying, I timed the cutting, and found it took double the time ; hence, double 

 the expense, which meant a difference of about $15 per ton of dried fruit. 

 Add to this a difference of two cents per pound in price makes $55 per 

 ton. Suppose an orchard under good treatment produces a ton of peaches 

 to the acre, then $55 would represent the difference in profits. Unthinned or 

 small fruit is certainly undesirable. 



As to how much thinning should be done there are diverse opinions. 

 Some take off one-half, others three-fourths. Some growers thin to meet 

 a certain ideal, but find it difficult to explain in words. The common rule 

 if leaving a specimen of fruit every four or six inches is a safe rule ; that 

 means many must come off. Different conditions of soils, climates and irri- 

 gation vary the amount to thin out more or less. More may be left where 

 the tree is on land giving a strong, vigorous growth. 



In thinning peaches I have been practicing a method that, gives good 

 results and is easily learned. The peach bears on three sizes of branches, 

 that are one-eighth, three-sixteenths, and one-fourth of an inch in diameter. 

 The first has two peaches, the second three, and the third four ; this, of 

 course, after there has been a judicious course of pruning and the trees 

 under irrigation ; trees on dry land should have only one-half as many left. 

 To reach this result often a dozen may have to come off, allowing only two 

 to remain. The more there are the greater necessity for thinning. 



The time for thinning peaches is as soon as one can be sure which are 

 likely to remain on the tree and which will drop of their own accord. 



IRRIGATION OF THE PEACH 



As the peach is the greatest deciduous fruit of the interior val- 

 leys and foot-hills, it is also the deciduous fruit which is chiefly 

 grown with irrigation. Most of the specific conclusions set forth 

 in Chapter XV. are based upon experience with the peach and the 

 reader is advised to consider them from that point of view. One 

 of the most important points of success in irrigating the peach is 

 to use enough water earlier in its growth so that application need 

 not be made within about three weeks of ripening. Enough water 

 before that will usually insure size on properly thinned trees and 

 the withholding of water near ripening will secure good quality. 

 After the crop is gathered, irrigation can be resumed to continue 

 the late summer growth for next year's fruit buds and to save the 

 tree from injury during the long autumn drouth. 



WORKING OVER PEACH TREES 



The fashion in peaches changes from time to time according 

 to the demands of the canners of the market for dried fruit. The 

 grower often finds varieties which he first selected, less healthy, 

 less productive, or, for other reason, less desirable than others. 

 There is, therefore, often occasion for working over trees. Bud- 

 ding is often resorted to, buds being successfully set in quite old 

 wood, providing buds from well-matured wood are taken. Wood 

 buds from young trees unaccompanied by fruit are best, but 

 because of greater certainty of securing the variety desired, it is 

 common to take wood and fruit buds together from bearing trees. 



