CALIFORNIA OLIVE CULTURE TRANSPLANTING. 31 



I know many will say there is not much left for show, which is 

 all very true, but I can assure you the result will prove very 

 satisfactory; the per cent of loss will be much less, and at the 

 end of two years they will be far ahead of trees planted shal- 

 low with full tops and branches. By this plan I have taken 

 olive trees from the nursery and planted them as late in the 

 season as May, with splendid success. But I would advise 

 planting as early in the season as possible, and when the trees 

 are dormant, January and February being the two best months. 

 By planting early we have the benefit of the winter rains to 

 settle the soil about the roots; settling the soil about the roots 

 with water is better than tramping." 



* u ln planting a young tree it is better not to disturb any 

 growing limbs or branches, because cutting them when the 

 tree is young interferes with the roots, and the orchardist will 

 understand that if he cuts away the limbs and destroys the 

 leaves he is destroying the breathing apparatus of the roots. 

 An untrimmed olive tree when small and commencing to root 

 will grow four times as fast without pruning than if pruned. 

 The more top it has the faster it will grow, for it feeds largely 

 from the leaves from moisture. After the second year, 

 though, it must be pruned. Those who cultivate the young 

 tree up to five and a half or six feet must, of course, pinch off 

 all the branches that are making wood rapidly, so as to force 

 the strength into one main trunk. When lateral limbs branch 

 out pinch them off at the end and stop the growth, but all small 

 branches should be left alone as much as possible until the tree 

 gets eight or ten feet high, and then commence cutting them 

 off. Those who want to prune low should start the trees out 

 from four to six inches from the ground and form four or five 

 main branches instead of one. I am not in favor of low pruning 

 of the olive in the coast counties. We have no fear of the 

 sunlight burning the bark. In ten years high pruning will 

 give twice as much tree as low pruning. It grows up to a bush 

 more than a tree, and these shoots vie with each other to get 

 up to sunlight. If the planter pinches them off up to four or 

 five feet he can form a much better tree.'' 



Hon. Ellwood Cooper, of Santa Barbara. 



