36 STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 



main stem with lateral branches, and also with branches 

 diagonal to the main stem, and it is very easy to prune to 

 make a symmetrical tree. But as I said before, I am cultivating 

 the lateral branches to hang down on the ground as a harbor 

 for ladybirds." 



Question: "Do you recommend the thinning out of the 

 brush?" 



" Yes. The tendency of the Mission olive on my place is to 

 grow very rapidly, and when limbs are full of fruit bend 

 downward, and you will find that one of the things you have 

 to avoid is not to allow these limbs to bear down." 



Question: "Do you sucker your trees?" 



" Always, except when very young. When we first plant 

 the tree we are very careful not to break anything off, because 

 the leaves of the tree are the lungs, and if you keep cutting 

 all the time before the tree is properly rooted it will not make 

 roots. The more brush and leaves you have, the more rapidly 

 will the roots grow, until the second year; then we begin to cut 

 away." 



Question: "With trees three, five, or six years old?" 



"About twice a year we sucker our trees." 



Question: ''In planting an olive tree do you cut it back very 

 heavily?" 



" Cut it all away to the cane. In no case do I allow it more 

 than four or five feet of height. Make it exactly like a walking 

 stick no leaves or branches." 



Method Applicable to the San Joaquin Valley.* "The 



trees before leaving the nursery should have all the lateral 

 branches shortened in from one to two inches and the top 

 should be cut back, as this prevents the evaporation of sap 

 through the foliage, and there is consequently very little lost in 

 transplanting. The best time to transplant olives is when 

 they are in the growing condition, from March 1st to May 1st, 

 as they then suffer but a very slight setback, will thrive much 

 better, and the percentage of loss will be much less than if 

 taken up in the dormant state. After planting, the trees 

 should be cut back to within sixteen or twenty inches from the 

 ground, or wherever it is desired that the head shall be formed, 

 and in the first year all growth starting close to the ground or 

 on the body of the tree should be allowed to remain, as it 



*George C. Roeding, before Fresno Farmers' Club, 1897. 



