BUD VAPJATIOF TX THE EUREKA LEMON. 



73 



would tend to increase the yield recorded for Decemljer. In those 

 same two seasons the time between the December and January pick- 

 ings was less than the normal period, resulting in a small recorded 

 crop in January. Table XIV shows that a 2-3%-inch ring was used in 

 picking the fruit in December, 1914, and for several months previous, 

 but in January, 1915, a change was made to a 2-|-|-inch ring. This 

 in itself would decrease the picking for that month more than half 

 what it would normally be if a ring of the same size as in the preced- 

 ing month had been used. The variations in the intervals between 

 the picking period in succeeding months and the changes in the size of 

 the ring used tend to make the data of monthly production within 

 the strains somewhat 

 variable, but these 

 variations do not 

 affect the compara- 

 tive studies between 

 the various strains. 

 It was the custom in 

 the orchard where 

 this plat was located 

 to ' ' clean up ' ' all fruit 

 of the Tree-Ripe 

 grade on the trees in 

 December and May, 

 and the same practice 

 was followed on the 

 study plat, as is 

 shown by the data for 

 those months. 



It wiU be seen that 

 there is considerable 

 variation between 

 the trees of some of the different strains in the period of their heaviest 

 production. The trees of the Eureka, Dense-Productive, and Small- 

 Open strains bear the largest proportions of their Green-grade fruit 

 from February to May, inclusive, while the trees of the Pear-Shape, 

 Shade-Tree, and Dense-Unproductive strains have their Green-grade 

 fruit more evenly distributed throughout the year, with their maxi- 

 mum production from August to December, inclusive. If the fruit 

 produced by the trees of the latter group of strains was desirable in 

 texture and quahty, tlieir increase in production in August and Sep- 

 tember would tend to increase their value. As a matter of fact, this 

 fruit is not only undesirable but the total production of the trees of 



Fig. 14. — Diagram showing the percentages of the total annual crop 

 of fruits of the Green grade produced each month by the trees of 

 the Eureka and Shade-Tree strains of lemons in the investigational 

 performance-record plat during the 3-year period from July, 1914, to 

 June, 1917, inclusive. 



