178 STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 



branches; but seldom leave more than eight inches, and often 

 only oni.' or two buds. The one great mistake made by some 

 in cutting back heavily is to shear off the crown of the tree 

 year after year, causing it to grow thicker and thicker each 

 year, sacrificing all of the lateral fruit growth and the fruit 

 growth inside the tree. 



"In cutting trees three years old and upward, one must 

 understand the nature of the tree especially, or he will leave 

 too much foundation for new growth. After the new wood is 

 dormant it should be thinned out, leaving plenty of lateral and 

 inside growth, but taking out everything from the top that has 

 a tendency to shoot upward, especially large wood. The idea 

 is to keep the top down and work for a lateral growth, always 

 keeping out suckers and large young wood. Above all do not 

 try to form any more branches by utilizing a sucker to fill in a 

 vacancy; better let time fill it up with the old wood, or grub out 

 the tree and put in a new one. 



" During pruning, use very little water, if any, until the first 

 growth is dormant. I believe there is a great mistake made 

 in watering lemon trees at just the wrong time. Until they 

 are in full bearing they do not require much water. I think 

 the majority of growers will agree with me that the time to 

 water the lemon tree is when dormant; then a good, healtliy 

 stock of wood is secured; but it requires more lalior keeping out 

 suckers. I think the time will come when lemon-growers in 

 irrigation districts will build their own private reservoirs that 

 they may be able to use tlie water when needed. 1 have made 

 the assertion that a lemon tree needs more Avater than the 

 orange, and it is very evident, for the reason that when a lemon 

 tree comes into bearing it is capable of producing, at the same 

 age and with the same care, two or three times as much fruit 

 as the orange, and is setting fruit all through the year.'' 



G. W. Garcelon, a pioneer lemon-grower of Riverside, says: 

 "After the tree is set, let it grow. As soon as suckers appear, 

 remove them, although some growers leave them for a time to 

 protect the trunk of the tree from the sun. Rather burlap the 

 trunks and let the growth come from the top, which will con- 

 stitute two thirds of the tree. Allow all top growtn to remain, 

 except shortening-in any too luxuriant branches, or winds will 

 prune for you, and more than is desirable. Now this is all 



