THE J,KMON IN CALIFORNIA — PRUNING. 175 



that is necessar_v, except annually to clean out any wood in 

 the tree which has got through being useful to the tree, always 

 remembering that the best fruit of the lemon comes from the 

 inside of the tree and nearest the ground." 



The lemon tree being a strong and vigorous plant, requires 

 liberal irrigation and above all, judicious pruning, for almost 

 before a person is aware of it, long straggling branches will 

 hinder cultivation, and must be cut back, thereby entailing an 

 absolute waste and greatly lessening the vitality of the tree. 

 To prevent this waste and loss, the ends of the branches 

 should be pinched off at the proper time, and with such dis- 

 cretion as will result in forming a symmetrical and well- 

 balanced top. Great care should also be taken in thinning 

 out the small and weak branches, so as to afford circulation 

 and allow sunshine to penetrate. Pinching off the ends of the 

 limbs will cause them to throw out spurs, thereby bringing the 

 fruit nearer the body of the tree. 



*"\Ve have learned from observation that the lemon tree 

 produces its best fruit on twigs or small branches in the interior 

 of the tree. To get any considerable quantity of such twigs we 

 must cut back the branches, for the habit of the tree is to send 

 out long shoots that fruit on the end, often leaving two or three 

 feet without a break. The fruit that grows on these branches 

 is largely culls. If the branches are properly cut back, the 

 bodv of the tree will probably fill up with fine wood, which 

 will furnish bearing surface for all the fruit that the tree can 

 properly mature. 



"Two difficulties have confronted us as growers: one, that 

 much of our fruit does not attain the proper size before we are 

 obliged to pick it in order to prevent its deteriorating in quality; 

 and the other, that our crop is ready to gather too late for one 

 market and too early for another, or during the early winter 

 months. The former of these difficulties can probably be largely 

 overcome, and the latter by somewhat reducing the bearing 

 surface of the tree and bringing the fruit nearer to the source of 

 supply. All experiments along this line go to show that both 

 the grade and size of the lemon are improved by the process. 

 Many lemons, from being too small or too highly colored before 

 picking, go into the second grade or culls that otherwise should 



*J. W. Freeman, in " Pacific Rural Press," April 2.5, 1897. 



