^ THE GARDEN BOOK OF CALIFORNIA 



crust to form after irrigation. In other words, I believe thai 

 while "water is king," in California, "cultivation" comes 

 close after as queen of the garden, and that the "man with 

 the hoe" — that same hoe wielded early and late — is the 

 man that will win success. The greatest success with trees 

 that I have noted in different parts of the country is where 

 either the deep culivation of the plow or the hand-work 

 with the hoe had kept the soil well stirred and open. Fur- 

 thermore, this treatment will greatly simplify and economize 

 the matter of irrigation. As for mulching, that is quite 

 another story. In the coast counties, unless the soil is poor 

 and needs the enrichment of manures or wood loam, I should 

 be chary of the use of mulches. Dry straw and leaves will 

 lie unrotted for years, and keep the earth too dry and loose. 

 On the contrary, near the mountains, where cold weather 

 and heavy rains lend aid to disintegration, the matter of 

 mulching would all depend upon the actual need and the con- 

 sideration of the expense item. In the interior valleys young 

 trees may well be protected from the heat of the direct rays 

 of the sun, and if the nights are frosty, some tender sorts 

 might need to be covered, but all this depends upon varieties, 

 and the advice of the nearest nurseryman should be sought. 

 Generally speaking, however, I would not "coddle" trees 

 any more than I would children. Give them good, whole- 

 some food and water and ordinary protection, and then let 

 nature do the rest. Near the sea, protection against wind is 

 often needful to make a right start, but with due regard to 

 choice of varieties the young tree soon gets so it may depend 



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