CALIFORNIA AVOCADO ASSOCIATION 



31 



I hope the owners of the young groves which are now reaching the 

 bearing age will keep careful records which can be published by this As- 

 sociation from time to time. 



Pruning. — In every fruit industry there always are different ideas 

 on pruning. This is often brought about by the individual habits of vari- 

 eties. The avocado certainly shows considerable variation, and it is to be 

 expected that some varieties will be discarded on account of undesirable 

 growth. There are, however, certain general principles to be followed in 

 forming the framework. The trees should be allowed to branch from 20 

 to 30 inches above the ground, and even higher in some varieties which 

 have a drooping habit. These four or more branches will form the main 

 body of the tree. Next the main limbs should be forced to branching not 

 more than 2 feet from the trunk. This can easily be done by pinching 

 out each terminal. The small lateral branches produced in this manner 

 will carry numerous fruit spurs, and largely increase the bearing surface. 

 Some valuable varieties which have a natural tendency of drooping, can 

 easily be controlled by light pruning to force the lateral branches. This 

 should be done every two or three months during the growing season. 

 When such trees are properly cared for, they produce beautiful compact 

 heads that are fully protected from sunburn. 



The question of topping the slender pyramid type such as the "Lyon" 

 is one which should be discussed. How high should they be allowed to 

 grow? Can they be forced into spreading, as the other varieties do, or 

 must they be allowed to grow extremely tall and plant more to the acre? 



Certain trees send out one branch which grows twice as fast as the 

 others, in some cases even dwarfing the main trunks. These should be 

 heavily pruned or entirely removed. 



All pruning should be done with very sharp tools, each cut being left 

 ei-tirely smooth and close to the bud which is left to make the next 

 growth. If the cuts are large they need painting over with a heavy 

 shellac or asphaltum tree paint. Many places are noticeable where the 

 limbs have been badly affected with die-back from lack of care. The 

 wounds will usually heal over in time; yet if not properly cared for, will 

 always contain a small portion of dead wood, which is subject to disease. 



In closing I wish to call attendtion to the value of tree records as 

 presented to the last meeting by Mr. Shamel. It is very important that 

 not only production records be kept, but special notes on the habit of 

 growth, results from pruning and many other equally important subjects. 

 Even as early as this the present season many budded trees are setting 

 fruit. There is bound to be variation, the records of which will greatly 

 help not only the individual grower, but the entire industry. 



DISCUSSION 



Mr. Whedon: Have you had any experience in irrigating when the 

 tree begins to set its fruit? Is it better to irrigate then or later? 



Mr. Barber: Has anyone had any experience along that line? 



Mr. Whedon: I will give you a little of my experience. I had a tree 

 that set half a dozen fruit as large as a small egg and I prided myself 

 on having the first avocados in the neighborhood. To my surprise in a 

 few weeks, they all dropped off. I then turned the water on and what 



