CALIFORNIA AVOCADO ASSOCIATION 



79 



water would come down the hillside and settle in the soil where the avo- 

 cados were grown. The roots were all rotted out when removed. 



A customer of mine, who bought a few trees complained that they 

 were not doing well. On looking them up I found he had not been giving 

 them enough water, and had just sprinkled them every day. The ground 

 was very hard. One should use judgment in the application of water. 



W. A. Spinks: Like Mr. Beck, I must differ with Dr. Keller as to 

 the amount of water required. Several years ago I visited Honolulu and 

 spent some weeks in investigating the avocado. I was much in the com- 

 pany of Mr. Higgins, who for fourteen years had been in charge of the 

 department in the Experiment Station which had to do with the culture of 

 avocados. He told me that his experiences led him to believe that the avo- 

 cado required much less water than citrus trees. My own experience since 

 that time has tended to confirm this belief. This year I had one row of 

 eight-year-old trees which has received water but once, and they seem not 

 much different from the others which have received water several times. 

 They show a little less growth perhaps, and it must be remembered also 

 that my soil is heavy, retaining the moisture a long time. I do not recom- 

 mend so little water as only once during the summer, but cite this instance 

 to show that the avocado in certain soils can live and apparently not suffer 

 with very little water. I believe I have seen more definite damage done 

 to avocado trees from over-watering than from under-watering. 



The drip system of irrigation is my own invention and I believe is 

 valuable for certain kinds of work. It is especially important to save water 

 and where the planting is on a hillside or any place that it is difficult to 

 comply with ordinary methods. At the present time, the high price of pipe 

 makes it rather impracticable. 



J. T. Whedon: If I were planting a new grove, I would plant 30 feet 

 apart, and 1 5 feet apart in the rows. The rows would run north and south, 

 because in Yorba Linda, the "northers" blow from the east. This method 

 of planting would give a windbreak in a few years every 30 feet. I would 

 then run a line of pipe in the center of the rows with a stand 6 feet high in 

 each square, and water by spray where the pressure is sufficient ; otherwise I 

 would run a furrow to each tree and use the basin system for both water- 

 ing and fertilizing. 



As a protection against sunburn, I use the Wickson formula for white- 

 wash, 30 pounds unslaked lime, 5 pounds salt, 4 pounds tallow. Com- 

 mencing with the third year, if the trees are not headed out too high, they 

 will protect themselves against sunburn and aid very greatly agamst wind- 

 storm. 



T. U. Barber: The constant drip irrigation which Dr. Keller is prac- 

 ticing will develop what are often termed water shoots, a soft fast growth 

 which is very much more subject to damage by both frost and wind than 

 the slower natural growth producing a hard and resistant wood suitable for 

 the best tree development. I am sure v/e all hope the winter will be mild 

 so that Dr. Keller will not have to grow new trees. 



Most of the irrigation systems in California are worked on a monthly 

 distribution basis; therefore the orchards in which it would be possible to 

 irrigate by the drip system are very limited. 



The constant drip irrigation under discussion will show very poor re- 



