CALIFORNIA AVOCADO ASSOCIATION 



97 



susceptible to the caresses of Jack Frost, proved to be unaffected by the 

 torrid fervor of Old Sol. 



Third: In rows of same variety, age, planting and care, here and 

 there trees stood the burning heat remarkably well, while the next several 

 would have to be heavily trimmed, or cut back to stumps, — evidence that 

 some trees had a better start in life than others. 



Fourth: Certain of the varieties that have been much courted and 

 sought after in the past, but whose seeming fickleness has tried the patience 

 of all the Jobs in avocadodom, until they have become, metaphorically 

 speaking, outcasts of the avocado world, stood the "fire test" — and cold 

 lest, too — remarkably well. 



On the good old fashioned principle of "giving the de'il his due," I 

 give their names: Murrieta Green, Murrieta Purple, (Colorado), Dickey 

 No. 1 , and Meserve. Through all the freezes and fires of this freak year 

 1917, like veritable "fools fer luck," they stood up cheerily waving their 

 red bandanas (growing leaves) at me, and laughing hilariously, "Never 

 touched me!" 



Here are some of the comforting conclusions : 



First: The records show that such heat waves are far between, and 

 in well nurtured orchards the real maximum damage was the loss of crop 

 in a year when Uncle Sam and all the world is crying for every pound of 

 food that can be produced. 



Second: The extent of the disaster was the result of the sudden 

 change from a long, chilly spring and early summer, to the wholly unex- 

 pected and unprepared for outburst of seemingly long pent up heat. 



Third: In case of fire, play the hose on it. Trees that were treated 

 in this intelligent way were saved. The heat caught our orchard at the 

 end of an irrigating period, a few days after which we had trouble with the 

 water supply, and which gave us certainly an "unearned increment" of 

 trouble. I mention this fact in proof of the wisdom of treating the avo- 

 cado with hydropathy. 



Fourth : We have no good reason to be discouraged or deterred from 

 planting avocados. On the contrary, the extremes of heat and cold are 

 showing us what to plant. Buy the best. For a yearling pedigreed tree, 

 guaranteed, no producer is charging too much. Varieties sufficient to assure 

 fruit in every month of the year have proven their worth, some having shown 

 characteristics which might justify their being called "Salamander." 



Mrs. J. T. Stewart: The morning of the hottest day, the ther- 

 mometer registered 1 20 degrees in the shade, the Ojai fires in the foothills 

 contributing some of this heat. The varieties of avocados planted in the 

 orchard are: Fuerte, Taft, Puebla, Challenge, Rey, Knight, Dickey, 

 Ganter, Dickinson. These were heavily watered, and had a mulch over 

 the ground. None were burned, as the alfalfa mulch protected the trees 

 from reflected heat from the ground. None of the varieties were injured. 

 One hundred twenty trees were budded on the 1 8th of June, during the 

 hottest weather, with a result of 9 7 per cent successful. It is possible 

 that the trees have become accustomed to the heat during the summers m 

 San Fernando. 



A. F. Manz: Seedlings which had been watered just before the hot 

 weather were sunburned. Lemon trees were burned also. The heat did 



