Becember 20 , 1888. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
569 
large size cannot be entirely cut down without inflicting on it great 
“jury, and possibly the operation may kill it ; but although a total 
deprivation of foliage may be fatal, the removal of one-half or even 
more of it may not be so : consequently, when a large Laurel or 
other shrub has so far outgrown itself as to be no longer orna¬ 
mental, becoming naked at the bottom, or otherwise unsightly, 
partial cutting-down is essential to appearance, and when it can be 
so managed as to leave some of the lower branches well clothed 
with foliage the energies of the plant soon repair the disaster. 
Perhaps of the shrubs which show most conspicuously the utility— 
nay, almost necessity of this plan—the Arbutus is as good an 
example as any. The part that was left may also be cut away in 
about two years afterwards. Phillyrea, Laurustinus, and some 
other shrubs generally succeed well under this treatment, the 
common Laurel especially so, and the Portugal Laurel does as well 
when thus treated as in any other way, but it is a plant rather 
impatient of cutting-in, although in every other respect amongst 
the hardiest we have. 
Perhaps the best time for cutting-in such evergreens may not be 
that adopted by us, but as it answers very well, and is attended with 
some advantages, there seems to be no objection to it. The begin¬ 
ning of April is the season at which we usually do such work. 
However well the cutting may be accomplished there cannot be 
any difference of opinion about the plant operated on looking 
badly for a time ; and, as it is advisable to reduce that period to 
the shortest possible space by not cutting the plants until shortly 
before they will continue to grow again, they are not long in a 
naked condition. I do not, however, affirm that they are any 
better when left till April. For the reason already given, observe 
in all cases where possible to retain some branches with leaves on, 
even if such branches have to be bent to the ground to hide their 
unsightliness. After the rest of the plant has grown for a year or 
so these old branches may be cut off if necessary. 
Laurel and other hedges of a formal and regular character ought 
to be cut with the knife, especially shrubs with large leaves, like 
the Laurel ; but when this cannot be done the shears may be 
employed. In the latter case it is best to cut the common Laurel, 
and I believe most other shrubs of a similar description, early in 
June, just before the growth is completed, so that a second crop of 
short shoots may be formed. This takes off the appearance of 
close raw cutting and hides the deformity caused by cut leaves. 
For many years we have been in the habit of adopting this plan, 
and it is rarely indeed that the second shoot does not ripen itself, 
and it is seldom more than 3 or 4 inches long. Any longer or un¬ 
sightly shoots may be cut out with the knife before winter, so as to 
allow of the hedge, bank, or whatever is cut looking uniform during 
the winter. Judiciously done, taking off sprays for Christmas 
decoration does no harm to the shrubs. 
Choice evergreens against walls may be treated differently, as 
their flowering is of consequence as well as their appearance. The 
common Ivy when growing luxuriantly requires trimming ; ex¬ 
cepting in special cases we have found a severe cutting-in about the 
end of July, so as not to show a single leaf, resulted in the produc¬ 
tion in a month or six weeks of new foliage, which remained good 
all winter. When the Ivy is not so robust it is better, perhaps, to 
cut it in at the end of March. There is then a greaier certainty of 
its doing well afterwards ; but if it grow vigorously it will have 
projected a long way from the wall by the end of summer, and 
some cutting-in with the knife may be necessary in autumn. For 
this reason I prefer summer cutting as furnishing a more lengthened 
period of trimness.—C. E. 
FRUIT CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 
It is now generally recognised that California is one of the most 
favoured countries for extensive fruit culture, and much has been 
published bearing on the subject. The quarterly report of the San Jose 
Board of Trade, however, just fo hand contains so many particulars of 
an interesting character that we venture to reproduce some extracts. 
The report specially deals with Santa Clara County, which is thus 
described : — 
“ The county of Santa Clara has an area of rather less than one 
million acre 3 . Of this about 250,000 acres is valley—the ancient lake 
bed, or the alluvial deposits of existing streams ; 300,000 acres is rolling 
hills and mountain slopes, well adapted to fruit ; the residue, valuable 
principally for pasturage. While the general contour presented by the 
valley is that of a level plain, it is in fact a series of gentle undulations, 
with marked variations in the quality of the soil. In what is now, or 
has recently beeD, the lower portions of this plain, the soil is a black, 
tenacious clay, known as “ adobe.” It is very fertile and productive, 
but requires much care as to the time and manner of cultivating it, and 
is well adapted to hay and grain. The higher lands of the valley are a 
light loamy, and sometimes gravelly soil. This is easily cultivated, and 
is well adapted to all the cereals and to most varieties of fruit. In the 
vicinity of the Bay there are many thousand acres of salt marsh. No 
effort worthy the name has been made to reclaim them, though the task 
would seem a not difficult one. It is safe to predict that at no distant 
day these lands will be reclaimed, and among the most productive and 
valuable in the county. The warm belt is a tract upon the slopes of the 
hills that environ the valley. It has an altitude of from 2 to 800 feet. 
It is generally—and in some localities wholly—free from frost. In this 
belt, to the east of Milpitas, Potatoes, Peas, &c., are grown through the 
whole winter for the San Francisco market. Upon the Los Gatos and 
Guadaloupe rivers are some hundreds of acres, formerly dense Willow 
thickets, but now in the highest stage of cultivation. These lands are 
regarded as the most desirable in the valley. The soil is a sedimentary 
deposit, easily cultivated, requiring but little irrigation, and producing 
every variety of fruit and vegetable. Thirty miles south of San Jose is 
the town of Gilroy. The soil of the valley is here fertile and productive. 
Over a considerable portion the subterranean moisture maintains the 
growing pastures throughout the year, and some of the most successful 
dairies in the State are here established. The more elevated parts of 
the valley and the slopes of the hills are well adapted to fruits and 
Vines. The summers of Gilroy are warmer and drier than in San Jose. 
The cool winds from the Bay are materially softened as they sweep down 
the valley, and the differences of temperature between the day and 
night are not so marked. The air is mild and balmy, and the nights 
agreeably cool and pleasant. 
“ The watercourses within the county greatly diminish, when they do 
not wholly disappear, in the summer. Sinking as they approach the 
valley, they augment the subterranean resources which supply the 
artesian wells. These are found all over the valley. They are usually 
from GO to 100 feet in depth, though some find a larger and more 
permanent supply at a much greater depth. The water is raised by 
windmills into tanks, and is ample for household and gardening purposes. 
About Alviso, and near the Bay, hundreds of acres of Strawberries and 
of vegetable gardens are irrigated from these wells, and the water rises 
to the surface with such force that the most massive appliances are 
required to restrain the flow.” 
Very elaborate tables of temperature are given, from which it 
appears that the mean for the year is 57°, the highest temperature 
registered having been 93° in September and the lowest in April, 28°, 
the average rainfall being about 9 inches in the year. 
Turning the chapter on fruit culture we have the following par¬ 
ticulars :— 
“ The basis of the past, present, and future prosperity of Santa Clara 
County is its agricultural resources. These resources depend on the 
fertility of the soil and congeniality of the climate. The experience of 
years demonstrates that the soil contains all the elements essential to 
plant growth, while the climate is of a character that insures the perfect 
maturity and ripening of its products. Before the American occupation 
stock raising was the principal business of the valley, and immense 
herds were fed on the nutritious grasses that grew spontaneously every¬ 
where, in the valleys, foot hills, and mountains. With the American 
came the grain-growing industry, and the rich soil, the deposit of 
centuries, yielded crops almost beyond belief. Many instances are on 
record where immense fields have produced a hundred sacks of Wheat to 
the acre, each sack containing from 110 to 135 lbs., equal to an average 
of about 200 bushels to the acre. These crops were grown year after 
year with a superficial cultivation that reached scarcely 4 inches under 
the surface, while all below that was undisturbed and its fertilising 
e’ements untouched. The roots of the plants lay near the surface, and 
the yield of grain was not unfrequently diminished and sometimes 
totally destroyed by drought ; but so great was the fertility of the soil 
that if a fair crop could be obtained once in three years it was a fortune 
to the farmer. Even now, with fair cultivation the Wheat fields yield 
from 30 to 50 bushels per acre, while the cost of planting and harvesting 
is only about 60 per cent, of what it is in the Eastern States. But the 
era of growing grain for profit in this county has passed, and the great 
Santa Clara Valley and the foot hills and mountains surrounding it has 
met its destiny in the fruit and Vine industry. 
“ An acre of ground that formerly produced from twenty to thirty 
dollars now brings a net profit of from 150 to 500 dollars. The history 
of horticulture in Santa Clara County is some excuse for this misunder¬ 
standing. The first considerable rush of immigration to California was 
caused by the discovery of gold. The people came to mine and not to 
plant. They were consumers of agricultural products, not producers. 
Everything that could be eaten sold at enormous prices. A few Apples 
that were imported sold from one to three dollars each. Some people of 
horticultural instincts saw in this circumstance a road to wealth. They 
planted orchards, and made money. Others caught on to the idea and' 
planted more orchards. These trees came into bearing before there were 
people enough in the State to consume the fruit. There was no way to 
get it to market, and consequently no sale. It was a clear case of over¬ 
production. Many orchards were neglected and allowed to perish, others 
were dug up ; but a few were maintained. The effect of this speculation 
was to impress the minds of many that fruit-growing in California was 
a dangerous experiment, and this impression still lingers in the minds of 
some of the old timers, who cannot understand the changed conditions 
which this country has experienced in the last thirty years. I hen we 
were isolated from the world ; we grew but few varieties of fruit— 
principally Apples and Pears—and our market consisted of the handful 
of people who lived within our limits. Now we have rapid transportation 
to all parts of the world ; we grow all the desirable fruits known to 
horticulture ; we have learned to grow them to a perfection attained 
nowhere else on the globe, and to cure them so that while retaining all 
their flavour they are practically imperishable. 
(To be continued.) 
