UC BERKELEY MASTER NEGATIVE STORAGE NUMBER 00-76.6 (National version of master negative storage number: CU SNO00076.6) MICROFILMED 2000 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY PHOTOGRAPHIC SERVICE USAIN State and Local Literature Preservation Project Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities REPRODUCTION AVAILABLE THROUGH INTERLIBRARY LOAN OFFICE MAIN LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY, CA 94720-6000 COPYRIGHT The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials including foreign works under certain conditions. In addition, the United States extends protection to foreign works by means of various international conventions, bilateral agreements, and proclamations. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. University of California at Berkeley reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. San Dimas Citrus Nurseries Principles and practices of citrus culture in California : a treatise describing... | San Dimas, Calif. c1914 BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD TARGET University of California at Berkeley Library USAIN State and Local Literature Preservation Project Master negative storage number: 00-76.6 (national version of the master negative storage number: CU SNO00076.6) Corporate Author: San Dimas Citrus Nurseries. Author: San Dimas Citrus Nurseries. Teague, Robert M. Title: Principles and practices of citrus culture in California : atreatise describing methods from the nursery tree to the full bearing orchard, including the harvesting and packing, that have made the citrus industry of California the admiration of pomologists everywhere. Teague quality citrus trees, the ones to plant for high-grade fruit, vigorous growth, ornamental value. Imprint: San Dimas, Calif. : San Dimas Citrus Nurseries, c1914. Description: 48 p. ill. ; 29 cm. Call numbers: CSL State Lib SB369.2.C3 S35 1914 California Microfilmed by University of California Library Photographic Service, Berkeley, CA Filmed from hard copy borrowed from California State Library FILMED AND PROCESSED BY LIBRARY PHOTOGRAPHIC SERVICE, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY, 94720 DATE: 3/00 REDUCTION RATIO: 10 PM-1 3%2"x4"” PHOTOGRAPHIC MICROCOPY TARGET NBS 1010a ANSI/ISO #2 EQUIVALENT 2 2s pie 2 i= 36 = i EE THE: * Le l= =p 2 fies nee AND NN : 4 “A “ale Cad RNIA ems LIBRARYS3 35 ———> el. Accessions No. 1 ve IRS pereiped —— sys eye chee a es I HR — ——W S——x a i | | | Ne a Ea THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF CITRUS CULTURE THE SAN DIMAS CITRUS NURSERIES SAN DIMAS, LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, U.S. A. EE. = N= = = = Nn LS———— == ae een ———— = —% J Im TIX} IG x IIIT [I Pi I THE EVER BEAUTIFUL KUMQUAT. See Page 25. LEADER OF THE WORLD HE leading commercial orange of the aworld is the Washington Navel, which finds its greatest perfection under a California sun. Its supremacy covers superb eating qualities, possessing a delightful citrous, aromatic and sweet flavor, abundant juice and fine grain free from “rag”; seedless; good shape, aith a highly colored peel of protective quality, smooth and closely knit, ‘ rendering it one of the best shipping oranges known to commerce. In California it repre- sents fully seventy per cent of the total output i] of oranges, constituting the large commercial significance of our citrus industry. Our trees are the result of careful selection of buds taken from orchards producing only perfect | fruit and yielding annually prolific, profitable crops of yellow, golden globes. This fruit is © pictured in all its California glory on the rewerse side of this sheet. : ab FER BN 3 ATE TT ian Ie ID \_/ YI IN PAIR A ‘©Y| RINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF CITRUS | CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. A TREA TISE DESCRIBING METHODS FROM THE NURSERY TREE TO THE FULL BEARING ORCHARD, INCLUDING THE HARVESTING AND PACKING, THAT HAVE MADE THE CITRUS INDUSTRY OF CALIFORNIA THE ADMIRATION OF POMOLOGISTS EVERYWHERE ITI III + omnes 4 rT] J : BASED ON TWENTY-FIVE YEARS EXPER IENCE WITH THE ORANGE AND LEMON mmm mn Et Ee = Es Ee et i (Gry) AED ‘These trees shall be my books And in their barks my thoughts I'll character * As You Like It. iii, 3. ee ed I IFTH EDITION. PUBLISHED YEARLY BY THE SAN DIMAS CITRUS NURSERIES. FOUNDED IN 1889 BY R. M. TEAGUE; INCORPORATED IN 1913. PAID UP CAPITAL STOCK $250,000.00 R. M. TEAGUE, PRESIDENT AND MANAGER R. W. TEAGUE, SECRETARY -TREASURER SAN DIMAS, CALIFORNIA, U. S. A. COPYRIGHTED 1914 PRICE 25 CENTS [I AD RE etme ff sg ts fo fms — —— p—— A composite spray of Citrus Fruits. Marsh Pomelo Eureka Lemon Kumquat Ruby Blood Dancy Tangerine Valencia Late I ES SE en. 7¢ SS a. [ Si QUALITY CITRUS TREES IN NO time in the history of commercial citrus culture has the outlook been more auspicious, nor the extent of the in- dustry in California greater, than at the present time. In spite of the fact that the annual output of oranges and lemons has been a constantly increasing factor, there has also been a corre- sponding exploitation of new markets, which has maintained re- munerative prices and sustained values in orchard properties. This has also sustained a healthy demand for good nursery trees. In- deed, at no time in the history of the San Dimas Citrus Nurseries has there been a keener interest nor a higher appreciation on the part of intending citrus planters for Teague Quality Trees. Dur- ing the past few years our sales have been annually increasing, and at the same time cover a wide geographical area, extending all over this State, Old Mexico, South American States, Cuba, Porto Rico, the Hawaiian Islands, the Philippines, Australia, South Africa, China, Japan and India. This demonstrates that ours is not only the greatest fruit-producing section in the world, but that California-grown nursery stock and California-grown seeds and bulbs are commanding recognition wherever horticulture has a commercial existence. | The contents of this book will be found reliable and to the point. We have been especially careful and conservative in our descriptions of varieties, aiming to be plain and concise. The numerous half-tones, showing orchards planted to our trees and those picturing methods of planting, cultivating, irrigating, har- vesting and packing, are direct from photographs, hence authentic. Of themselves, they form a splendid object lesson in the growth and care of a citrus orchard, and also show that our trees are properly grown in the nurseries to produce best results when sub- mitted to the test of orchard growth. In the way of land and improvements our facilities for grow- ing only quality trees are more extensive than ever, enabling us to not only supply the best orange, lemon and grapefruit trees in the world, but also to grow them in larger numbers than any other similar establishment. Our history for the past twenty-five years verifies this statement. The record of the past is the promise of the future—which will not only be maintained, but augmented and improved as time goes on. To plant Teague trees is to insure a good orchard, other things being equal. SAN DIMAS CITRUS NURSERIES. 1 72ROA View of full bearing Washington Navel Teague tree. THE IMPORTANCE OF AN INDUSTRY LASSICAL literature first mentions the orange as early as 450 B. C. This, of course, was somewhat early for the embryo Cali- fornians of that date. In Hebrew it was called “Hadar,” meaning “the beautiful.” In Roman lit- erature it was known as Adam’s apple, or Paradise apple. We find no reference to any orange known as the Roman navel, but in more modern times they have learned something about the Washington navel, because the San Dimas Citrus Nurseries have been purely experimental, along ornamental lines rather than for commercial purposes; the varieties were limited exclusively to seedlings, which were more or less a feature of all the early Mission gardens planted by the Spanish pioneers. For nearly 100 years its development was almost stationary, scarcely enough fruit being produced for limited home con- sumption. Nor did the first influx of the Americans in the fifties and sixties stimulate citrus planting to any appreciable extent. A stray orchard here and Marsh Seedless Pomelo orchard, six years old, planted to Teague trees, producing from ; five to seven field boxes per tree. sending good trees to the land of the Caesars. All of which goes to show that California horticulture is winning its spurs in all portions of the world. To go a little farther along this same line, the books will tell you that the citrus fruits are native to India and China, but say very little as to varieties, methods of culture and marketing. It is said that the tree was introduced from its habitat to the warmer regions of the Mediterranean along about the twelfth century, and that it found its greatest exploitation in Spain and Italy. From the former it was undoubtedly introduced into America. Some 350 years ago one Bernal Dian el Castillo is said to have planted a few orange trees in old Mexico, from whence it eventually found its way to Cali- fornia and Florida. Its early planting, however, was there in and about Los Angeles and the more thickly settled portions of the San Gabriel valley, a few trees at San Diego, with a scattering in the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys, constituted the vis- ible orange planting of the country. It was not un- til the seventies that the orange and the lemon ex- cited sufficient interest to merit consideration as a business proposition. The results attained at about that time in Riverside, around Pasadena, in Orange county and other points were so alluring as to at- tract people and capital from all sections to its im- portance. Indeed, it developed so rapidly and gave such splendid returns to the growers that we now surpass in production any other section of the world favorable to its growth. Citrus history in our own times merits a paragraph to itself. ERR aE 0 nr A 3 Principles and Practices of Citrus Culture In 1883 there were shipped out of Southern Cali- fornia 150 carloads; in 1886 the volume of produc- tion had increased to 1,000 carloads; in 1890-91 Los Angeles County (at that time including Orange County) had to its credit 2,212 cars, and San Ber- nardino County (then including what is now River- side County) shipped out 1,708 cars; in 1898-99 the total shipment in Southern California aggregated 15,000 carloads, valued at about $12,000,000. In 1906-07 the output was about 25,000 carloads, valued at $19,000,000. It is interesting in this con- nection to note the annual shipments covering the periods from 1891-92 down to the present time from Southern California: Lemons Oranges Total Cars Cars | Cars 1891- 2. iii, 4,016 1892- 3. iii, 4,400 1893- 4. oon, 5,871 1894- 5. iia. 5,022 1895- 6. ovine. 7,575 1896- 7. viii. 7,350 1897- 9. tiie, 1,166 13,987 15,153 1898- 9. iii 903 9,448 10,351 1899-00. .... cotinine... 1,447 16,362 17,809 1900-01. ......cvviinnnnn... 2,924 21,173 24,097 1901-02. ove ieee ieee. 2,816 17,571 20,387 1902-03. ....co vrei 2,649 19,776 22,425 1903-04. ......cc viii. 2,782 25,117 27,899 1904-05... iin. 4,274 25,608 29,882 1905-06. . «ove 3,789 22,175 25,964 1906-07. cov vvie ieee. 3,507 23,986 27,493 1907-08. cove eee 4,959 24,538 29,497 1908-09... coi i iii 6,196 31,895 39,091 1909-10... ovine 4,777 25,316 30,093 1910-11.............. eee. 6,764 "36,821 43,585 1911-12. cee een 5,961 30,327 36,288 1912-13. ieee 2,192 13,574 15,706 1913-14. oon 2,696 38,923 41,619 Shipments from points north of the Tehachapi were as follows: Total Cars 1902-03 ott 1,304 1903-04 oii 1,567 1904-05 oii 1,734 1905-06 «ooo 1,564 1906-07 oot 2,333 1907-08 oii 3,150 1908-09 oii ee, 2,501 1909-10 oot, 2,555 1910-11 oi 2,814 1901-12 4,392 1912-13 2,565 1913-14 ooo 6,305 The increase of acreage from year to year during this period is problematical. The area planted was, of course, necessarily large—much larger than the volume of fruit actually shipped would indicate, because numbers of orchards were planted in situ- ations unsuitable, either by reason of soil or climate; others were planted and neglected and allowed to lapse; while still others went to ruin through im- proper methods of cultivation and management. In a broad sense, however, the output at present rep- resents something like sixty-eight or sixty-nine thou- sand acres in bearing trees, valued, approximately at $200,000,000, the annual output of which, taking the State as a whole, must be in the neighborhood of something like $20,000,000. It would be interest- ing to note the acreage of recent planting about to come into bearing; which is, however, a phase of the subject hard to solve along intelligent lines. There has been a strong and healthy planting going on for the past few years in the thermal belt of the San Joaquin valley. It is estimated that there are Ey Original Washington Navel tree in Riverside. in that belt at the present writing about five thousand acres in bearing, and fully seven to eight thousand acres in various stages of development under full bearing age. Having said something of the total output and its bearing on the industry, it may not be amiss to refer somewhat briefly to the cost of production. The cost of bringing an orchard, into bearing is, indeed, an elastic question, depending almost entirely upon local conditions of soil, climate, water, the lay of the land, whether the owner and his family are to do the work or it is to be accomplished by hired labor, besides many minor points which render accurate San Dimas Citrus Nurseries, San Dimas, Cal. 7 estimates almost impossible. Basing figures on our experience in our home neighborhood, we should say that the cost of preparing and grading the land and planting the trees will average from $15 to $25 to the acre, which includes cultivation for the first sea- son. After that, the cost will be according to the It is an aphorism in California that if a person is about to engage in horticulture, the first essential requirement will be water. Having secured it, it will then be time enough to look for land to put it on. To no industry does this apply so forcibly as to the growing of the orange and the lemon. Hence, | 1 EL es i i Eureka lemon orchard planted to Teague trees, producing $8.50 per tree gross for seven years. amount of labor expended, from $15 to $25 per acre, up to the fourth year, at which time it should produce about one box of fruit to the tree, and in- crease from that time on, according to the amount of labor and care expended on the orchard. The amount of irrigating water is usually about one inch to ten acres for the first two seasons, one and one- half ‘inches for the following two, two inches for the fifth and sixth, and after that, an inch for every four acres. The expense of caring for the orchard will average all the way from $25 to $60 per acre, everything depending on the cost of water and labor, and whether the owner’s family handles the enter- prise or he uses hired help. if you are about to plant a grove, be sure, (1) that you have an abundant water supply; (2) that your soil is adapted to the business; (3) that your climatic conditions are right; (4) that you will master the details of the business and become proficient in the growing of only first-class fruit. These are the ground principles; the secondary items to observe are the planting of good trees and only commercial varieties—those that have stood the test of the mar- ket place and have invariably brought returns. A poor tree (one stunted, or badly grown, or with a bad root system) is expensive to plant, even as a gift. Its original cost is the smallest item to be considered, for, bear in mind that to have an un- ER EA ESE GL Pees» EINE snares nating tide 8 Principles and Practices of Citrus Culture profitable tree in your orchard after expending four years of time in its cultivation and bringing it into a bearing condition is indeed an expensive luxury. So we say if you have the water, the soil, the climatic conditions, and will then plant good trees of standard commercial varieties of oranges and lemons to a very few, namely, in oranges, the Washington Navel, the Valencia Late, and in a lesser degree the Mediterra- nean Sweet, Paper Rind St. Michael and the Tan- gerine. In lemons we have the Eureka, the Villa A superb San Dimas Washington Navel orange grove with a record and planted to Teague trees. varieties, and give them intensive culture, you may safely go into the citrus business in any of the shel- tered portions of California and make money. The law of the survival of the fittest applies to all things in the vegetable and animal world, and to nothing more forcibly than in the atmosphere of the market place, where only the good survive and the poor perish. Elimination has simmered down the Franca and the Lisbon, here listed in the order of their commercial importance. In the pomelo, or grapefruit, Marsh’s Seedless is the only variety planted commercially. Obviously, there are other varieties which possess merit and are capable of bringing returns, but in the main the foregoing now constitute the California varieties that command markets in the United States. cn. San Dimas Citrus Nurseries, San Dimas, Cal. 9 FROM NURSERY TREE TO BEARING ORCHARD duction of quality orange and lemon trees are matters that do not appeal vitally to the intending planter of a profitable citrus fruit orchard. He is, however, directly concerned in the creation and establishment of profitable production in his horticultural enterprise. Good citrus nursery stock entails experience and care: thrifty seedlings properly budded at the right time, and so trained T HE several operations essential to the pro- the seed, the first being by broad-casting, the second is by sowing the seed in the open with no covering in drills of from eight to twelve inches wide, leav- ing about a six to eight inch space between each drill for the running of water, which insures stock- ier and hardier plants than by the broad-cast method in beds and is followed exclusively by the San Dimas Citrus Nurseries. In taking up the seed-bed plants for nursery planting, it is well to thoroughly wet Commercial sizes of citrus trees. Reading from left to right, two-year buds caliper: 1—1 inch and all up; 2-3 to 1 inch; 3-5 to % inch. One-year buds, caliper: 4-9 inch and all up; 3-12 to 58 inch; 6-58 to 2 inch. and developed as to insure beyond a reasonable doubt trees that when planted in orchard form will be pro- lific of profitable fruit that will grade as fancy and choice. An experience of twenty-five years in the growing of citrus trees has enabled us to grow and produce superior stock in this respect—a condition largely demonstrated in the fact that a very great percentage of the best commercial orchards in this State are planted to Teague trees. Possibly a word as to why Teague citrus trees stand supreme may not be out of place at this time. To give emphasis to our claims, some reference is required as to methods and care employed in the operations involved. In the first place we exercise the greatest care in the selection of strong, vigorous and plump seed; there are two methods of sowing down the bed so as to insure getting all the fibrous roots possible, and in loosening the plants it is best to use a four or five-tine spading fork, or other suit- able instrument, first discarding for purpose of plant- ing in the nursery row all weak and inferior plants. We plant all our budded stock about fifteen inches apart in the row, and the rows four feet apart; this insures a strong, robust and vigorous tree, as it allows of liberal cultivation, irrigation and all the essential operations to accelerate growth. Very little pruning is practiced, except to rub off the sprouts some six to eight inches above the surface of the ground. After the budding has been properly done, we leave the strings or wax cloth on the trees from twenty-one to thirty days. After buds are thor- THT CTE TSH OMA STR UNE BA FRE VES SLI SE 10 Principles and Practices of Citrus Culture oughly set, tops are cut off or lopped. All of our trees are firmly staked before the bud begins to lop over with its own weight: this insures a straight tree of good habit and strong development. With us it is a custom to top all trees at a height of thirty-three inches, allowing them to limb down nine inches. This leaves a space of twenty-four inches from the lower limbs of the tree to the surface of the ground. Of late years the best planters prefer a lower headed tree than formerly. This method of topping makes a tree much stockier, which will withstand the wind much better. A low headed tree of this description also has the advantage of shading its own trunk from Two-year-old seed bed stock. Showing growth of 30 inches 18 months from planting. the rays of the sun when it is young and tender and in its first stages of development. Before the tree is removed from the nursery to the orchard it should be properly cut back. This usually consists of lop- ping off about one-half of the top, though some al- lowance must be made for condition of the tree, if balled or open roots, and the weather. It is of great importance, however, that the tree should be prop- erly pruned before transplanting. Too much foliage will cause a greater evaporation than the roots can stand. Methods of Transplanting.— There are two meth- ods of transplanting nursery trees to orchard form, viz., the open root and the balling system. In fol- lowing the former method a trench is first dug along- side of the tree to the depth at which the tap roots are to be cut. The soil should be well irrigated be- fore the tree is taken out to avoid breaking any of the fibrous roots or disturbing any of the root sys- tem during the process of removing the tree. After the trench is dug and the tap root cut, a spade is forced down on the opposite side of the tree from the trench at a sufficient distance away to avoid dis- A perfectly grown two-year-old budded tree. turbing any of the root system; the tree is then pried carefully into the trench and the earth shaken off the roots. The roots should then be immediately cov- ered with a wet cloth or burlap to protect them from the sun until the tree can be sledded out to the end of the nursery and loaded in wagons or taken to the packing house. Before boxing trees taken up in this manner or loading them on wagons to be hauled a" ES I TE VBE 0 temper San Dimas Citrus Nurseries, San Dimas, Cal. 11 away, it is a good plan to dip the roots into a mix- ture of earth and water of about the consistency of paint. ‘This will cling to the roots and thoroughly protect them from the sun and wind. A place to dip the trees can be prepared by digging a hole in the ground some two or three feet deep and of the width required, pouring in water and stirring with loose earth until the right thickness of the mixture is obtained. the planter, who holds it in position for planting, placing tree to the same depth as originally in the nursery row. During this operation one or two men are employed to fill in the hole with good soil while the planter spreads the roots out carefully in their natural position. The earth for filling in must be moist (if not it should be irrigated where the holes come before planting) so the roots will not be dry by the time the water is applied. After they are One million seed bed stock grown in the open, nine months from planting. The tree is now ready to be packed in wagons or ‘boxes for shipment by freight, express, or parcels post. If it is to be planted in the near neighbor- hood, it is packed in wet straw in wagons, but if for shipment it is removed to the packing house and ‘there carefully packed in damp moss in boxes. In loading in wagons, after the roots are well covered or packed in wet straw the tops should be covered over with a canvas or something of this description to keep off the wind and sun. A great many plant- -ers prefer their trees taken up in this manner, as it insures a much larger root system. After the holes have been properly dug in the «orchard, the driver hands out one tree at a time to covered to a sufficient depth, the planter presses the soil carefully around the tree and it is then ready for the water, which should not be more than ten to twenty minutes behind the planting. The sooner the water is applied the better it will be for the tree. The soil around the tree should be thoroughly wet to exclude the air and insure it being properly settled around the roots. After irrigating, it is necessary to go over it again before the ground is thoroughly settled to straighten it up in its natural position, as the settling of the earth is apt to cause it to lean out of line. After the tree has been thoroughly irrigated it is necessary to go over it again with the water in the course of a week or ten days, depending ER TUTE ETE ELT EEE EEN NTA TLE io ENTE Pn Principles and Practices of Citrus Culture on the condition of the soil and the weather. After this, all conditions being favorable, it will stand thirty days between irrigations. In following the balling method of transplanting, a trench is dug alongside of the tree within six inches of it and to the proper depth, the tap root then being cut off at the length desired. With a sharp spade the baller then cuts the earth away from the tree, leaving whatever is required for the proper size of the ball. This leaves the roots undisturbed. The baller then carefully lifts the tree out of the trench and places it on a piece of burlap cut to the required size, while his assistant carefully lifts up the ends with much more safety by the balling method of transplanting, and with less risk of loss after re- moving. Do not plant too deep; trees will settle after being irrigated from one to two inches or more. When finally “set” the trees should stand to the same depth as they originally appeared in the nur- sery row. When planting balled trees, before final straightening up, cut the string when the hole is one- half to two-thirds filled with soil, turn back the bur- lap, and then fill in to the surface. This allows of free growth, and in after cultivation obviates any liable damage by contact while the tree is becoming thoroughly cultivated. A block of one hundred thousand one-year-old budded citrus trees. of the burlap around the top of the ball and ties it up with binder twine or something to answer the purpose and of sufficient strength. By this method the ball is kept from breaking or being shaken up in handling. In all cases where the seedling stock budded is large or small, it is necessary before tying up the ball to cut the tap root off even with the bottom of the ball with a pair of sharp pruning shears. When trees are balled, they will seldom wilt or lose their foliage. The planting of balled trees is carried on in very much the same manner as the open root method, with the exception that it is not necessary to have the water applied so soon. The ball will hold the moisture for quite a length of time. It is best, however, to put the water on as soon as possible, but it is not near so important as with the open root trees. Trees can be handled Laying off the Ground for Planting.—When the nursery trees are ready for planting in orchard form, using a five acre plot for example, planting twenty feet apart on the square method, it will be necessary to run three headlines, one across each end and one through the center, putting in stakes every twenty feet, commencing at one end first and leaving plenty of room between the first row and the end of the plot for turning purposes in cultivation. After the headlines are run across each end it is necessary then to stretch a wire lengthwise of the plot, being careful to have it perfectly straight. Af- ter this is done stakes should be set every twenty feet along the wire, which will mark the center of the hole to be dug. After the plot has all been staked off in this manner and the holes dug with the necessary preparations for planting, a board San Dimas Citrus Nurseries, San Dimas, Cal. 13 should be taken—something about 1x4, three to four feet long—with a notch cut in the center of one side and one at each end. The center notch should be placed where the tree stake stands with smaller stakes at each end before the holes are dug. This aerated and warmed by the sun, and the cold weather of winter has ceased. It is the judgment of many of our leading orchardists that April, May, June and July are the ideal months in which to plant and establish a lemon or orange grove. Precocious rows of one-year-old Washington Navels, showing blooming and fruiting qualities. will admit of removing the center stake while dig- ging the hole, and in planting the board can be placed over the hole with the notches on each of the end stakes, the center notch being where the body of the tree should stand. This board should be left on the tree while filling in the earth, and by follow- ing this method all of the trees will be perfectly in line by straightening up after irrigating before the soil becomes packed. Best Time to Plant—The orange tree being ever- green, it can be planted with more or less success at almost any time of the year; but it has its periods of activity and dormancy more or less, hence the con- dition of the tree should be considered. In trans- planting it is advisable to take the trees when least active in growth, because the shock of removal is less severe at such times than when in an active state. In our judgment the best time to plant is in the spring and early summer, when the soil has become i Transporting citrus trees by auto truck. Principles and Practices of Citrus Culture THE CALL OF THE SOIL AND TREE HILE it is true that the orange and the lemon enjoy a wide geographical distribution, not only in California, but in various other of the sub-tropical regions of the earth’s surface, never- theless commercial production is after all limited to peculiar conditions and environment, based on char- acter of climate and soil. Though classed as fruits of the tropics, they attain their greatest perfection in those regions bordering the temperate zones perature to 25 or 26 Fahrenheit covering a period of several hours is fatal to the crop. Between this and a lesser degree, there is a wide range, not with- out its hazards of occasionally fatal cold spells, but where fruit of very high quality is being constantly produced. Allowing for this, it is obvious that the area based on climate capable of growing citrus fruits in California is indeed a wide one; in a much lesser degree, the same is true of Arizona, southwestern Texas, and other orange and lemon growing sections. Our exhibit of citrus trees for St. Louis World’s Fair as it appeared ready for shipment. known as arid, or where the rainfall is somewhat scant and sunshine largely predominates. Thus, the orange tree of the tropics, where rainfall is abundant, grows luxuriantly, but the fruit is insipid, wholly devoid of the fine citrous quality of that grown in regions temperamentally contiguous to a more rigor- ous climate. For these reasons we find citrus culture assuming commercial importance only where the climate hovers at the danger point and where the rainfall is scant, rendering irrigation a necessity, and sunshine predominates during the growing and rip- ening period. Cloudy and damp weather produces pulpy fruit, while sunshine evaporates the moisture and checks rank growth, superinduces the ripening process, creating a fine exterior, abundant juice, sweetness and flavor. Within its sphere of widest production, these conditions are again subject to varying degrees, not only as applied to the industry as a whole, but also as applied to particular varieties. Citrus fruits should never be planted where biting frosts are reasonably frequent. A drop in the tem- Hence, it is important that local conditions of tem- perature should be carefully noted by intending planters, especially if the citrus industry is new to the section to be exploited. Possibly something should also be said of climatic conditions as applied to time of ripening, and also the effects on certain varieties and species. As an instance of this, it is noticeable that the major portion of the lemons mar- keted in the summer months are the product of those orchards situated in the Coast counties of Southern California located sufficiently inland where the cli- mate is tempered by the prevailing ocean breeze; in the interior valleys the crop matures in the fall, extending into the winter months. Likewise, the foothill regions of the interior valleys whose climate is tempered by the mountain breezes, grow better lemons than are produced on the floors of the valleys. Intermediate between ‘these there is almost every grade of weather condition, often resulting in the production of the poorest and also the best of citrus fruits, but at some hazard to growers. San Dimas Citrus Nurseries, San Dimas, Cal. 15 Soils. To arrive at an intelligent consideration of soil as applied to citrus culture, we should first un- derstand the requirements of our orange or lemon grove. Broadly, citrus fruits will do well on a variety of soils; specifically there are certain funda- mentals that must pertain to a good soil, or failure will be inevitable. Soil to be of any use must be sufficiently loose and porous to allow the roots to grow and extend freely, nor yet so open as to cause rapid evaporation of moisture or their easy disturb- ance by atmospheric action. All vegetation requires more or less water, hence the water-holding capacity of the soil is also of importance; but it must possess drainage. A soil that holds too much becomes water- logged, a condition fatal to tree growth. Temper- ature is another important factor; a soil that is a “low” or “cold” is undesirable. Obviously it should be deep, so as to allow of extensive root devel- opment. These essentials have to do with the physical condition of the soil which we regard of equal importance with its fertility. Hence, see to it that your land is first in physical condition for the production of citrus fruits. Plant food is usually present in sufficient quantity for the production of a crop, though it may not always be available nor in sufficient quantity for the growth of commercial crops. Technically, citrus soils in California are recognized under various names, such as sandy loams, clay loams, granitic foothill soils, dry bog soils, adobe soils, mesa soils and gravelly alluvium. Any of these placed in good physical condition and rightly situ- ated in what are known as citrus belts, will grow good fruit. Sand and gravel as such are to be avoided, and a hardpan (unless first blasted up by dynamite) is adverse to a healthy orchard. A good subsoil of a granitic formation, well rotted, is best. It should be fine but pervious to water. On another page we treat on the subjects of irrigation and fertil- ization, to which the reader’s attention is directed. The Trees—In making a selection of your trees, be careful to secure only the best; a poor specimen is an expensive luxury even as a gift, and will never repay cost of care and cultivation. Bear in mind that we put out only clean, healthy, well-grown and vigorous stock, true to name and up to every require- ment calculated to produce with reasonable care and cultivation, profitable crops of merchantable fruit. : This purchasers can always depend on. Our total acreage in trees is now over 250 acres, all of which is devoted exclusively to’ citrus trees of our own growing. Setting Out the Orchard.—Having the right kind of soil in the proper condition, with true-to-name and well-grown trees, we may with safety proceed to plant. In doing so, exercise care in having your orchard symmetrical in order to economize the area to be planted. There are several methods or sys- tems whereby this may be attained, and in order to make them clear and better understood, we here present illustrations of square, quincunx, hexagonal and triangular methods. The Square System.—This is the most approved method. The orchard is laid off in lines crossing each other, with equal intervals of space, and a tree is planted at each crossing of lines. By the square method, at 20 feet apart, 108 trees are planted to the acre. The preferable distances for planting are 20 feet for dwarf varieties, 24 feet for Navels and Mediterranean Sweets, and 30 feet for all seedling types. One-year-old budded citrus tree. Quincunx System.—In this system the orchard is laid off in the same manner as for square planting, "except that the number of rows are doubled, and a tree planted in the center of every square. This method is chiefly used in planting with the idea of removing the center trees after those designed to be permanent shall have attained a considerable size; the orchard then assumes the square plan. At 20 feet apart, 199 trees are planted to an acre by this method. NI LN AR y 16 Principles and Practices of Citrus Culture Hexagonal, or Septuple, System.—In this system the trees are equilateral (equally distant from each other) and more completely fill the space than any other system can. Six trees form a hexagon and enclose a seventh. The lines in the figure indicate the method of laying out the orchard. By the hexa- gonal system, at 20 feet apart, 126 trees are planted to the acre. -. TT sesame . . sss esc cae ce x o ‘ . . . . . s . + Toei ea oo Sates eny bin F nig em il . . Eig d ined = pra eine S008 Pes i . . i . . les . ’ ’ ’ ! : : . : ; ; 3-....L eee. wile iets... .e 3 HR e“ @ T ¢ = 2 ®t 4 2 pope 2 rs Square system. The following table will show the number of trees to the acre by the square, quincunx, and hexa- gonal, or septuple, systems: Hexagonal Distance > Apart Square _ or Septuple Quincunx 10 500 831 12 347 571 14 255 415 16 195 313 18 154 247 20 126 199 22 103 173 24 96 137 30 : 56 83 Note.—In giving the distances of trees of the quincunx, the fifth or central tree is not taken into account. Methods and Care—An orange or lemon grove can, without exaggeration, be viewed in the light of ‘a manufacturing plant engaged in the production on a commercial scale of a fruit product; the trees are so many employees receiving a certain wage as cost of maintenance, over whom the owners or managers should exercise a supervision that will call out the maximum of efficiency. To do this successfully will =n : . ein to 4 6s Loa be a Le sta 3.4.8 4 4 aoa a 4 Triangular or alternate system. AM.T require a minute and individual acquaintance with each inhabitant or employee of the orchard, so that it may do its work well, and not be wanting in any of the things that stand for success in the mak- ing of a high-grade article of orange or lemon. The basic operations of cultivation, irrigation, manuring and harvesting are treated on elsewhere in this book ; what is here meant by “methods and care” covers some of the minor things that have an influence for the development and maintenance of a successful cit- rus fruit business. The successful grower “knows his trees,” and for this reason he will not tolerate any drones in his orchard. By careful observation he soon learns to know efficiency in quality and production, and either brings up the efficiency of the laggard tree to the proper standard, or “discharges” the delinquent. “Catch crops” can be grown between the rows of LI, i ee San Dimas Citrus Nurseries, San Dimas, Cal. 17 young trees for a few years, until they show bearing capacity. In this way the beginner can find some source of income during the waiting period for his trees to fruit. These crops should preferably be an- nuals—corn, melons, beans, peas, potatoes, and gen- eral kitchen vegetables often prove acceptable. Since humus not only enhances the physical con- dition of the soil but also adds elements of plant . In 9% ’ : . . ” “oe sem ewe dan owt ve mn v os ™ 0 . i oy ' . . ‘ . ) . . . . - own o stances worn = —= = === = pri we = BaeaY es n = SNE I] ST 0 A 2 = EE a IIIS meee == : oll TTT 7 ————————— Er ——————————— JI CN AE EE ma A EPC | | it) a | IT ! | | | CALIFORNIA STATE LIBRARY. SACRAMENTO This book is due on the last date stamped below, A book may be kept for three weeks and renewed for two weeks longer. A fine of five cents a day will be ch ane y arged on over. qe 34.3 San ofan ; ; Dimas citrus nurseries i Prine tices of iples and prac citrus culture END OF TITLE