The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-02-28
FRUIT-GROWERS.
Horticulturists Discuss Various
Timely Topics.
Suggestions Concerning Orchard Washes and
Root-Pruning Observations of Cali
fcrnia Fruit East.

cultural Society, comprising fruit-growers
from various sections of the State, attended
the regular monthly meeting at 800 Suffer
street yesterday. Professor E. W. Hilgard
sided.
After the choice of E. E. Smith of this
Guy as Director Oh the society, in place of
a. l.. bancroft. resigned, special commit
tee report was read by the Secretary. e. J.
Wickson of Berkeley.
This committee, consisting of A. L. Ban
croft E. F. Adams and j. l.. Mosher of
San Jose, was appointed to investigate a
report made by Professor c. III. Allen, late
Superintendent of California on Wheels"
respecting quantities of inferior prunes and
apricots from California which he observed
while East. The committee, in its report,
deplored the practice Of shipping inferior
fruit to Eastern markets. AS means of
preventing suc1 practices it urged that pub
licity be given the present agitation through
the press of the State; that legislation be
secured making it a miSdemeanor to mis-
represent fruits in packages; that dried
fruit producers cooperate as much a posi-
hle with view to securing some uniform
trade mark
After some discussion on the report and
expia nation of the ends sought to be at
tanned, Messrs. S. j. Stabler of this city,
}. l.. Mosher and Z. +. Adams, of San
Jose. were appointed committee to carry
out the recommendations of the report, the
proposed legislation being especially as
signed to Secretary Wickson and Secretary
B. NJ Lelong of the State Board of Horti-
culture.
DR.. Kimball of Haywards, Leonard Coates
of Napa and E. Z. Smith of this city were
e.. A.
in memory of w. e. Klee, long an active
member of the society, who died recently at
Santa Cruz
VALUE OF ROOT CUTTING.
Mr.. Wickson asked for experiences re-
garding the cutting of tree roots before
planting One man told of success in trim
ming roots to within foot of the tree.
Dr.. Ktmbal said he had had success with
orange trees in cutting Of the roots as you
would cabbage-plants before trans planting.
From experience in raising orange trees In
the nursery he was satisfied they would do
better If the roots are cut of about q foot
below the surface. He has some 1900
trees which he proposes soon to treat in
this way. a system of fine young roots de-
yelopS after the deep-growing roots are
cut off.
Mr.. Mosher spoke of apricot trees girdled
by gophers. He found way to save such
trees is to pack earth about the girdled part
wettIng 1t and packing hard about the tree.
His method had been successful in a great
many cases.
T. C. Miles of Placer. member of the
State Board of Horticulture and a nursery
man of experience, expressed increduhty at
the method OF root pruning suggested by
Dr. kimball. The plan might work we'll
about Haywards, but he questioned its eff
cacy in the soils of the foothills.
DR.. Kimball explained further that the
best trees he had ever transplanted were
those which had been cut off by gopherS and
i,TNt,,g
about the trees.
ORCHARD SPRAYING.
Howard Overacker Jr of Niles read
| paper on s. Results of Winter Spraying" in
| which the various washes used lately by
| him in fighting the apricot scale were de-
| scrlbed. His narrative of experiments was
| more or less amusing. The lAL wash was
| first tried, but results with it have not
| proved satisfactory. The Greenbank in
secticide has been used literally, but the
| crop has often been ruined and the trees
| badly burned. A solution of caustic soda
| and potash has been used with the
best success. The washes should always be
| applied before pruning. One OF the best
| washes consists of 3 pounds caustic soda, 2
| pounds potash, ~ pounds whale oil soap to
As gallons of water.
Professor Hilgard remarked that winter
! washes must be much stronger necessarily
than summer washes, as the scale adheres
| So strongly TO the trees in when the torpid
| needed to remove them. He had used
solution of the Ougarth wash successfully
in summer, and had also used a coai-oil
| emulsion.
Mr.. Oyesacker said he had no faith what
| ever in spraying tree when the leaves are
| out, and, therefore, practlced spraying in
| winter almost entirely
Rev. A. I. Perkins of Fruitvale remarked
that his experience with the Ougarth waGh
had been very disastrous, a great many
trees being killed. although, as Judge Black
wood OF HayHards INTERCEPTED, 1.-THE bug:
were all killed"
Mr., Bancroft thought growers should
always make their own Washes and moi
depend on any prepared wash.
NoN-sPRAYING ADVOCATES.
Mr.. Mosher of San Jose, Commissioner o.
Horticulture, said he had done little or NJ
spraying in his orchard; what spraying is
done is applied only when the sap begins L
flow.
Dr. Kimball remarked that the most sue
cessful iruit-raiser around Haywards is {
modest man-Judge Black woodland he has
Tor years done little or no spraying, and
then using only an arSenical compound. DR.
hlmball confessed that after repeated tx,
perlmentS he had come to have little or III
1aith In any scale wash, and, like many
others, he IS now waiting for the discovery
OF arasite that will destroy the seafe.
Judge Blackwood remarked that he
formerly sprayed bis apricot orchards, but
trees have apparently done as well as ever
The only etfectual way in his opinion t
destroy the San Jose or apricot scale is Il
dig up the affected trees and burn them. A
wash that will kill scale viii usually injure
the tree. Even the weak solution of one
isp0und OF paris green to 200 gallons of water
used most effectualfy Tor Goblin moth, often
hurts the tree His theory generally is thai
nature supplies a remedy for natures evils
Professor Hilgard summed up the dis
cuSsion by urging the need of careful eX
| Fermentation IN the matter of spraying
There are beneficial washes and hurtfu
ones, and the careful grower must lind by
| experience that which does his trees thu
most good. 1t certainly is u step backward
to advocate no spraying, for its efficacy IL
many instances has already been shown.
THE APPLES OF CALIFORNIA.
Leonard Coates of Napa read a paper cl
"Apple-growinG," in which he combatet
the theory that California cannot grow ap
pies equal to the Eastern fruit. He pre-
dicted that in ten years the State Will b
exporting apples in large quantities to East
ern States. These will not all be old stan
dard varieties, but many new seeding
varieties, such as described in recent pub
lished work on California fruits. There ar
| now many thrifty apple orchards that are
proving very remuneratlve. OI stocks 10
| small paintings, the dwarf or paradise l;
: preferable. OF varieties, the grower canno
go far out of the way in planting Red Astra
Khan GravenStein, Hoover, Alexander
Johnstoun or Newtown Pippin. Trees il
ordinary orchards should be planted at leas
thirty-five feet apart If the same pains ar
taken with evaporated apples as with apri
cots OF peaches, there would be an Increase
demand for a product that would drive froI
the market the dried apple of mediocr
quality row too often found. Some Paiar
Valley apple orchards have lately netted i
contract sales fully 500 an acre and som
cases of greater profits than this have bee
noted.
: Judge Blackwood expressed the opinio
that the best apples of California will
produced above the snow line in our mouI
tain valleys. Wherever the redwoods thirty
there the apple will be likely to reach tn
greater perfection.
Dr. L imhall n1le s tim ed IL in MANY valley