Los Angeles herald., 1891-10-25
LEMON CURING.
GarcelOn, of Riverside, De-
scribes His Methods.
The Results of Much Study and
Experimenting.
All the Details Given of the Best
Methods.
No Chemicals Used-InstructiOns as to
Where, When and How to Plant.
How to Pick and Cure Ar
ter Planting.

ber
The San Bernardlno Times-Index of
Thursday contains very valuable paper
by G. w. Gardner of Riverside on the
secret Of lemon culture and cure. In
his introductory he emphasizes the care
essential to every detail of lemon curing
paper is as follows:
think best to classify the different
points involved, and treat them in the
following order:
First-Where to grow lemons.
Second-How to plant.
Third-When to plant.
Fourth-What to plant.
Fifth-Pruning.
Sixth-Processing the lemon.
Seventh-Lemon house.
Eighth-Picking.
Ninth-How and when to clip fruit.
Tenth-How to keep fruit.
MISUNDERSTANDING the lemon.
WHERE TO GROW LEMONS.
Select the highest and dryest part of
your citrus orchard for the lemon. If
you have no situationwhich is compar-
atively free from frost, do not waste
your time with lemons, for your crop
will not be profitable to you, and will
hurt your neighbor who may raise good
lemons, as prices will be reduced by
your poor fruit. There is wisdom in
advising not only each locality, but
different orchards in each locality to
produce what it can do best-that will
secure reputation and profit to all con-
cerned.
HOW TO PLANT
After having selected the proper ioca-
tion, see that the soil is properly lev
eled. After leveling break up as deeply
as you can, so that the roots of your
trees will have an opportunity to use
the subsoil of your orchard. Look after
the fume and irrigating apparatus.
Stake not less than twenty-five feet
apart each way. Make the holes, ac-
cording to age of the tree, from two to
two and one-half feet each way. Be
sure your tree is taken up with soil on
roots sacked. Somehow l think an
evergreen tree ought never to have its
roots exposed, SO as to get dry. There
! are those who may say that trees do
| just as we'll without the soil, but this
opinion is given often to avoid the
trouble of sacking. Be careful and cut
clean from ball of soil all roots mangled
in digging. think lemon tree gets
more injury from exposed and bare
roots than an orange, because its growth
is more luxuriant. Before the last two
or three shovelfuls of soil are put
around the tree run the water, and
when the soil is settled around the roots
put the reserved soil around the tree.
WHEN TO PLANT.
The best time to transplant citrus
trees is just as the tree is starting out
its new growth in March and April.
WHAT TO PLANT.
My favorite lemon is the Lisbon, and
what 1 claim for it is rapid growth and
good form of tree, profuse bearing, well
proportioned and uniform fruits, with
fine acid and good keeping qualities, as
we'll as attractive appearance. The only
thing that can be said against the tree
is, it has thorns-yes, it has thorns;
but l have for several years gathered
lemons from the Eureka (thornless) and
conclude that there is not much differ
ence between the amount of culls-a
Gull is very seldom made from thorns !;
a very slight rubbing of branch, leaf
and limb upon green lemon will make
the Gull. Then thorns diminish as trees
grow older and mature their growth.
The properties of the Eureka lemon are
good, but its appearance and
want of uniformity are against it
also, believe it is more ten
der than the Lisbon. The facts are
that all varieties of lemons are i'm
proved by removing the fruit from the
tree at the proper time, and not waiting
until overmature, because as the pulp
becomes fibrous the tendency to bitter
ness is increased.
/ 1t is claimed for the Villa Franca that
| it is harder than other varieties. If
that is.true, it is desirable on some ac-
counts; yet, while 1 claim that cold
weather brings out the tone in fruit,
still little extra cold will tend to de-
velop in fruit thus exposed a tough re-
sisting condition, which rather thickens
and roughens the rind at the expense OF
quality. The fact that Riverside, with
her little frosts, now leads the world in
citrus fruits, really indorses my claim,
or why have not wholly tropical chimes
made their mark on the mere insipid
sweetness of their fruits before this?
Now, this question, what to plant, has
been put to me many times. have ad-
vised those who are in doubt about the
variety of lemon to plant, to first set out
two or -year-old Seeding orange
trees, and bud in the orchard after
year or two; then time, which solves
many difficulties, will have revealed
what is the best variety. One will lose
nothing, as | am sure that too often
buds are put in trees too soon alter be-
ing transplanted, consequently less vigor
of growth and poorer trees.
PRUNING.
This is great question, and no DOUBT
will call forth much contention. give
my opinion from observation and expert
ence. After the tree is set let It grow.
AS soon as they appear remove al. SUCK
ers, which some growers leave to protect
the trunk of the tree from the sun;
rather burlap the trunks and let the
growth come from the top, which VIII
constitute two-thirds of the tree. Allow
all top growth to remain, except shorten