Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-08
Shaping Prune Trees.


more likely to dissolve.-[ Riverside
Phoenix,
Shaping Prune Trees.
As many readers have set out prune
trees that are now year old, few plain
words in regard to the important matter
OF pruning these trees will be of interest
to them: Personally, advocate cutting
to an inside bud, generally. This will
make tree more compact, and will
make the connection from the bud, 90
left on the limb cut off, with the leverage
in the right way, so that when the tree
grows up and bears fruit its large load
of fruit-as our trees here are very apt
to dot can hold its weight of fruit
without breaking. In some instances
limbs will have tendency to grow out
OF regular and uniform shape, and in
cases of that kind it will be found
necessary to cut to an outside bud. l
have found, however, that the best
plan to adopt with limb that in your
Judgment requires spreading, is to
cut short brace from off the thick end
of the branch you have just pruned off,
and insert that brace against the limb
you want pushed out, and stouter one
on the tree. and thus you can make that
particular limb spread itself. In regard
90 the actual cutting off the limbs, of
how much or how little to cut off, as
every tree grows different, you
should use your own judgment
and think for yourself what you
should do with each and every
one OF your trees. As a general thing it
is advisable to cut last years growth
back to twelve or eighteen inches from
the fork of your tree. If your trees
grow shapely next year, I do not advise
any more pruning of this variety of
fruit trees. Of course, if some of the
trees are not in shape it will be neces-
sary to shape them, but only that, and
no more cutting than is positively neces-
sary.-[C. ]. Berry.
Mediterranean Sweets.
]. De Barth Shorb, of San Gabriel, a
large orange grower, advises how to
grow Mediterranean sweets. He says
that this variety of oranges keeps
better, hangs on the tree longer than
the navels, were always popular, and
were very abundant bearers. He said
last season he sold Mediterranean
sweets from five acres for $2.55 a box,
and the net profit was nearly one-third
greater than for navels at $3.50 a box.
Mr.. Shorb believes that the Mediter-
ranean sweet will always be the best
selling orange there is, and he quotes
the fact that it has sold in Chicago and
st. Louis for weeks at better price
than the far-famed navel.
The craze of setting orange trees too
closely together shows no signs of abate-
ment in this colony. The temptation to
set 100 trees to the acre appears to be
lnvincible to the tyro in citrus culture.
Intense cultivation and fertilization he
thinks will more than counteract
the disadvantage of crowding the
trees so closely. This philosopy
would be all right if fertilization
and cultivation be all that is necessary
to success. Plenty of sunlight is, how
ever, more essential than either. By
the chemical action of sunlight plants
are enabled to derive 95 per cent of
their food from the air. Shut off this
element and all the guano ever dis.
covered would not produce an orange.
Eighty-six to the acre is as close as any
budded orange trees should be set
[Ontario Observer.
Grating.
E. A. Bonine in the Pasadena Star
says on this subject:
Buy small chip basket, 10x18
inches in size, tear one lid off, take q
piece of your old duck overalls and
cover the bottom and sides to keep the
dirt from getting in, also to keep your
basket from wearing. cover my fruit
picking baskets the same way and they
last several years. Sew on the side of
your basket the corner of q PASTE
board box and into this slip a box
OF matches, and on the other side of
your box sew a larger piece. Into
this box put q California curved
pattern pruning saw. They are shaped
like the segment of circle, are the best
pruning saw ever used, and as think
the only good one. 1t cuts by pulling
to you. Then you need chisel to
spread your cut while you insert your
scion small oak mallet; knife for cut
ting your scions; and one for splitting
large limbs; half of tomato can con-
tanning water; and cotton towel wet
and wrapped around your scions carry
these in your basket on the limb end,
with some paper and lead pencil,
and as soon as your scions
are put in, state position Of tree
in the orchard, variety or varieties Of
graft. If two varieties mark one in the
bark with letter or hieroglyphic and
make note Of it in your book. Also
note condition Of scion and tree, also
date of grating. used tin saucepan
to melt my grating wax In. First
take 5-gallon coal-oil can and cut out
the side and Z V-shsped piece out of the