Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-13
THE RANCHES.
Facts About South.
ern California Farms.
A Practical Talk About Or
chard Fertilizing.
H. G.. Kresling on the Pruning O.
Apricot Trees.
Large Profits in COacoanut Growing In
FlOrida-MaItese Blood Oranges.
Hon ticultural Notes.

D. w. Mcleod in the Riverside Press
says: Before returning from San
Francisco interviewed Prof. Hilgard of
the University Of California on the SUBJ
ject OF fertilizers. He recommends
small quantity of Chile saltpeter, one
pound only to the tree, except in rare
cases when they show that they need
special stimulus. In such cases one
and one.half pounds might be benefi-
cial. The effect will soon be seen in
wood growth, and too much of this in
gredient produces fruit that is large and
sappy. If we wish to keep the size of
our oranges down give sparingly of Chile
saltreter. All over one pound and a
half is lost by action of water, rain,
etc., since the tree cannot possibly
assimilate but that quantity in one
year. In small quantities the fruit sets
better, wood growth is stimulat ed and
healthy tree the result. The principal
ingredient we need in Riverside is
phosphoric acid, and while Prot. Hill
gard will not endorse any commercial
fertilizer he has furnished for
mula which we can safely use for the
best results in Riverside, combining
phosphoric acid with nitrogen and leav-
ing out potash, which is largely supplied
by our irrigating water. Bone meal,
made from bones steamed for three or
four hours, in boiler, under pressure
of thirty-five to fifty pounds, ground
fine, he considers one of the best of fer
tilizers. Sheep manure in reasonable
quantities is first class, but in excessive
supply has the same effect as too much
Chile saltpetre. When we consider that
the production of 10000 pounds per acre
of Washington navel oranges, or 300
boxes, takes $500 pounds of potash,
13.4O pounds of phosphoric acid and
$3.50 of nitrogen out of the soil, we
must make up our minds to return some
of these ingredients or go without fruit
and see our beautiful groves become
cumberers of the ground. But we must
avoid the mistake others have made
and not overdo the matter. A gentle
man who has lived in Florida for several
winters, who is now resident of Wash
ington, D. G., told me last year that he
saw orchards nearly ruined by CONNER
Cldl MISUNDERSTANDING bIcc6 tcu luCuc6 III
diameter killed to the ground.
PRUNING APRICOT TREES.
Everyone knows that it ia easier to
find fault with the work of others than
to give them the kind of information
that will enable them to improve on
their methods of pruning. Much is
written about how to prune trees, and
<har 90 ~ of - go of v1roofsooI
use to the reader for several reasons,
During my visit to Southern Califor-
mia, where most of my time was spent in
the fruit-growing districts, was aston
ished at the way nearly every one pruned
the apricot. l cannot describe it better
than to say that the trees looked as If
the pruners had mistaken them for
grape vines, except that while each limb
was cut back to few buds only, none of
them were cut out entirely, as must be
done in pruning grapes. 1 do not like
to designate such work as pruning. 1t
is shearing-very much like shearing
sheep. One fruit'grower, and an exception
to the general rule. said to me that he
had advised some of his neighbors to
take trip to San Jose and get some
pointers on pruning, believing tina the
expense of the trip would be money we'll
spent. In any event, it is better not to
prune at all than to cut all the wood
back in such senseless way. By con-
tinued "shearing" it will be only few
years until the branches will be go thick
as to starve out the fruit spurs inside
the tree by excluding sun and air and
drawing all the sap to the ends OF the
limbs. An apricot tree should be OPEN
topped. so that every fruit spur will con-
tinue to grow and bear fruit. A strong
growth is not necessary, as with the
peach, but q healthy growth is.
There are many fruit growers in Los
Angeles and San Bernardino counties
who are increasing their orchards of
deciduous fruits, and if they would be
successful they must prune intelligently,
and there is no better way for them to
learn than to visit the Santa Clara val
ley, or ask questions through the horti-
cultural papers.-[H. G. Kresling in
California Cultivator.
COCoANUT GROWING.
It is now fifteen years since the first
cocoanuts were planted in Florida, but
the success of these has started quite a
rage for their large planting in the
southern portion of that state for COM
mercial and ornamental. purposes, one
party alone having grove of over 800,
600 trees. One hundred and eight trees
are planted to the acre, and each tree in
full bearing will produce from 300 to 400
nuts. They usually commence bearing
at from five to seven years from the
seed. The nuts have never sold as low
as two cents each in the United States,
but at that price an average grove in full
bearing would produce about $3.50 per
acre.
The nuts are planted with the husk
on, and sometimes produce two or three
shoots each. Desiccated cocoanuts and
the oil are now shipped in large guam
titles from countries were the nut has
been cultivated for many yesrs.-[Cali-
fornia Cultivator.
MALTESE BLOOD ORANGES.
H. E. Van Deman, pomologist OF the
department of agriculture at Washing
ton, expresses the following opinion OF
this orange in the Horticultural Art
Journal: This is one of the choicest
and most highly favored Of all the va
rieties Of the orange. It is true that the
flavor il not 80 mild and sweet a. some,
& 4. An