The morning call., 1893-10-23

Several orchardists have already CON-
menced their pruning It is somewha.
earlier than is usual, but experiments from
year to year prove that early pruning is
very great improvement up6n the old
way of winter pruning. especially for
many varieties of trees. When the fruit is
off the trees are at their very lowest ebb,
the sap has ceased flowing, and the leaves
are ready to fall. II now the tree is
pruned there is less work to do, aud in.
stead of sending out sap to keep all the
tree alive and vigorous the sap makes
stronger end st0ckler wood for the next
years growth.
There are other reasons too. the wood
being green is easier cut an sawed, the
ground is clean and dry before the rains
to work on. in spraying there is less work
to Go, and finally very large percentage
of the scale is cut off, and SO destroyed on
the prunings.
In trees that produce large crops, par
ticulariy peaches and apricOts, very great
deal of expense and labor Is incurred in
thinning the fruit when very small to pro-
duce good-sized fruit. In pruni e it is
we'll to consider this fact, and prune as
carefully as possible TO save much of the
labor of thinning.
No two trees are pruned alike. alth oug b
il is good general rule 10 open out the
light to reach every part where fruit will
grow. In some parts of the State the heat
is SO great as to blister the bark from the
StumpS OF young trees, and therefore they
are pruned very low. the body or brush OF
the tree beginning foot or eighteen inches
from the ground. In this valley there is
never any excessive heat, and therefore the
tree proper begins two, three or even more
feet from the ground. 1t is a great ad-
vantage in plowiDg and in harvesting the
fruit. and horses and plows or wagons can
be driven close to the trees, saving great
deal of bard work in tilling
The observant orchardist knows just
how his fruit grows; he knows that april
cots grow on spurs thrown out from old
wood; that peaches grow both on last
years ana this years wood, and that
piums or prunes grow on last years wood
and in great clusters on this years wood i;
and knowing this, he will not cut off limb
filed with strong apricot spurs on old
wood, and will be careful In cutting off
new wood to cut off two out of three new
shoots and cut back the third one. throw
ing more strength into It's fruit spurs.
So through the list of trees he will know
that some throw out or lose too much sap,
as cherries. for instance, il pruned too late
in the spring. after the sap has COM
menced to flow.
1t has no; been a general practice here
to prune cherry trees, but growers will
need to do so, as the trees are now quite
old and the size of the fruit is diminished
if too mucb wood is left on. Summer or
early winter is the time to prune cherries.
Walnuts, almonds and pruues are not
pruned in this valley; the young tree is
shaped and only an occasional limb is
taken out from year TO year thereafter.
Very little attention is paid TO apple
trees here. and it is a pity, as very good
a. nnln ha nd nf
variety. They are expected, however. to
yield IA crop without any care whatever.
without careful pruning or washing. The
Goblin moth is no harder to fight than the
scale op other trees, and a,spray once or
twice OF paris green when yet in the bios
som gives splendid results. Apple trees.
too. need just as careful pruning as other
fruits.
From five to ten boxes tree is no un-
common yield for trees ten or twelve years
old. and that means from So to S. tree.
which would be considered good for other
trees. Year after year, also, the crop in
creases and returns also increase.
The prune crop is nearly harves ed. and
everybody is busy picking almonds.
brought out to hull the almonds, but none
so far has proved satisfactory and the
work is still done by hand. Chine Sc do
the most of the work. and are paid about
20 cents for knocking the nuts off, picking
them up and huliug them. The cost TO
harvest them is from ~ to 3 cents a
pound, according to variety. Quantities
of late peaches are being dried. and The
last Dlums are being shipped to market.
realizing from 40 to 30 cents a box. the best
prices of the season. The fuit season
has been longer by four weeks than usual.
A Chinaman about town has been max
Ing money in curious way. Armed with
a fail, large sheet and two coa-oil cans
he has secured the hills and byways thresh-
ing out the mustard seed, and has found
so much that he has made from 80 cents to
81 25 day easily. Almost every year
some one about town has made a few dol
lars by harvesting the hoarh0und which
grows In such quantities in the valley.
For the first time in four years the creek
has not been dry this summer. The Spring
Valley Water Company has allowed por-
tiOn Of the water to remain in The creek
and has kept the irrigating ditch filled.
What benefit it has been tc the crops can
not be told in just one season.
MRS. j. E. THANE.