The San Francisco call., 1895-10-09
Lemon Culture.

In paper on this subject, presented at
the recent session of the Ojai Valley Farm
ers' Institute, n. w. Blanchard of Santa
Paula gave the following advice, born of
experience: The location of a lemon
orchard should be upon land compare
lively free from frost and with a supply
OF water. Lemon trees will stand for a
short time temperature of q degrees
Fahrenheit without any damage, but no
one, In view Of the sharp com petition that
is bound to come in future years in the
lemon culture, should venture to invest
his capital where there is liability of fire.
quent or occasional loss through frost.
Lemons should not be grown on their
own roots. 1t has been sufficiently demon
strated that the lemon root is not so
healthy nor SO long-lived as the orange
root, and as to the merits of sweet versus
sour stock there is no settled opinion.
But plant in either case vigorous, healthy
stock, for scrubby stock is dear if gotten
for nothing.
The lemon will not endure as much cold
as the orange and there is less acreage
adapted to lemon culture than to orange
culture, and yet there is suitable land sufi-
clent 10 grow ten times the present con-
sumption of lemons in this country.
PLANTING.-In our rich soil I would rec
ommend planting Lisbon trees 80 feet
apart and Eureka trees 25 feet apart The
manner in which have planted the Lem
onerla orchard of 400 acres is as follows
Lisbon trees 15x26, Eureka trees 12:6x22.
This gives one way wide space for raising
hoed crops Tor few years and when the
trees become too close in the row every al
ternate tree in the row can be removed,
leaving the permanent orchard. Lisbon
trees 30x30 and Eureka 25x25, both in a
triangular orchard form. The lemon trees
| thus removed will pay several times their
cost before 1t l5 necessary to take them
| out.
PRUNING.-A little pruning may be
| safely and, l think, profitably done. In
the start, thin out the branches so there
| will not be too many, three or four being
enough to start the top of the tree.
] Shorten in the branches that push them
| selves out much beyond the others, cut
out the water sprouts that start from the
| inside OF the tree and cut away any linn b
that crosses and abrades another Also
| try to prevent the limbs getting down on
| the ground, which many of the lower ones
will naturally do; this is necessary in
order to cultivate and irrigate the soil.
| Were it not for this need of cultivation
and irrigation, and for the necessity Of
| getting into. the orchard to gather the
| fruit, l would say, let the tree spread and
| hug the ground at will, for more fruit can
be produced if the tree is allowed to grow
| in accordance with natures own sweet
| will.
The more pruning -mutilating would
often be the better word-the longer time
required for fruiting.
P1CKING.-Cut the stem of the lemon
close to the fruit and handle with
great care. Gather them before they
have changed to a lemon color on
the tree, if they are intended to be kept
for some months; l am more and more
convinced of the necessity of doing this
They should have attained the diameter
of "a to 21l inches when cut, and this will
require on large trees a.high state of culti-
vation, or l think thinning of the fruit as
| is done in deciduous trees to produce large
fruit.
CURING.-I have no liking for the use of
| this term, for 1t seems to imply some tech
nical or professional knowledge, whereas,
the lemon will cure itself. In Italy, no
such expression as curing" lemons is
known, think. If green, they will color
up better in the dark shan in the light, and
any contrivance that will keep away a cir
culation of our desiccating air from the
lemons, give them a cool atmosphere and
prevent the heating by ferment of decay
| answers every purpose of curing" A
lemon kept until the skin has become thin
has both . greater amount of juice and
greater acidity.
VARIETY.-After testing for two or three
years, side by side, the keeping qualities
| and appearance of the Lisbon, Eureka and
Genoa varieties, think it right to give the
result of my experience for the benefit OF
my competitors" 1 have carefully re-
corded the result, and have found each
year, and this year in particular. that the
| Lisbon lemons at the end of five OF
six months are much the best. There is
not only more loss By decay of the Eureka
Il class the Genoa with them, for the habit
| and growth of the tree and the appearance
OF the fruit are similar to the Eureka), but
there are many of the Eureka decidedly of
in appearance, having DARK brown color
and have noticed this to greater extent
this year than in years before. The Eureka
| lemon has the merit, however, of being
nearly seedless and the tree thornless and
good bearer, and if the Eureka is mar
keted early should find perhaps as good
sale as the Lisbon. AS is generally known
| by lemon-growers I formerly rather pre-.
ferred the Eureka variety, and thus
| planted my lemons for market, but have
no desire TO conceal my present preference
| cannot speak of Villa Franco lemons, fol
/ L., L.