The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-05-09

the tree The Waxed cloth is removed, and after the bud is well started the top branches of the tree are all cut of about two inches from the buds. There are about eight or ten buds placed in each tree. The reason for not cutting off the branches before is that the shade protects the tender growth from heat and frost. The upper branches cause a sure supply Of nourishment to the buds by drawing the sap upwards, and in this manner serve a double purpose. After the tops are removed the trees are generally white-washed to prevent sun burn. The working over of old orchards is carried on by the method of budding. Many orchards of inferior Australian Navels, Mediterranean Sweets, Seed lings and others have been rebudded to Washington Navels. It is possible to have many varieties or oranges on the same tree, and oranges. lemons and grapefruit may be seen hanging from the branches of a single tree. The prep aration of the soil previous to planting is of the utmost importance to the pro- spective orchardist. The land should be carefully graded. so that water can be successfully carried to every tree. The soil should be plowed deep and thor oughly pulverized by narrowing. The orange, being an evergreen, can be planted at any time in the year. but 1t is considered better to transplant when the ground is warm, and when the tree is nearer to starting new growth, as it then has greater strength and root pow T,,e sc 1A
 sirable to have it symmetrical and to economic the land One of the first things is to get the trees in straight rows and at equal distances apart. There are various methods of dlsposing of the straight rows. The one in gene ral use is as follows:
 A line containing pieces of cord or tape twenty feet apart is stretched over the land where it it desired to plant a row of trees and stakes driven into the ground at points designated by the tape. Now having the distances accu- rately aseertained, the question arises of being able to remove the stake, dig the hole for the tree and replace it in exactly the same position occupied by the stake. This difficulty is obviated by having a board with notch cut in the center and having this section of the board touch the stake At each end a similar notch is made and stakes placed in these positions When the board is removed and the hole dug, the tree is jplaced in exacst position by resuming lprevious conditions excepting the tree has been substituted bor the original istake. There are many different sys- ltens of planting trees, the principal lforms are designated by the terms, lsquare, quincunx and hexagonal or sep tuple. The methods most commonly used are the square and quincunx, but lthe most generally adopted is the square system. In the latter the orchard is Ilaid off in lines crossing each other, with equal intervals of space and tree planted at each crossing of the lines
 By the square method at twenty feet lapart, one hundred and eight trees are planted to the acre. Sometimes only lone hundred trees are planted to the acre, thus allowing more room for cul- ltivating. In the quincunx system the !orchard Is laid off in the same manner as for square planting, except that the humber of rows are doubled and tree lplanted in the center of every square At twenty feet apart one hundred and lninety mine trees are planted to an acre by this method.
 The young trees begin to bear the
 third year and an orchard may be con- sidered to be in full bearing about the fifth or sixth year after being set out
 There are records of orange trees hay ing attained the great age of two hun
 dred and fifty to three hundred and for. ty years. Each tree in a fine orchard
 should produce from five to seven fielG
 boxes, each weighing about forty-sever
 pounds, while packed box weight six
 ty-eight pounds. The rain-fall 1T
 Southern California being insufficient
 for the necessary nourishment of tht
 trees, irrigation has to be depended
 upon. The water Is sold to the grower
 by the inch. A miners inch being thai
 quantity which flows through an orific,
 one inch square under pressure of foul
 inches. Fifty miners inches are equa
 to flow of one cubic foot per second
 The water Is measured at the orchard in what is called weir. The depth O
 water running over metallic surface lof known width is taken, and by tn, aid of tables the exact quantity of wa
 ter Is calculated. The orchard is irri lgated every four to six weeks and a
 each time from one to three days. Si,
 furrows are plowed between the row.
 of trees and the water is directed int these from the main flume which i lpltced at the highest level, and consists
 either of wood or cement. The quantit.
 of water which is allowed in each fur
 row is regulated by little gates or open ings in the main Hume, and should b.