Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-03-16

agricultural agent. Hidalgo county.
Edinburg, Texas Henry l.. Alsmeyer,
county agricultural agent. Cameron
county, San Benito, Texas.
Orchard Practices Recommended By
the Valley Experiment Station
tYoung Orchards)
By ". II. Friend, Superintendent.
The care and management Of
young citrus orchards has, In the
past, been a problem Of Importance
both to the resident owners and non
resident developers Of citrus orchards
n the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
The main cause for the failure Of so
many young citrus orchards is ne
glect. Much Of this neglect IS
brought about by the relative part
Of the entire farming system that
the young citrus orchard occupies.
Because Of the fact that the young
citrus orchard Is not yielding any re-
turns 10 the owner, the tendency Of
the average owner Ia 70 make its
care secondary to all other farm
operations. The use Of i~nter-plant-
ed crops In the o~rchard-and this
practice is 20 be recommended
causes the grover 10 center his at
tention on the money crop rather
Gnan on the young citrus trees.
This loss of the sight Of the objec-
tive on the part of the grower fire.
quently causes young citrus orchards
60 suffer setbacks that II takes years
Of careful management 70 correct.
interplsnting
Of all the problems confronting
the developer Of young citrus or
chards, the selection OF crops for
interplanting in the orchard u prob
ably the most important. Irrigation,
cultivation, pruning. fertilization,
winter protection and pest control
all have their place in the system
Of orchard management. and no one
Of these should be neglected.
Selection Of a crop for planting in
the young citrus orchard should re-
ceive the careful consideration OF the
owner. The welfare Of the trees
should at all times be kept foremost
in the owners mind. Crops from
which irrigation water must be with
held for considerable periods Of
time, as with cotton, should not be
selected. Also crops which require
frequent copious irrigations during
"HR WAAAtA AAAMtnEf G4Nm Cd NGUUNEtr
should not be selected. Crops that
require only a short time for their
development, such as snap beans,
black eyed peas, spinach, and pota-
toes are more desirable than long
season crops such AS corn, tomatoes
and carrots. A fall aud a spring
r Of these short seasons can be
grown with an additional crop, pre-
ferably some soil improving legume,
planted between seasons.
Irrigation Important
Irrigation Is n very important
factor in the development Of young
citrus orchards. Water should be
applied at any time that there Is a
deficiency of soil moisture in the
root zone of the trees. IL is desir-
able to have the soil dry out" aft
err each irrigation, but the trees
should never be allowed to reach
the. whiting point" at any season Of
the year. Trees suffering from
drcuth will be more severely in
jured by low temperature than trees
in a normal state Of growth. Irri-
CATION water should be applied TO
young orchards in such a manner as
to induce rather deep penetration.
Failure TO secure deep penetration
of irrigation water will induce shall
low roofing Of the young trees.
Cultivation IN young citrus or
chards should have for is object the
suppression Of undesirable weed
g-cEth and the incorporation of crop
residues and other organic matter
with the soil. Needless stirring of
the soil is a waste and may cause ac-
tual harm by burning out" the or
ranic matter of the soil.
Pruning Problem
Pruning of young citrus trees "A 4
problem on which there is n diversity
Of opinion. BY attending 10 pruning
mt the proper time. much Of the
young trees energy can be conserv-
ed and the tree shaped SO as to make
n tree that will meet the require
ment for a good orchard tree. All
dead. broken and interfering limbs
should be removed. and all sucker
growth and "willowy" branches sup
pressed early in their development.
Large pruning wounds. especially
those near the ground line. should
be treated with some antiseptic
dressing. A solution Of pine resin in
deratured alcohol a ozs. 20 / pint Is
an effective treatment for all tree
wounds.
Manure Of all kinds and organic
/