Identifier: californiafruits02wick (find matches)
Title: The California fruits and how to grow them; a manual of methods which have yielded greatest success, with the lists of varieties best adapted to the different districts of the state
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Wickson, Edward J. (Edward James), 1848-1923
Subjects: Fruit-culture
Publisher: San Francisco, Cal., Pacific Rural Press
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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is shall begin and when end areto be locally determined. In some places even the earliest fruits cannot reach satisfactory size and quality without irrigation. In othersrainfall with winter irrigation will suffice for proper development ofearly fruits, but not for late. In both cases the fruit may be satis-factory, but the tree unable to hold its leaf vigor until the work of thegrowing season is properly completed. It is then apparent that localpractice must vary in order to reach the universal fact, and that is thatall through the active season the tree must have constant and adequatetjioisture supply. INIany evils in lack of bearing, in dying back, inunseasonable activity and the like are due to inadequate, intermittentand, in some cases, to excessive moisture in the soil. Cultivation and Irrigation.—Although the relations of irrigationand cultivation have l)een freely discussed, it must b<c remarked in thisconnection that with such an extension of irrigation practice as is now
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183 184 CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM realized, there is danger that those who have previously trusted sofully upon good cultivation may swing to the other extreme and trusttoo much to the stream of water and too little to the plow and culti-vator. There is a temptation this way when one finds that he canrun water in large amounts very cheaply. Not only is there dangerof over-irrigation in the growth of tree and fruit, but the ill effects ofwater upon the soil, when unattended by good cultivation, are con-stantly threatened. The tree needs air as well as water; it needs acertain free condition of the soil for its best root action. These needscan be amply secured when adequate application of water is quicklyfollowed by soil-stirring. Irrigated soil rightly treated is delightfullymellow and free and of condition to invite the fullest activity on thepart of the tree. Irrigated ground not properly treated becomes com-pacted, fissured, cloddy and generally hateful, losing moisture ra

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