The California Fruits And How To Grow Them - A Manual Of Methods Which Have Yielded Greatest Success

Originally published in 1889. 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 STATES By EDWARD J. WICKSON. PREFACE: The Eighth Edition of this treatise outstripped its immediate predecessors in meeting a public demand which covered the available supply much sooner than anticipated. Because of the desirability of keeping the work abreast of the progress of a constantly changing and developing industry, the publishers have assumed the burden of resetting the type for each edition, resisting the temptation of greater profit which would attend reprinting from plates with minimum revision. Therefore this edition is wholly set anew the ninth opportunity for free revision which the writer has enjoyed during the publication of the work, which has reached a total of twenty-five thousand copies since the appearance of the first edition in 1889. Of the quality of the book, it does not become the writer to speak, but he may express his satisfaction at its popularity. Its circulation may be cited as a testimonial of its suitability for service in the building up of the fruit industries, and the demand for it may be regarded as rather unique, when it is remembered that the book deals exclusively with the fruit growing of a single State which is only one, although it be the greatest, of the agricultural interests of that State. The demand for the book is an exponent of the continued activity in California fruit planting, and its sale abroad indicates the fact that the outside world is watching Californias fruit development, and desires to know the methods by which a product which brought to growers a return of 236,955,000 in 1920 a figure, of course, much below its commercial valuation. The writer repeats the request which he has made in earlier editions that all readers whose observation and work teach them any better way than he has described in this book shall share with him the advantages of such greater wisdom. EDWARD J. WICKSON. University of California, Berkeley, September, 1921. Contents include: PART ONE GENERAL I The Climate of California and Its Modifications. II Why the California Climate Favors the Growth of Fruit. III The Fruit Soils of California. IV The Wild. Fruits of California. V The California Mission Fruits. VI Californias Leadership in American Fruit Industries. PART TWO CULTURE VII Clearing the Land for Fruit. VIII The Nursery. IX Budding and Grafting. X Preparation for Planting. XI Planting of Trees. XII Pruning Trees and Thinning Fruit. XIII Cultivation. XIV Fertilizers for Trees and Vines. XV Irrigation of Fruit Trees and Vines. PART THREE ORCHARD FRUITS XVI Commercial Fruit Varieties. XVII The Apple. XVIII The Apricot. XIX The Cherry. XX The Peach. XXI The Nectarine. XXII The Pear. XXIII Plums and Prunes. XXIV The Quince. PART FOUR THE GRAPE Chapter XXV The Grape Industry. XXVI Propagating and Planting Vines. XXVII Pruning and Care of the Vine...