FIG CULTURE

By J. ELIOT COIT, Professor of Citriculture

There were in 1910, 5380 acres planted to figs in California, and there has been much additional planting since that time. About one-half the fig trees of the state are grown in Fresno County. The average consumption of dried figs in the United States for the last ten years was 12,100 tons per year. Only one-fourth this amount is produced in California, about one million dollars worth being imported from Turkey each year.

While in many parts of California from Shasta to Imperial County, figs grow and produce fruit suitable for eating fresh, the production of dried figs on a commercial scale is limited largely to the San Joaquin Valley, where the climatic conditions permit out-door drying and curing.

In sections where the natural rainfall is sufficient for figs to be grown without irrigation, good land may be had at from $75 to $125 an acre. Where irrigation is necessary the cost of land with rights to sufficient water for an established irrigation system will vary from $150 to $200 an acre. In much of the available fig land the water table is near the surface. For best results the water table should not be nearer than ten feet. When nearer than this the value of the land should be discounted and when nearer than four feet figs should not be planted.

Fig trees come into bearing in three to five years, and should be in full bearing at twelve years of age. Where irrigation is not practiced the cost of bringing an orchard into bearing will vary from $40 to $70 an acre. Where irrigated the cost will run from $100 to $250.

This figure may be reduced by raising interculture crops between the trees. The cost of operating a bearing fig orchard, including harvesting, taxes, interest, etc., will vary from $75 to $100 per acre per year. It is not the custom to rent fig properties in California.

The yields to be expected vary widely, but averaging the good and poor seasons together, they may be expected to be somewhat as follows: Mission, 2% to 3% tons per acre; Adriatic, 2 to 21⁄2 tons; Smyrna, 1% to 2 tons.

The fig grower at present is at a great disadvantage in marketing his crop. No co-operative selling organization exists, although there is a great need for Under present conditions the grower may receive from the packers for the Mission two cents, for Adriatic three and a half cents, and for the Smyrna five to six cents per pound on a sweat-box basis. At present the Adriatic is

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the most profitable variety, especially when grown as a border around vineyards and along roadways. Under such conditions there is little expense and the fruit often sells on the trees for as much as two dollars per tree.

The business of packing and shipping fresh figs is good, but the profit depends upon the price and the availability of pickers and transportation facilities. There is a limit to the amount of figs which may be disposed of locally in this way, the supply far exceeding the demand. In a few cases very high prices have been secured for extremely early fresh figs shipped from Coachella Valley to the New York market in crates carrying cracked ice. Good prices may be secured in California for these early figs, but the demand is limited.

Fig trees are singularly free from pests and diseases, the only trouble worth mentioning being a nematode worm which inhabits the roots when grown on very light sandy soil.

After being once well established a fig orchard should bear well as long as properly cared for or for one hundred years.

The artificial process of caprification is necessary only with Smyrna varieties.

GRAPE GROWING

By F. T. BIOLETTI, Professor of Viticulture and Enology

Grapes are grown profitably in every county in California except one or two in the extreme north and two or three in the higher mountain regions.

Varieties and Localities.-Grapes for dry wine are grown most profitably in the coast counties from Mendocino to San Diego, where the acidity of the fruit and the cool weather of the vintage are suitable; sweet wine grapes in the great interior valleys from Shasta to Kern and also in parts of the San Gabriel Valley in Southern California, where rich soil insures large crops and the climate promotes low acidity and high sugar content in the grapes.

Raisin grapes are grown principally in the San Joaquin Valley with Fresno as the center. Here the Muscat and Sultanina develop the necessary sugar early enough to be dried in the sun while the weather 'is still hot and dry. Minor centers where good raisins are made occur in the central part of the Sacramento Valley and even near the coast in the extreme south, but drying the fruit is often uncertain and dipping or artificial driers must sometimes be resorted to.

The earliest shipping grapes are Sultanina and Malaga from the Coachella and Imperial valleys. The next, principally of the same varieties, come from the foothills of Tulare County and the neighborhood of Winters and Vacaville. Malaga is the principal white shipping grape and is grown most largely in the San Joaquin Valley south of Modesto. The Flame Tokay, which constitutes the main bulk shipped, is grown principally in San Joaquin County with Lodi as a center and in Sacramento County along the American River. Farther south it fails to develop sufficient color. The next most important shipping grape is the Emperor, grown principally in Tulare and Fresno counties. The latest shipping grapes are grown in Contra Costa and Santa Cruz counties principally. In general, shipping grapes can be grown profitably only in localities where packing and transportation facilities have been established. Rich soil and abundant water are necessary.

On a twenty acre vineyard most of the work except harvesting can be done by the owner himself. Unless he has had considerable experience, it would be unwise to attempt to handle more.

In starting a vineyard great care should be used in choosing the planting stock. As a rule one year old rooted vines grown from cuttings carefully selected from healthy, profitable vines should be used. In rich, moist, sandy loam the cuttings may often be planted directly in the field with considerable saving in expense and some in time. In most of the coast regions phylloxera resistant bench grafts must be used.

The soil should be cleared, levelled where irrigation is needed, and plowed or subsoiled at least twelve inches deep before planting. Great care in training and pruning the young vines for the first three years before they come into bearing is necessary. Stakes must be used from the end of the first year until the vines can support themselves. Some varieties, such as Sultanina, require trellising. Pruning must be done by expert hands and must be adapted to the particular variety. Sulfuring once, twice, or three times during the season is needed to control the Oidium. Special methods of thinning and harvesting are needed for some table grapes.

A well-managed vineyard may yield a net profit of from $50 to $200 per acre when in full bearing. One which is neglected will often fail to pay running expenses.

Suitable land can be obtained for from $150 to $250 per acre in small tracts. The cost of planting and care of an ordinary vineyard for the first three years will be about $150. Where resistant vines are used about $40 per acre must be added to this. If the vines are to be trellised like Sultaninas from $25 to $30 per acre must be added.

The average cultural expenses of a bearing vineyard will seldom be less than $12 per acre per annum and the fixed charges for taxes, depreciation, and interest on the investment will usually exceed $20. The production of shipping grapes perhaps offers the most promising opportunity for profit, but whether the promises wil be realized depends on co-operation of the growers in marketing.

ONION RAISING

By S. S. ROGERS, Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology

The requirements for onions are so exacting that the novice should not undertake the production of onions on a large scale until the requirements of the crop are known and local conditions thoroughly understood. There is such an enormous acreage adapted to onion growing in this state that the markets are easily glutted. Some years the grower may realize a net profit of several hundred dollars per acre and the next season the returns may not be sufficient to meet expenses.

The largest centers for the production of onion seed are located in the Santa Clara Valley near the city of San Jose and in San Benito County near the town of Hollister. Onions for the market are produced in large quantities in the Imperial Valley and in the vicinity of the larger cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, Fresno, and Los Angeles. Onions will grow on a variety of soils, but the most favorable is one which holds moisture well although friable enough to be easily cultivated and to allow the proper

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expansion of the root. A heavy, sticky adobe or a coarse, gravelly soil should be avoided. The onion can stand without injury a much lower temperature than many other vegetables, and if given sufficient moisture it will endure the heat well. Before planting, the soil should be put into the finest condition of tilth possible and the culture throughout the entire season should be such that there will be no weed growth and a good mulch preserved. If hand implements are used the rows may be planted about twelve inches apart, while if the cultivation is to be done by horse-drawn implements the rows should be two to three feet apart. Cover the seed about one-half an inch when planting on heavy soil and about one inch when planting on light soil or late in the season. In many sections of California onions can be successfully sown during any month of the year, but the bulk of the seeding is done during the months of February to May, inclusive. Onions are propagated in California from seed planted directly in the field, by transplanting the seedlings, and from sets. The first two methods are the most common. The Red Wethersfield, Australian Brown, and Danvers Globe are the most popular varieties, although there are many others grown in this state.

When grown for pickles and green onions harvest whenever they attain the desired size. For dry onions harvesting should not be commenced until the tops of the majority of the onions have begun to turn yellow and dry. If deferred too long the onions will grow new roots, which ruins them for marketing except when consumed immediately. The crop is thrown in windrows and allowed to cure for several days and in some localities longer. When the tops have become thoroughly dried they are cut or twisted off about one-half an inch from the bulb. The latter are placed in piles, thoroughly dried and sacked. When growing onions for seed, the first season's work consists of growing the bulbs or mother onions, which are produced and harvested in the same manner as growing mature onions. In the following spring these bulbs are transplanted to the field and are allowed to go to seed. In the fall, when the seed has completely ripened it is harvested, cleaned, and stored in sacks ready for shipment.

Soil suitable for onion growing ordinarily varies from $200 to $500 per acre, including a suitable water supply. Most of the manual labor is done by Japanese, who are paid from $1.50 to $2 per day.

OLIVE CULTURE

By W. F. OGLESBY, Assistant in Viticulture

Regions.-Olives may be grown in any of the coast valleys south of Mendocino County. They may also be grown in the great interior valley from Anderson on the north to Bakersfield on the south, as well as in the interior valleys of the southern counties of the state. It would be well for those who contemplate the planting of olive orchards to visit such places as Oroville, Fresno, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and San Diego, as the factors in these places and the districts around them will give some idea of conditions required. If the visit be made in late summer the disadvantages of shallow, leachy, heavy, or poorly drained soils, as well as close planting, poor pruning, poor cultivation, and poor air drainage, will be readily seen.

Climate.-Olive trees will grow wherever the temperature does not go below 15° F in winter, but for fruit the latest killing frost in spring should be in April and the earliest killing frost in the fall late in November. From blossoming time to frost or for at least six and one-half months the mean daily temperature should not be less than 66° F. A higher mean would be better.

Soil. A deep, rich, well-drained, sandy loam with a high lime content and enough ferric oxide to give it a good red color is the ideal soil for olives. They will do fairly well, however, on any well drained soil. Very heavy or poorly drained soils, as well as those too coarse or gravelly to hold moisture, should be avoided.

Irrigation. No olive orchard should be planted without making provision for irrigation. The trees may do well and an occasional crop may be gotten, but an unirrigated olive orchard will prove of little commercial value. An olive orchard should be irrigated from three to twelve times per year, according to the character and depth of the soil. An equivalent of one miner's inch continuous flow during the growing season should be provided for each five acres of orchard as a minimum.

Cultivation. Olive orchards should be plowed deeply at least once a year and thoroughly cultivated after each irrigation.

Pruning.—Annual pruning is necessary if annual crops are to be expected. If the pruning is neglected the tree will produce crops biennially or less frequently. Pruning should keep the head of the tree low and open and should regulate the amount of fruiting brush left from year to year.

Harvesting. All olives should be hand-picked. The degree of ripeness depends on the use to which the fruit is intended. If for green pickles, fruit should be full grown but still green in color. For ripe pickles and oil, fruit should be well colored, color varying according to variety. Varieties grown should be confined to those that grow large enough fruit for pickling. Mission, Manzanillo, Sevillano, and Ascalano are the most favored at present.

Labor.-Price of labor will vary from $2 to $3 per day, according to the work done, expert growers and grafters getting the higher price. The picking of the fruit by hand will cost about $20 per ton. One man may care for from ten to forty acres. In any case he will need help at picking and pruning time. Lands Still Available.—The lower foothills, bench lands, and alluvial fans and, in the warmer sections, the well-drained bottom lands of situations mentioned under "Regions."

Commercial Value of Developed and Undeveloped Land.-Developed land is valued at from $300 to $600 per acre; undeveloped land at from $25 to $300 per acre, price depending on location, character of the land, cost of levelling, etc.

Marketing. For the most part olives are sold directly to the canners and oil makers. Some growers have their own plants for pickling, but oil making requires such expensive machinery that very few individuals have them. There is little money in oil, so that the present tendency is to grow only such varieties as are good for pickling. Oil is a by-product. Only the undersized and frosted olives are now turned into oil.