Soils Fertilizers And Irrigatio
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- If Your Land Needs It At All
... Alfalfa Over Hardpan
I have land graded for alfalfa and some of the checks are low and water will stand on the low checks in the winter. There is on an average from two to three feet of soil on top of hardpan and hardpan is about two feet thick. Will water drain off... Alkali Gypsum And Shade Trees
Kindly advise how to apply gypsum, and how much, to heavy, sticky soil, the worst sort of adobe and heavily saturated with alkali. We want to plant shade trees. Eucalyptus and peppers succeed fairly well after once started. Gypsum seems to help,... Almond Hulls And Sawdust
Is there any fertilizing value in the hulls of almonds? Would pine sawdust from the lumber mills be a good substance to mix in and plow under in a three-acre adobe patch in order to loosen and lighten the soil for truck gardening? Almond hull... An Abuse Of Grape Pomace
I got in an argument with a neighbor of mine who stated that grape pomace is not a fertilizer. Is it so? My neighbor says that two years ago he had two apricot trees in his yard, and they were fine bearing and healthy trees. After making his win... Application Of Manure Ashes
Having recently got a lot of manure plentifully supplied with redwood shavings that had been used with the bedding, and being afraid to use the same in that shape, as it takes such a long time for the wood to rot, I reduced the pile to a heap of... Applying Thomas Phosphate
When is the best time to apply Thomas phosphate slag on orchard land? As Thomas phosphate is slowly soluble, it can be applied at any time during the rainy season without danger of loss, and for the same fact, it should be applied early during... Artesian Water
I have a large tract of adobe soil, a black clay top soil. For about five months in the year there is not sufficient water on the place. I have sunk wells in different parts, but with very poor results, the further we went down the drier and har... Ashes And Poultry Manure
It is said that ashes mixed with chicken manure is not good. I use ashes altogether on the drop boards because I can keep the boards cleaner. The refuse is then scattered around the fruit trees. Wood ashes and lime should never be used as you ... Barnyard Manure And Alkali
In spots my land is hard and has some black alkali. Will barnyard manure help the hard land if cultivated in? Use stable manure because that would not only furnish nitrogen, if your plants need any more, but it would add coarse material and ul... Blasting Or Tiling
In planting trees where hardpan is four feet from the surface is it necessary to blast the hardpan, or is there no benefit derived by the blasting? If there should be a good available soil under a shallow layer of hardpan, which you say is fo... Bones For Grape Vines
I am going to plant out some grape vines, and would like to know if it is a good plan to put old bones, broken up fine, into the holes when planting. Yes, if you do not use too much and it is mixed with earth, a little beyond the touch of the... California That I Am Very Much Puzzled Which Kind To Select
There is no grass which grows quickly enough to be worth seeding in the fall for spring plowing. It is a good deal better to use a grain, either barley or rye, for the seed is cheap, the growth quick and you can get a good deal of green stuff to plo... Caustic Lime Not A Good Absorbent
Would air-slackened lime be suitable to sprinkle over the dropping boards in hen houses? Gypsum is greatly superior to air-slacked lime for the hen houses, as it has every beneficial effect of the latter, while the air-slacked lime will set f... Charcoal Is A Medicine Not A Food
Recently a lumberyard burned, leaving quite a quantity of charcoal. I have a lot 50 x 150 feet in rhubarb. Would the charcoal be of any service on that lot as a fertilizer? I now have it well fertilized with horse manure, but would like to use t... Coal Ashes In The Garden
What is the effect of coal ashes on the red clay soil of Redlands or wood and coal ashes combined? Coal ashes are exceedingly desirable upon clay land because their mechanical mixture with the fine particles of the clay renders the soil more ... Composting Garden Wastes
You recommend making a compost of all scrapings, garbage, weeds, etc. Is there any danger in having this in a pit near the house? If you desire to put garden wastes, including manure, into a pit, the only objection would be the heavy work of d... Composting Manure
Will the dry barnyard manure, when heaped up and dampened with water, make a valuable fertilizer? For garden use, dry manure in heaps should be dampened with water from time to time so as to prevent too active fermentation. Of course, water s... Condensation For Irrigation
If a circular funnel of waterproofed building paper, or some better cheap device, were fastened about the base of the tree in such a manner as to catch and concentrate most of the drippings from the leaves, and that water made to run down throug... Consult The Trees
Can I send you a little soil out of my one-year-old pear orchard so that you can advise me what I can do to improve its fertility. The trees are fairly thrifty, but as fruit growing is my pleasure I wish to make it a model orchard and add what... Cow Stable Drainage For Fruit
I have been told that the drainings from a cow barn make an excellent fertilizer for orange and lemon trees, in fact, anywhere on plants where manure is considered beneficial. The drainage from a cow barn is excellent for fertilizing almost an... Cowpeas For Cover Crop
I planted cowpeas between peach trees which I have kept irrigated; when should they be plowed under? Cowpeas will be killed by frost in most places and should, therefore, be plowed in this fall whenever you have a large growth of green stuff a... Creamery Wastes For Irrigation
Will the waste water from a creamery, pumped into a ditch and used for irrigating sandy loam orchard land, or nursery stack, in any way be injurious to the land or the trees? It will depend upon the amounts of salt and alkaline washing materia... Damping-off
My orange seed-bed stack has "damp-off." Same say "too much water;" "not enough water;" "put on lime;" etc. I use a medium amount of water and more of my stack is affected than that of any other grower. One man has kept his well soaked since pla... Defects In Soil Moisture
I have apricot trees that appear to be almost dead; all but a very few small green leaves are gone, and they look bad, still I think they might be saved if I only knew what to do. Presumably your apricot tree is suffering from too much standin... Depth Of Cultivation
I would be glad to know whether in cultivating an orchard a light-draft harrow could profitably be used, which cultivates three and a half inches deep? I have used another cultivator, and try to have it go at least seven inches. A depth of 3 ... Depth Of Ground-water
Is there probable harm from water standing 12 feet from the surface in an orchard? Also probable age of trees before any effect of said water would be felt by them? The soil is almost entirely chocolate dry bog. - ... Distribution Of Alkali
I am told by all the ranchers on the east and south sides of the valley that their wells are excellent. But they all say that on the west side - they are bringing up alkali. One also said that the water level was rising throughout all the valley... Dry Plowing And Sowing
I dry-plowed my grain field to a depth averaging seven inches; it turned up very rough. I then disked and harrowed it, but it is still very rough. I intended to drill the seed, wait for sufficient rain, and harrow to a satisfactory condition, bu... Dry Plowing For Soil And Weed Growth
Is there any scientific reason to support the belief that it is injurious to the soil to dry-plow it for seeding to grain this fall and winter? Will dry-plowing now cause a worse growth of filth after the rains than the customary fallowing in th... Effects Of Blasting
I have land which is underlaid with hardpan two or three feet deep and this in turn is underlaid with sand or sandpan. What I would like to know is whether blasting the holes before setting trees would allow more moisture coming from this sandpa... Electro-agriculture
Kindly tell me of any one who is working upon the application of electricity to stimulating agricultural growth-especially here on the Coast. A friend who has done some work in this line seeks to interest me. I have seen notices of this work, an... Fenugreek As A Cover Crop
Fenugreek has been recommended to be as a nitrogen-gathering plant, but I cannot find information as to the amount of nitrogen it gathers in its roots and tops, nor the amount of crop per acre. Fenugreek is a good nitrogen gatherer and is desi... Fertilizer For Sweet Potatoes And Melons
I have sandy soil that has been used for sweet potatoes until it is worn out for that crop, and would like your advice as to the best fertilizer to use. Also, what fertilizer would be best for melons on land that has been planted to melons for t... Fertilizers In Irrigation Water
Do you recommend putting fertilizers in irrigating water? I am about to water the orchard and am thinking of putting some nitrate in the water. You can distribute any soluble fertilizer by dissolving it in irrigation water, but few have ever d... Fertilizers In Tree Holes
Would it be harmful to add 2 or 3 pounds of steamed bone meal to the hole of a young tree just before planting? There would be no injury, providing you mix it with a considerable amount of soil by digging over the bottom of the hole, but our ... Fertilizing Alfalfa
Can new cow manure be put on alfalfa? Is not the best way to use the above as a fertilizer in form of liquid being run from barn via pipes to a settling-tank and from there via irrigation ditches to the land to be irrigated? What is the best way... Fertilizing Corn
We are going to plant about 20 acres to corn on a sidehill and intend to put some fertilizer on, but want to give it to the corn only. Would it be a good plan, after we have marked out our rows, to scatter some fertilizer in these marks and put ... Fertilizing Fruit Trees
I have an orchard of prunes, apricots and cherries, which has been bearing since some 30 years ago, without fertilization, except possibly muddy sediment from occasional irrigations of mountain streams. Various people are advocating the use of n... Fertilizing Olives
What is the best means of fertilizing an olive orchard? My orchard gives me a perfect quality of oil, but a poor quantity. My soil is dry calcareous, red and gray, and is very thin in places, therefore, it lacks moisture. An olive orchard can... Fertilizing Oranges
What is the general and what do you consider the ideal, manuring, and when applied for orange trees from 15 to 12 years old under irrigation? I use about 2 cwt. each of superphosphate, nitrate of soda and sulphate of potash per acre, but am diss... Fertilizing Pear Orchard
I have pear trees 15 years old which have fruited heavily for years and have never been fertilized. What is the best fertilizer for the soil which is heavy, and when is the best time to apply it? I intend planting rye to plow under in the spring... Fertilizing Strawberries
I have half an acre of strawberries which will fruit their second season this spring, and half an acre set last month. I had intended to use nitrate of soda on them, but was talking to a friend who told me it would kill my soil. That the first y... For A Reclaimed Swamp
I have land, formerly a pond which dried up in the summer months. It has been thoroughly drained now for several years. The land surrounding it is good fertile soil and produces good crops. On this piece, however, crops come up and look fairly w... For A Refractory Soil
What can I do to soil that dries out and crusts over so hard that it won't permit vegetable growth? A liberal amount of stable manure has been applied, and the land deeply plowed, harrowed and cultivated, but as soon as water gets on it, it form... For Blowing Soils
I am going to dry-sow rye late this fall. I want some leguminous plant to seed with the rye for a wind-break crop, not to plow under. The land varies from heavy loam to blow-sand. I have under consideration sweet clover, burr clover, vetches. ... Garden Peas For Green Manure
Would it be possible to plant the Yorkshire Hero pea in on orange grove as late as December 25 and get a crop from the peas? Would this pea add much to the fertility of the soil? You can sow any garden peas as late as December 25, if the groun... Grass For Green Manuring
I wish to sow this fall some green grass to be plowed in next spring to improve the soil of part of my land. I read for that purpose a bulletin I had from the government, but the conditions are so different here in ... Gypsum And Alfalfa
What is gypsum composed of? Is it detrimental to land in future years? Have the lands of California any black alkali in them? I notice my neighbors who sow gypsum on their alfalfa get a very much better yield of hay than those who do not. Gyp... Gypsum On Grain Land
Is there any profit in sowing gypsum on grain land, say on wheat or oat crop? At what stage should it be applied and in what quantity? It would have a tendency to make the surface more friable and therefore better for moisture retention, and i... Handling Grape Pomace
In the case of grape pomace, would not the large value shown by analysis be chiefly in the seeds? My observation is that these are exceedingly slow to became available in the soil. Would composting break down the shell of the seed? Grape poma... Handling Orchard Soil
We average about 35 inches of rainfall. With this heavy rainfall, is there any advantage to be gained by early plowing and clean cultivation right through the winter? Would such plowing and cultivation result in any serious loss of plant food? W... High Hardpan And Low Water
What detriment is hardpan if 14 inches below the surface and in some places 12 inches? I have been plowing so I could set peach trees, but I have been told that they will not grow. I would like your opinion about it. I intended to blast holes fo... Hog Manure And Potatoes
What is the fertilizing value of hog manure, and also what is the best fertilizer to use for potatoes? Our potatoes are planted early in ... House Waste Water
Is it feasible to use wash water, etc., for watering fruit trees and vegetables? Kitchen sink water is not desirable because of its great content of grease, but wash-tub and bathtub water are good. Strong soapsuds should be mixed with conside... Humus Burning Out
I would like to know whether or not dry-plowing land, in preparation for sowing oats for hay, injures the soil? I have heard that dry plowing tends to wear out the soil, as the soil is exposed to the sun a long time before harrowing. I have been... I Have A Top Soil Of Rich Loam Containing Small Rocks And Pebbles
Underneath it is washed gravel, rocks, boulders, yellow sand, etc. What is the limit as to thinness before trees will not grow, or thrive? Orange trees are growing quite successfully on shallow soil overlying clay where the use of water and fertiliz... I Own Some Hill Land Which Has Been Run Down By Continuous Hay Cropping
I am told that a portion must be summer-fallowed each year, but I wish to grow some summer crop on this fallow ground that will both enrich the soil and at the same time furnish good milk-producing feed for cows - thoroughly cultivating it between the... Improvement Of Cementing Soils
I would like some advice in handling the "cementy" gravel soil. Manure is beneficial in loosening up the soil, but there is not enough available. Would the Canadian field pea make a satisfactory growth here if sown as soon as the rains begin? I ... Improving Heavy Soils
What is adobe? What kind of plants will grow best in adobe? In this Redwood City I find clay-like soil which looks very dark and heavy. What kind of plants will grow best in this soil? The term adobe does not mean any particular kind of soil. ... Improving Uncovered Subsoil
What is the best treatment for spots that have been scraped in leveling for irrigation? The land can be improved by plowing deeply and turning in stable manure or green alfalfa or any other vegetable matter which may decay, rendering the soil... Irrigated Or Non-irrigated Apples
Where soil and climatic conditions are favorable to the raising of apples, what effect has irrigation an them? The commercial product of California apples is chiefly made upon deep soils in districts of ample rainfall so that the fruit can be ... Irrigated Or Non-irrigated Trees
Is there any difference between the same kind of fruit trees grown without irrigation and with it? It does not make a particle of difference, if the trees are grown well and matured well. Overirrigated trees or trees growing on land naturally ... Irrigating Alfalfa On Heavy Soils
How does alfalfa succeed on adobe and soils slightly modified from it? Does irrigation work well an adobe planted to alfalfa? If you get the irrigation adjusted so that the soil shall not be water-logged and so that the water does not stand on... Irrigating Palms
My palms are quite small, but they do not seem to grow; they seem to be drying up. The growth of palms is proportional to the amount of soil moisture available, providing it is not in excess and not too alkaline. Some palms are quite drouth-r... Irrigating Walnuts-checks Or Furrows
Which is the best method to irrigate a tract of 25 acres of sandy sediment sail, nearly level, preparatory to planting walnuts? By all means use the furrow system of irrigation unless your land should be so light that the water would sink in t... Irrigating Young Trees
We have just put out 50 acres to walnuts. The party who put them out wants me to have some boxes or troughs made 15 inches long with a 3-inch opening, and put in on the slant so as to have the water hit the roots. ... Irrigation Of Potatoes
Will you kindly tell me when is the proper time to irrigate potatoes, before they bloom or after they bloom, and do they require much water? It should seldom be necessary to irrigate potatoes after the bloom appears. Potatoes do not need much ... January
Hog manure is rather a rank and strong fertilizer, usually very rich, although the quality of it depends upon how well the hogs have been fed - that from grain-fed hogs being notably better. The valuation of hog manure ranges from $2.50 to $3.25 per... Kelp As A Fertilizer
Are there ill effects from using sea kelp as a fertilizer for orange trees? There is no ill effect. Sea kelp has been dragged from the beaches at low tide, partly dried and used, for centuries perhaps, as field fertilizer for all sorts of cro... Late Applications Of Nitrate
I have some prune trees which blossomed some time ago and the prunes are already set, and of small size. Would you recommend me to use an application of, say 100 pounds per acre of nitrate of soda, applied immediately, or is it a little too late... Lime On Alfalfa
What effect does putting lime on land have in holding moisture? Also, will it pay to put it on a large field of alfalfa? The land is adobe. I can get slaked lime for the hauling, distance being about five miles. The lime will make the land mor... Lime On Sandy Soil
Do you think 500 pounds of lime per acre would help a sandy soil which has not been enriched by pasturing or legumes? Of course, we would not apply the lime until next fall before plowing. Lime is not usually called for in a sandy soil, which ... Liming A Chicken Yard
I have a small family orchard of half an acre, fenced in as a chicken yard, the soil of which has become very foul. When would be the best time to apply lime and how much? Put on 500 pounds of lime and plow under as soon as you can - that is, ... Litmus And Alkali
Is there any simple soil test for alkali that can be made without a chemical analysis? You can ascertain the presence of alkali by using red litmus paper, which will be turned blue by the alkali in the soil, if the soil is moist enough. This ... Manure With A Clover Crop
I have an old apple orchard in which I intend to sow burr clover. In order to get the clover to grow I know that I shall have to use fertilizer of some kind and this is what I want your advice about. If you can get it, use stable manure at the... Manuring Vineyard
Does barnyard manure have any injurious effect on the vines if applied on my vineyard? One of my neighbors claims barnyard manure burned his vines so he got no crop wherever he spread the manure, and nothing would now induce him to use it again.... Many Such Arrangements Of Boxes Perforated Cans Pieces Of Tile Etc
have been proposed during the last fifty years in California for accomplishing the purposes which are mentioned in your letter, and all such devices have been abandoned as undesirable. They may bring the water to bear upon a lower level as intended, b... Moonshine Farming
What influence, if any, has the moon on plant growth? Are there any reliable data of experiments available? Very prolonged investigation by the Weather Bureau determined that no difference was found in planting in different phases of the moon.... More Manure Water And Cultivation Required
I have a small place on a hillside, with brown soil about one to two feet deep to hardpan and I am getting rather discouraged, as so many things fail to come up and others grow so very slowly after they are up. A neighbor planted some dahlia roo... More Than Dynamite Needed
I have some peculiar land. People here call it cement. It does not take irrigation water readily, and water will pass over it for a long time and not wet down more than an inch or so. When really wet it can be dipped up with a spoon. Hardpan is ... Needs Organic Matter
I have what I believe to be decomposed sandstone. Many rocks are still projecting out of land which I blast and break up. The soil works freely when moist or wet, but when dry it takes a pick-axe to dig it up; a plow won't touch it. Among my you... Nitrate Of Soda
How shall I apply nitrate of soda as fertilizer for roses and other flowers and lawns during the summer months? One has to be very careful in the use of nitrate of soda not to use too much and not to apply it unevenly, so that too much is brou... Nitrate With Stable Manure
I am going to plant about 2000 plants of rhubarb. I intend to put some cow and horse manure under the plants as a fertilizer, but I do not think I will have enough for all the plants, so I bought some nitrate of lime, with the intention of mixin... Nursery Fertilizers
I have light sandy loam, well drained. It has been in blackberries, and I now have it planted to nursery fruit tree stock. I have given it this spring two applications of nitrate of soda, but no other fertilizer. Will the nitrate act alone, or m... Old Plaster For Sour Land
Can house plaster be used in reclaiming sour ground and how much per acre? The ground produces some sour grass - not a great deal. The plaster is from an old building that is being torn down. House plaster is desirable as an application to lan... Oranges Over High Ground Water
Does California experience show that citrus trees can be grown upon land successfully where the water-level is 6 feet from the surface; that is, where water is found at that level at all seasons and does not appear to rise higher during the rain... Planting In Mud
Why does ground lose its vitality or its growing qualities when it is plowed or stirred when wet, and does this act in all kinds of soil in the same way? We are planting a fig and olive orchard at the present time, but some were planted when the... Planting Trees In Alkali Soil
My land contains a considerable quantity of both the black and white alkalies, the upper two feet being a rather heavy, sticky clay, the next three feet below being fine sand, containing more or less alkali, while immediately underneath this san... Plants Will Tell About Alkali
Please give information as to the application of gypsum to my soil which is somewhat alkaline. I do not care to have an analysis made of my soil, and believe that you can advise me without it. If your soil is too alkaline for the growth of pla... Plowing From Or Towards
Which is the proper way to plow an orchard? First to plow to the trees and then to plow from them, or to plow from the trees and then to them, and your reasons? I have had many arguments with my neighbor farmers. There is difference of opinion... Possibly Too Much Water
My trees are four years old and are as follows: Peach, fig, loquat, apple, apricot and plum. Last year they had plenty of blossoms, but I got no fruit. I always watered them twice a week in summer. You are watering your trees too much; stimula... Poultry Manure
Give directions for using chicken manure. For use of young trees, is there any difference in treatment of deciduous and citrus trees? For use in the vegetable garden and the flower garden, what should be mixed with it and in what proportions? So... Prunings As Fertilizer
Is orchard and vineyard brush worth enough as a fertilizer to pay for cutting or breaking and putting back on the land? We should say not. It takes too much labor to put it in any form to promote decay, and is even then too indestructible. It ... Results Of Fertilizing Olives
We have 100 acres in olives about six miles northeast of Rialto in San Bernardino county. In 1908 we got about five tons from the 100 acres. We began fertilizing and cultivating in 1909, and have put on the 100 acres about the same amount of fer... Reviving Blighted Trees
I have a couple of apple trees here that were hurt by the pear blight three years ago and were cut back since then; they come out each year, but the leaves curl up, and they do not do anything. I would like to know if putting any fertilizer arou... Roofing A Manure Pit
Is it necessary to roof a manure pit, if the pit is tight so that all rain on manure is caught in the liquid manure and nothing is lost? To secure satisfactory composting of stable manures in a pit it is necessary to be able to regulate the mo... Sand For Clay Soils
Will beach sand do adobe or clay soil any good? It gets hard at times and I thought that if I was to put beach sand in the ground the salt in the sand would do the ground harm. It is certainly desirable to mix sand with heavy soil for the purp... Scrap Iron As A Fertilizer
Is cast or other iron in small pieces plowed into the land of any benefit to trees as a fertilizer? If so, what would be the value as such per 100 pounds? Junk dealers sometimes offer 25 cents per 100 pounds. If it has any value as a fertilizer,... Seed Farm Refuse As A Fertilizer
Would cleanings from sweet peas or all kinds of seeds grown on a seed farm be of any value as a fertilizer on sandy loam soil for an orchard? This has been in a pile for three years or more, and I can get it for the hauling. There are a hundred ...