Some peach and almond trees set out last spring lived, but made no growth.  Should they be replaced with new stock?  If not, what may be expected of them?

If your inactive trees have good plump dormant buds (though they may not be large buds), they may make good growth the coming summer, if the land is good and the moisture right for free growth.

Peach Planting in Alfalfa Sod.

Is it advisable to plant canning peaches in April, and will I gain time in growth and development?  I want to set out eight acres in Tuscans or Phillips on deep rich soil near Yuba City.  I have a pumping plant and can irrigate.  The land has been in alfalfa for several years.  I have in mind setting out trees without disturbing the alfalfa — until next plowing season.  Do you think it advisable to use commercial fertilizer on ten-year-old Muirs?

Planting the best canning peaches on good peach soil near Yuba City seems to be about the safest line of fruit investment which can be undertaken.  We doubt that you can get much growth from trees planted in an old stand of alfalfa without some effort to kill out the plant which now occupies the ground.  Still, by deep digging, throwing out all the alfalfa roots and thorough hoeing during the growing season and keeping the alfalfa mowers from sawing off the tops of them, the trees may make a good start.  As the alfalfa will have to be irrigated, April may not be too late to start the trees, providing you can find nursery stock which is still quite dormant.  Probably ten-year-old peach trees will be very much improved by commercial fertilizers.

Prune on Almond.

What root is considered best for prune trees?  The ranch lies above the creek.  A friend is very partial to the almond root instead of the myrobalan, but I understand that the prune tree sometimes outgrows the almond root.

If you have a deep rather light soil which drains well and which there is, therefore, no danger of water standing during the rainy season, the almond root is perfectly satisfactory for the prune.  It is a strong-growing root and keeps pace with the top growth well.  The prune, in fact, is more apt to overgrow the myrobalan than the almond, and the myrobalan will not do well on light soils likely to dry out as the almond will.

Re-grafting Silver Prunes.

I have five acres of Silver prunes which produce very little fruit.  The trees are strong and healthy.  French prune trees adjoining bear regularly and heavily.  Can I graft French prunes on the Silver trees?  Will Silver prune trees take other grafts, such as apricots or apples?

The Silver prune is often unsatisfactory for reason of shy bearing.  It is perfectly feasible to graft over the tree to the French prune and this has been done for years by different growers.  Apricots will usually take on the plum stock, but are apt to over-grow it or else be dwarfed themselves, but the apricot is often worked upon a plum stock.  Apples have no grafting affinity whatever for the plum.