The land near the river, conditions of elevation being similar, would be less liable to frost.  There are a good many instances where the presence of a considerable body of water prevents the lowering of the temperature of the air immediately adjacent.  It is so at various points along the Sacramento river, and it is recognized as a general principle that bodies of water exert a warming influence upon their immediate environment even in regions with a hard winter.  How much it may count for must be determined by taking other conditions into the account also.

Thinning Oranges.

Is it advisable to thin fruit on young citrus trees?  Our trees have been bearing about three years, but they are still small trees.  The oranges and grape fruit ripen well and are large and of excellent quality, but the trees seem overloaded.

The size of oranges on over-burdened trees can be increased by thinning, just as other fruits are enlarged, but it is not systematically undertaken as with peaches and apricots, because it is not so necessary and because it is easy to get oranges on young trees too large and to be discounted for over-sized coarse fruit.  Removing part of the fruit from young trees is often done — for the good of the tree, not for the good of the fruit.  It should be done after the natural drop takes place, during the summer.

Wind-blown Orange Trees.

What would you do for citrus trees five years old that have been badly blown out of shape?

Such trees must be trued up by pruning into the wind; that is, cutting to outside buds on the windward side and to inside buds on the lee side; also reducing the weight by pruning away branches which have been blown too far to the leeward.  Sometimes trees can be straightened by moving part of the soil and pulling into the wind and bracing there by a good prop on the leeward side, but that, of course, is not practicable if the trees have attained too much size.

Handling Balled Citrus Trees.

I have some orange and lemon trees which were sent me with their roots balled up with dirt and sacks.  As we are still having frosts I have not wanted to set them out.  Would it not be better to let them stay as they are and keep the sacks wet (they have a sack box over them) than to put them out while the frosts last?

Your citrus trees will not be injured for a time unless mold should set in from the wet sacks.  Get them into the ground as soon as the soil comes into good condition, and cover the top for a time after they are planted to protect them against frosts.  This would be better than to hold them too long in the balls, but do not plant in cold, wet soil; hold them longer as they are.

The Navel Not Thornless.

I have lately purchased some Washington navel orange trees, and upon arrival I find they have thorns upon them.  I thought the Washington navels were thornless.

The navel orange tree is not thornless.  It is described as a medium thorny variety, so that the finding of thorns upon the trees would not be in itself sufficient indication that they were not of the right variety.