Iron Tonic For Orange Trees

G. W. Prescottof Highland, whotooi the medal f or the best box of packed oranges at the late California State Citrns fair, has been experimenting with iron filings in his yoting orchard. Being master meehanic of the Santa Fe system in southem California at San Bernardino, he knew more about iron filings thaD he did about guano or any other fertilizer, and knowing that a certain amount of iron in the soil was essen tial to a healthy growth of the tree and the production of fruit he put five pounds of this material around eaoh tree, and as a result he has a highly colored orange, where bef ore he had a palé colored fruit. The cost is insignificant. A thousand trees on ten acres will reqnire 5,000 pounds of filings, which costs $4 per ton - f 10 for the ten acre orchard. Of course this application of iron is not intended to supersede all other fertilizers, but sirnply to supplement them in order to give a good color to the fruit and enable the grower to put an attractive orange on the market, and incidentally to assist him occasionally in winning á gold medal. The raikoad shops at San Bernardino can f urnish one ton per day of this material, and other shops can also