How do you separate old bark without breaking it in lifting the bark?

Buds may be placed in old bark of fruit trees to a certain extent. The
orange and the olive work better that way than do the deciduous trees,
although buds in old bark of the peach have done well. They should,
however, be inserted early in the season while the sap flow is active
and the old bark capable of lifting; if the bark sticks, do not try
budding. In spite of these facts, nearly all budding of deciduous trees
is done in bark of the current year's growth.



Starting Fruit Trees from Seed.



How shall I start, and when, the following seeds: Peach, plums,
apricots, walnuts, olives and cherries? In the East we used to plant
them in the fall, so as to have them freeze; as it does not freeze
enough here, what do I have to do?

Do just the same. In California, heat and moisture cause the parting of
the seed-cover, more slowly perhaps, but just as surely as the frost at
the East. Early planting of all fruit pits and nuts is desirable for two
reasons. First, it prevents too great drying and hardening and other
changes in the seed, because the soil moisture prevents it; second, it
gives plenty of time for the opening and germination first mentioned.
But early planting must be in ground which is loamy and light rather
than heavy, because if the soil is so heavy as to become water-logged
the kernel is more apt to decay than to grow. Where there is danger of