Planting Fruit Trees.

Otago Witness, Issue 2308, 26 May 1898, Page 8

Planting Fruit Trees.

The season has again returned , for ordering and planting fruit- trees, and &b' the future BnccQSß or failure depends in * great measure on selecting suitable varieties and their proper planting, a few hints may be acceptable to many who have not had much experiance in the work. Most fiood cultiyaters agree th&fa tha autumn ia

the best time in the whols year for planting fruit trees, as the soil is comparatively warm from the summer sun, and the trees become established in their new quarters and commence to forai rcots before {he winter sets in, and are thus ready to msiko a healthy slarfc in tho spricg. In the first place, great care should be taken to saiecfc healthy and vigorouMnoking trees ; evsn if a litUe more is paid for them, they will be fouud to be cheaper in the end. It is an excellent plan to visit a good nursery, where fruit tries are uaada a specialty, and to select the trees ; tbe earlier this can be done the better, for, as a rule, " first cooie, first; served."

Before commeccing fco plant, it is of the greatest imporLauce to see that Ihe site intended for the trees is well drained, and, if not natursUy go, artificial drainage should be resorted to. As draining requires some practical experience, ii; is a good phvu to eotrusfc this part of'tfaework to someone who h&s been accustomed to it, for unless properly carried out ifc may almost ss well be left undone. A Rood loamy soil ia preferable for any kind of fruit tree, but this is not absolutely oc-sentia!, as good fruit can be produced plentifully on almost any kind of soil that will grow good regetables, if properly drained, and afterward* well attended to by the proper application of manure and attention to watering in dry weather.

Another very important psint is to plant the trees propfrly, and many people make tho E3?st»ke of planting (,00 deeply. It roots ace buried pat of the reacltof sojovjr warmth, either afc planting time or by frequent lop dressiugu, no amount; of attentiou will make the trees fruitful. To plant a tree properly the holes ahould be exc&v&ted a little larger in circumference than ■« here the roots ara liktly to'exfeend, and when the tree is in position tlie roots should be laid out straight asid any broken ones out cleanly c£f. Beftro filing in care should be taken to see that the rcots are only slightly below the surface of the soil ; then work some of the finest soil amongst them, lifting a few towards the suiface as the work proceeds.

If fruit trees have to ba planted on a site previously occupied, large holes, three or four fe.et in di&meter, or even more, should be excavated to the depth of 2ffc or 2ft 6in, and fresh coil substituted from another paci of the garden or orchard. It is out of tha qufstiou to expect them to flourish m the exhausted soil previously occupied by large, old trees.

Atter planting all trees should be made firm by proper stakiDg and tying. Hay or straw bands should be first bound round the tree to prevent the string from cutting tb.6 bark. All fruit trees should be carefully labelled tX planting time, and I know of no better or cteapec label for the purpose than the indestructible metal label supplied by the Royal Label Factory, Stratford-on-Avon. When planting and staking are' completed it is a good plan to mulch tbe trees as far out as tho roots extend with partly decayed manure. This not only prevents sovere frosts penetrating the soil too deeply, but acts ac a slight mavuriai .stim-aiant and prevents the injurious effects of drought in sprang and summer-. — G. T. D. in Amateur Gardening.