Price of Grapes In England.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 124, 26 May 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

Price of Grapes In England.

In a late number of " The Garden " is given an abstract of what grapes sold at in Englandforl2months,inCovcnt Garden Market. The quotations are taken from the sales book of Messrs Webber for 1886, and aro as follow :— Per lb. s d sd January Best Black .„ _30to 4 0 February „ .. _. 4 0 Marcti tbegan) „ _, -. 5 0 „ (ended) 90to 12 0 April (old) „ - _. 90to 12 0 . (new „ .:• - &oto 8 0 May ' » ~ ~ 6 ° Juno ~ 36 to 5o July 2 0 to 3 0 August » ~- -Hi 0- 0 September ~ « - 16to £6 October „ - ~ 16 to 2 6 November „ « ~ „?1° , 0 December „ .-. -• 26t0 3 o These prices (wholesale as a matter of course) are for grapes received in good condition, i.e., well grown and well packed. Now, I think some of our growers might make an effort to grow aud forward to England grapes which could be placed on the market during April and May,_ when first-class prices could be obtained, say about 6s instead of the lOd per lb here. I think the extra price would pay freight, commissions, etc., and leave a handsome balance. At the same time I would point out that a much different qualiby of fruit would require to be grown than in many instances was sent into the Auckland market last season. Growers would need to treat their vines more kindly and not be quite so greedy in taking such heavy crops off the vines, so as to obtain a better quality. Planting Out Trees. Lately I dealt with the transplanting' of evergreens, etc., from one part of the garden to another. Now I intend to deal with the general subject of planting all manner of trees, etc., obtained from long distances. First I will deal with the best time to transplant hardy trees. Hardy fruit trees, etc., can be planted from now up till the middle of September, but the best time to remove them from the nursery beds and planes, if possible, is immediately after the fall of the leaf. The reason for this can easily be explained, viz., that very few of our fruit trees go long to rest as they do where the winters are much colder than our?. The vital forces being still active in the tree and the ground retaining a portion of the summer heat, it is also still in a moderately dry state compared to what it generally gets into during the winter and early spring. Thus the soil is much easier to labour without getting cloggy and adhesive, giving a much better chance for the formation of new roots to the newly-planted trees. The preparation of the soil for all manner of trees is of much more importance than planters generally imagine. Before planting, the soil should be thoroughly and deeply wrought. Where large orchards are to be planted the soil should be subploughed, which will obviate the necessity of dicro-ing so many large holes for planting the trees, be less expensive, and more favourable for the vigorous and healthy growth of the trees, admitting warmth and air to the roots and giving them a loose soil in which the roots will travel in every direction in search of food. If the land to be planted is of a wet, retentive nature, it should be thoroughly well drained with under-o-round drains, so as to do awajnvrtn all chance of having stagnant water coming in contact with the roots. Digging holes for planting trees is of the utmost importance in order to secure good after-growth. It is a common error to suppose that anyone can make a hole for a tree to livejn; but those who put this notion in practice are mostly digging graves. It is a nice operation to provide the conditions ot thrifty vegetable life. After the FrancoPrussian war was ended, and the. French nation began to recover from the shock, one of the first things they attempted was to restore the boulevards of Pans where trees had been mown down by the cannon of the invaders. Trees 30 and even + 50 years of age were successfully transplanted from the woods; and after the second season there was scarcely a break in the long lines of verdure. The great factor.m this result was the mechanical preparation of the soil and the perfect balance maintained between the reduced top and roots. Neither roots nor branches were mutilated. In making holes for trees, remember that the surface earth, which having been longest exposed to the sun and atmosphere is in the best chemical and mechauical condition for the use of the tree, should be put on one side, and when the tree is set down that soil should be carefully worked m around the smaller roots, leaving the portion of soil which was dug from the bottom of the hole upon the surface. Again, the hole should be twice the diameter of a circle in which theroots would standafter careful trimming. How often do we see in Aoddan* tree? planted, for which a small hole has been dug in uncongenial soil. The result of this is a slow stunted growth, the roots not being able to penetrate the hard, cloggy subsoil surrounding the small hole dug tor their reception. For years, sometimes these trees are allowed to struggle on Ml they canker or die fromthe want of vitality. After a thorough preparation of thesou>a proper choice of trees should be made so aa to help to a successful issue. The proper selection of trees for an orcnard is important. Good,, healthy root? should be the first consideration, A stouc trunk of medium height and with a good supply of healthy roots is far preferable to a large, overgrown tree, *.«., one year old, from bud or graft is generally morejorofatablo to plant than an older one. *ar me. apple, pear, and plum trees, two years from bud or graft WO-Hno£ do objectionable, if well cared.** Write in nursery, grown with low heads and carefully taken up. But I would not plant peach, apricot or cherry that had grown more than one year irom bud in tne nursery. Tha peach, apricot and^plum are ' good healthy stock; iadomiantbu_,theyare

up from thenurstySffi^^^S entire .and the bud, wcSM al *oi* nourishment of the AfigS* the wl">la healthy root, isforceSas *p > growth, with plenty of latent^Mhy which a fine hWfi SSB^ Before planting the vn,™„ * be f°rmed ■ ully cut off 0r pared 5 ha "J156,^----leaving the severed part with ?TP bife. Ab bhe same time great e2 f?* n c« be taken to keep the«£ Sf 4 alff^ out of ground fr.efromS nns \ ree_ wind, or dry atm _K^°" after success depends o_. L -au^ of <S delicate fibrou S P roota &« sm^ AH trees as they are liftT becomin X dry, the nursery ffid fc** « and heeled in the ground ,°l£ U?Paoked they are wantedfoffi^fi*l^ a few at a time. Whe ffiS \lf*m always to be two meSSfe^ tree. While one holds thffin he H position, let the otheSfe W surface soil about the SstakKsloOSß to leave any hollows !!&IbßSs to see hat the roots are spread out?tf° natural position. Press the SI Mr firmly with the foot and fill up Sit? depth in the soil as it grew in the nursery! (To be Continued.)