ON THE LAND.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 144, 18 June 1915, Page 10

ON THE LAND.

Agricultural, Pastoral and Dairying Interests, j

TALKS IN SEASON. i

TIME-TKE TAPERING j BRANCH. I By A.O.S. There is an Australian phrase, " th» tapering ir-.-nel,.- whipli is a delightful' key to th.-. mrsieriet. of pruning. It incites a branch, firm and thick at. its portion near the main stem, but light l toward the upper tip. ft indicates, moreover. .1 tip consisting of one lirnnohlct— : not a dozen, like a c-.it-o'-nine i.'ils. The; riu-ory supporting the practical claims | of this mode of shaping a tree is based! on various suppositions : | I.—We prefer the fruit to be tvitliin reach from the ground. 2- Fruit low down is least likely ■ to become windfalls. ! 3.—The lower fruit is often the j best. 4.—The lower fruit does not bend j and break the branches. I o.— Except where live stock or] children are liable to 111b the branches, the low thick portions .-an I be left coiered with fruit buds. ll.—These low fruit buds, however. 1 will generally die out if vigorous I top growth is encouraged. 7.- Pop grow iii .-an be discouraged ' t-\ rofraitiing from winter-pruning ! the various leaders, and In removing ni..t merely shortening! entirely all, the lea.lei's terminals or laterals except one. No doubt fruitgrowers will pretty ' generally agree with this cauvhism. A reference t,, the two rets of drawings of a New Zeal,.n,l apple branch and its devrlopuietil un Lv- ; iie righl an.l tinwrong treatment will enable readers t-i ' follow and criticise my reasoning. Tinfirst braitilt sketched 'is assumed to be one of the sixteen branches with whirh an or.-h.irdist decides to provide his tree. If iie has decided on sixteen .ie the best number, he will winter prune hi. young branches las in the second draw- ■ ing of the " Wrong way." or. rather shorter! until they have increased to tinnumber rci|iiired. He then requires nn more and no lr-s than that number, an.l being a sensible man. anxious :,. avoid confusion and labour, he will seek that mode of pruning which will best maintain tile number and make each of the sixteen abundantly fruitful. I l.it it 1 ■■•• remembered now that the 1 little fir-! branch ..:' the ilrnwtnes ie one ol the sixteen. On.- often hear- men U-1.l to shorten .very branch by one-half or one-third of its length every winter. That sort of doctrine is propounded far ton often a- the essence and everything] of pruning. Ka.ithfully followed, it re-j -.ills in a tree made up of a brushwork I of terminals like the fourth drawing of ihe -Wring way" multiplied by lb. 1 With such 11 network of growing point-. all clamouring for a -hare of the trees sap. how ran tin- poor tree nourish the -had. 1 hud- below ? They inevitably die out. leaving us with a tree with a tall leafy top on bare stilts, a., shown in j the article on 'Pruning for Fruit" in 1 the April " Farmer "

FOOD FOR DAIRY COWS. •■ — a —

TURNIPS V. MAIZE. ■ — I Mr. .Inmrs Rurgeee. of Warm, ivriting ( i I ho Ttfranaki "Herald" relating hi- ox- ; J-erieiiece prcvioui- to the p.ist rainfall. ■n,vp:-Thv warcitj" of ivator and t'lc i!rind-np condition nf t!i,- jrra?a have been against making hisli returns, still : t-h* production is nwMcralily Letter j th.-.n at the (s-Trnsprnilsn;. period for la-1 j year. On Yfareli •> the c,m-< finvheci soil ! turnip?, and were thvii f.vl on m:ii/.e. i A large decrcme in the i|iia:irity of milk | immediatrh- followed. Krom an avorajre I of iM.Sih .if milk on I'l-hniary _'T it ):ad Mroppci to 2l>.«'S:b ..n Mar.-Vrt. !'r.'vi.>:n Jto th., tin. jmm,, nvokly .Irplinp l.al i iiiwn only iili.mt .ii .-: a " 11,. As th- I J ttciilicr uas [Mrtii-iilarly «tormy nn.l ! |'--'l'l ji>i .it (!;■■ tin;,- t'>i- c-h:injii> ", ; f,-.-,l ! [took pla.-p. it would not !><■ fair in ntlr; | -I'iitp all the fallinsr-oIT to tin- chins'.- o{ i f.'ed. -till, as no rci-Dvory ha« hin.r ! Pakrn plai'i-. it is fairly ohviou* tint a | [large purt of it wa* iliir to that en::. ■. I llnna hold, tli.it mai:-.- ii- not n -~,,1 m Ik pro.linvr. "I'd.- turnips, at a c-.-t .-f CI .ii |vr HtTP, for MT,| and immure, pro j i-lihrd an averajip of over .".II ion,- to tin- j here, an ,| f,.,| ;(,-, ~, w fl , r ~ .„,.„,|, n ,,. | Inuiizc. foir tee.l ti lit j manure. ,-,>s; ~,-r I ! nrre. .uul altliouaii a «;>l(>niliil i-rmi from I II up to 12Jft li'ij!,. an.l .i .apil i! 'plant. ! "ill only frr.l t'.u- ,-;i:uc run* fur a little more than ihr.w »-e,-k.«. Tin- turnip- ! hail no after cultivation, were only t.'ii j weeks and thr.-e Jays iron- tune o|\o.v----i iuj; tiil ready fur us.-, and 1-av t'n- | jr. and cltaii. The iiwizi- » a < lioi-.1. «.is ' live montlis Rrmvinsr. and Icav.w th,.l u-ound iniicl, .iir.iiT than the turnip-; | , w hi-lwt at th,' -a:n.- tiin- involv-iii; iloulik- | I In- laliDiir in Retting out to tin- c,r,\». j T'li- niiik proilui'ed whili-t feeding tur ! nips wars just as good ;is it has lieen •iiu-f. whil-t feeding on mair.e. To cum ! y >"- v - *■"> i per avn-l two and ahall | tiimt! as Miiu-li as tuniij*. to.ik t»ii-e i lonj; to mature, fed the s-une numt>er ■ f < ciiwi- only tiiree-qunrters the time, and: .left the lami ii miuh »-or*e condition. ' Ihe in rinv m convineiiis.' .i- j lo which of tli- r.vo lo -row. and pro ! :-:i!>ly tn-M reason alioiil Hire,- sowings! uf turtii|«- at fnrtmjthtly intcrvnU will I l>c mad.-. A prrjii.lice luu," .xwtrj ] tili> it-- of turn ps for mileli row-. ! .-;t ,- ■ .fed properly n.i ill rwiiln whatever i .! I Jo«. an.l the -lirector.s ( >f am d.iiry -■ mi j p.iriy wJio are prepared to luck up tlie.i I maiiacm in ri-fuaiiip to accept laintrl milk iierd have no ln»-il:ition :il>.,;;: al j InwiMj/ -;ippl,->, to \u-e them. lii.troiilile ariiiw fr.nn the nbu«i\ nnd n.t from tlip proper ihp o( them.