BUSH FRUITS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 168, 16 July 1915, Page 11

BUSH FRUITS.

HINTS ON PLANTING AND PRCNING. PLANTING. Gooseberries and ourrant* are planted four to five feet apart each way. Raspberries are best planted in clumps of three, put in triangularly, S to 10 inches between each plant and 4 to .") feet each way between tho clumps. loganberries do best if planted along a wall or fence. so that the rods may be trained to it. lyOt it bo understood at once that cultivation. 1.c.. reducing the soil to a good tilth, and drainage, aro essential factors in the successful establishment of any plant. As a natural corollary, trees should not bo planted when tho toil is wet and cold, for in such a condition it cannotbe in a "fine tilth." 1 f the planting has not been done before the winter sets in. delay until early spring, when the soil is warmer and has dried somewhat. If the plants arrive before you are ready to plant, just "heel" them in, so that the roots are well covered, until you are ready. Keep a damp back around the nf tho bundles that you are planting, so that ihey do not become dried up by sun and wind: this will help to .TAsure their going into the ground in good condition, fee that the hole is raaae to fit the roots, and not tho roots to fit tho hole, i.e., make it a little larger than will accommodate the roots when carefully spread out. At the bottom of the hole sprinkle a handful of manure composed of superphosphate and sulphate of ammonia lor nitrate of soda). cover thi- with a little good, loose topsoil, slightly raising the centre of tho hole. Before planting carefully remove bruised roots and those that cross one another, and cut back any that have been broken in removal from the nursery or in transit. Plant to the samp depth as they were in the nursery las shown by the soil marks), separate out the roots in their natural direction, cover with a few shovelsfttl of nice fine top-soil, and tread firmly, then nearly fill up the hole and tread again, add the remaining soil until the surface is somewhat raised above the level of the surrounding ground, and leave it quite loose. On no account tread it down. Any little extra care taken in planting j is amply repaid by the quicker start the bushes will got, enabling them to establish themselves firmly in the ground and make good growth before the dry season sets in. The method of cutting back after planting will be dealt with bejow in the notes on pruning. PRUNING. Gooseberries. — An many varieties are indined to a pendulous habit, it is necessary to have a clean stem of at least a foot before any branching takes place, otherwise the branches come down on | to tie ground and make picking very difficult and unpleasant. If the head of the bush is much lower than this it must I

be gradually raised from year to year by cutting away the lower branches.

After planting cut away any- branches fat tho centre, shorten the roaia ones by at least a half to two-thirds, and cat right back to the parent branch any short shoots (laterals) that may be present.

To understand the pruning of the bearing bush it must first be pointed out that the gooseberries are borne both on young wood (principally laterals of la6t season's growth) and on spurs formed on older wood. The essential to a good bush ia a regular annual crop of large frutte, which can be easily picked. To the one who knows, 'the latter provision la one of necessity, for under the beet of conditions the picking of gooseberries is tedious and no sinecure, but gathering from a tangled ma6s of branches and prickles is slow, worrying, and conducive of rough treatment to the bushes and hands, and exceedingly bad language. Sufficient space should bo allowed between all branches, so that the hand can easily get down to gather the fruit. Those inclined to the upright should be pruned just above a bud pointing outward, whilst those of a pendulous habit require cutting to a bud inclining upward. Always shorten the main branches at the winter pruning, cut right back any 'laterals that grow into tho centre of the bush, or tiiat are likely to interfere with picking, and simply snip off tho ends of the others. As with apples. South Island growers usually spur hack all laterals to two or three buds, but this has not been found a successful practice in the warmer climate of tho North, as the usual result is tho production of a superabundant supply of shoots. Tho prunor should always ho on tho look-out for a well-placed, strongly-growing young shoot to replace the older nranehes, the former being cut well hack to make good sturdy growth, whilst tho old •branch is removed to make wav for it. thus making a continual renewal of that portion of the bush which is above -round. At any rate, in the North Island many have the idea that £?oosoberrios need to bo grubbed out and replaced every four or five years. This is quite erroneous, and only proves their lack of knowledge of what a gooseberry bush requires. I know of thousands of bushes from IS to 20 years old which havo home abundantly since they wore planted, and still boar a crop annually of ton to twelve pounds per bush. These results aro obtained only by good cultivation, moderate manuring, and systematic pruning and spraying. By the way. it is always, advisable to spray gooseberries with tho winter strength of the Bordeaux mixture, just as tho buds begin to swell in early spring. The result of "heavy winter pruning is oft.mi an overgrowth of young shoots the following summer. The gooseberry lends itself very kindly to summer treatment, and some of this surplus may tie checked in late spring by rubbing off shoots that take up a wrong direction, or are inclined to close up the tree. After the fruit has been picked any superfluous branches may be removed, and any that are growing too strongly should be sljortenod. as they will interfere with the proper admission of light and air to all parts of the bush. After the summer pruning is over. \ \z.. as soon as the crop is otT. spray thoroughly with the summer strength of the Bordeaux mixture. After a certain amount of growth has been made in spring and early summer, some shoots will begin to show a curve in a downward direction. If this is undesirable, and a more upright branch is required, nip tho point off, leaving a bud. pointing in an upward direction, at the end. If this operation is performed as soon as the shoot commences to cur\c. the end bud will break into growth, and thus alter tlte branch to a less pendulous direction. All stickers should bo suppressed imjnediatolv they are noticed. Red and White Currants. —After planting the centre should be opened up, and the three or four main branches short enod to Bor 10 inches. During tho coming season each of those may be expected to throw out another two branelves, thus doubling tho number. The tree may then be said to be formed. A bush should he built up with a number of sturdy main limbs radiating round an open centre like the ribs of an inverted umbrella. Each branch should be allowed sufficient room for sun and air to penetrate all around it to develop tho "spurs," for upon these the fruit of red and white currants is produced. Always shorten the ends of the main limbs in winter, and cut bock side shoots to -about one iuch to make them spur. As with gooseberries, remove all suckers as they appear, and always bo on the look-out for replacing worn out limbs with voting ones. During the summer the treatment will bo somewhat similar to that advised for gooseberries—pulling ofi* any over strong centre shoots and moderately shortening i the laterals. These will ajtain bo cut back to a spur at the winter pruning. Biack Currants. —The pruning of the black ourrant is essentially different from that of the rod and white, in that, as has been shown, the latter bear on tpurs formed on wood of two years old and more, whilst the former bears almost, exclusively ou the young growth of the previous season. Another great factor to be r"ckoncd with is the damage caused by tho borer in black cur rants. Some prefer to "form" a tree on the lines indicated for red currants, hut the borer is usually so troublesome that it is dillicult to maintain any permanent branches. Whatever system is adopted the wood must be well cut hack after planting, The system more generally adopted is tv allow the bushes to sucker, using these tip as occasion demands to replace older wood, and thus get rid of the borer-intested branches, all of which should be burned. The laterals, if too long, may be shortened in slightly, but as the .fruit is borne on the young wood they should not bo too severely dealt with. Tho bush, although not left entirely open in the centre, should not get overcrowded anywhere, and where necessary superfluous suckers must be removed. Raspberries.—These also bear on the young wood of tho pteviotts season's growth, and after planting they sdiould be cut down to within a few inches ol the ground. The after treatment will include tho removal of stickers, as they appear, from between the rows. After the crop has been gathered cut out all dead canes, also the old ones that have fruited, and some of the superfluous young ones. At the winter pruning retain about six ol the best of these young canes, cut out the remainder, and remove about a foot off tho ends of those to be retained. Loganberries. —These also bear mostly on the young canes, although they w-ill usually carry- a crop the second season. The usual method is to remove all old canes immediately after fruiting is over, and lay in the young ones to take their places, cutting out also any not required. Should it be desired to retain the old canes for a second season's fruiting the fruited shoots rising from them should be cut right back. Rods should not be retained more than two-seasons at most.