FIRST STEPS IN FRUITGROWING.
PLANTING OUT. VARIOUS PROCESSES DESCRIBED. VII. Special thoroughness in the ploughing and draining of the. land belore planting an orchard will never bo regretted. The. land must be subsoiled by a plough travelling twice in tho same, furrow. It is often advised that for tho second round in tlie furrow tho mould board be removed, but it is difficult to see any justification for this. Tho rule obviously should be "bury tho top spit deeply." Against Surface Rooting. No plants gain anything by feeding on the very surface of tho ground, and especially not fruit trees, whoso roots can do profitable work six or twelve feet down in sweet soil. Surface roots get parched and withered and snapped off when the sun dries up tho ground; and makes it contract. And another thing that tells strongly against shallow rooting is tho fact that tho plough and cultivator work along about' three inches bolow tho surface, and tear out every root above that level. To place .the best soil at that level, as somo experts advise, is to deprive the tree of its use, or to encourage the tree to be constantly forming new roots at this level to be as constantly wrenched out again. Too much stress has been laid in tho past' upon the connection between surfaco roots and fruiting qualities. There- is apparently no special connection at- all between the two. Good healthy fibrous roots in healthy aerated soil can do equally good work at any depth. It all depends on the conditions. Deep drainage and constant moisture are tho two important conditions that the orchardist has to maintain. Turn Up the Subsoil. ■If, therefore, in tho subsoiling it can bo found possible to turn tho top spit, with its valuable weeds, down to a level of twelve inches or more, that modo of working will givo permanent fruit in tho subsequent results. To do this the plough must be set to. a depth of at least six inches at each round—or seven inches for tho top spit and five inches for tho subsoil; deeper if nossible —and tho subsoil must be lifted "by tho plough over tho previous furrow. It will there become aerated and form the material that will make the summer mulch which tho harrows will maintain, while tho mellower surface soil will be down below, feeding tho roots. The Devices of Ploughmen. Ploughmen are prone to scamp deep work if they have any opportunity, to do so. Thev will case their horses by tilting the plough so that ono portion makes a* groove in tho soil the required depth, but tho other portion tapers upwards. And, again, at hard places they let the plough' skid upwards, either purposely, or because their plough-sharo wants grinding downwards. Neither of these things must, bo tolerated. Pay the ploughman well, but let him understand that this particular job of yours is something special. This ploughing is for tho, orchard's whole lifetime. If the orchard is to bo set out this season, there should bo no delay in getting tho ploughing finished. It should bo done, if possible, tyiis month: it should bo done before the rain comes, for it is bad to plough ground wet. Ploughmen again are notoriously fond of postponing their engagements. Wherever circumstances permit it, it is far better to buy. ..one's .own horses and plough and do tho work one's self.
The best plough for breaking up land for an orchard is a single-furrow plough of light I draft, known as the American style. This does not lay out the furrow so neatly as ploughs of the English pattern, but this is not necessary, and it ploughs deeper with' tho same horse-power, and it will run more freely for the subsoiling. Plant Deeply. Ono of tho commonest faults to be found in existing orchards is shallowness of planting. In some of them you can see where the roots join the stem. Ono rarely sees a trco of this kind thrifty. It is greatly shaken by the wind, for want of a strong root-hold; and wind is a thing to be reckoned with in Wellington province, The roots should bo set nearly as low as tho ploughing was done. There should be no hole dug in the hard subsoil, for that would hold water ia winter, which would rot tho roots. As the roots join for somo distance up the stem a good rough rulo is to set tho trco so that the roots are half-way between the surface and the subsoil. But in any case, the top roots should bo at least two inches below tho surface. In tho subsequent cultivation there will then be Ices trouble through roots becoming uncovered. Some people advise that the trees shall be set as low as they had been set in the nursery; but this is not always sufficient, i How Wide Apart? Distance apart is a matter that- must, be well thought out. In soma of tho commercial orchaids of New Zealand, pear trees and peach trees have been planted alternately, with the intention of getting crops from the peach trees, which will bear soonest, and then., cutting thorn out when the pear-trees have grown laige. This is economical but it involves rather wider ultimate space between the pear trees than would seem necessary. In a commercial orchard in these days, small trees closely set with fruit are desired, rather than large trees more thinly laden that need a ladder or climbing to strip them. In a straightout orchard of pears or apples, or peaches, or plums, a good distance apart is ahent 21 ieet each way. . The Krimley trees, it is believed, are about 21 feet apart, and the summer cultivation is done with one stroke of a cultivator that is as wide as the rows. This gives a great saving of labour, and makes the cultivating a quick matter. It is one of the circumstances that help to make orcharding pay. Room for the Horses. If tho trees are sot 18 or 21 feet apart. and they aro pruned to tho correct .size and shape, there will be room for horso work among them. This, of course,.is necessary. No man should start an orchard on lines that will involve him wasting his time in digging it every year for the rest of his life. His time is too valuable for that, even though his lovo of labour be great. In a vase-shape tree, with main branches 9 feet or 10 feet long running up obliquely, thoy would not spread much more than 8 feet, measured horizontally, from the main stem, and there would thus remain about 5 feet clear from trco to tree at tho ends of tho branches, that space increasing, of course, down toward tho stem. Distance apaitt must be considered in connection with style of pruning it is intended to follow'. Tiws can, by pruning, bo kept always within the desired bounds. How to Buy Trees. Tho trees purchased should bo young trees, preferably yearlings—that is, with one season's growth from the graft or bud. Dormant-bud trees will suit if much cheaper. The nurseryman .should be requested not to prune the heads of the trees severely, and not to rub any buds off the main stem. You will want all these in order that you may make your own selection later on. The wholesale removal of buds from low down the. trco is almost as common an error as shallow planting. These low buds may not be wanted for' actual branches, but they will be vnluablo for fruit spurs. When tho trees arrive, open a bundle al a lime, prune the roots bad; to a convenient length—about 12 inches—and then "heel" the trees into tho ground quicklv to keep them moist till wanted. Wherever the roots were injured by spado in the lifting; make a clean cut; it will heal sooner than
a rough wound. Slake all the cuts on tho lowsr side of the roots. Tho now roots that will grow at that point will come out of tho baric, and if the cut is made facing downwards the new roots will come out mostly on the top side. This will check any tendency to deep roc ting if that be not desired, and it often is not desired much below where tho plough reached. To Oct Straight Rows. To secure straightuess in the rows necessitates some care. It is best first of all to mark out the rows one way by the aid of a strong cord, and then along this to peg tho sites of the trees with wooden tors, using a long rod cut to tho exact length for measuring the distances. This may bo done a row at a time, or the whole orchard may he pegged out first and planted afterwards, which involves the use of more pegs. In tho actual setting of tho tree Another appliance is needed to ensure that the tree shall bo planted in the actual spot whoro the peg originally stocd; for the. peg is removed, of course, for the digging of tho hole. This appliance is a flat board, about 6 feet long, with a hole at tho centre (opec at one side) and a hole at each end, Before removing the peg to dig, place the board so that the centre hole fits against tho peg. Then drive a peg into the ground Sit each ond of tho lrnard through the holes, there, and remove tho board. Now dig tho hole, removing, of course, tho middle peg. When it is finished replace tho board over tho end pegs and plant tho tree so that its stem fits against tho middle bole. For that is where the' centre peg originally was. ' Still better is it to make the measuring rod servo 1 both purposes. Then it is only necessary to remove one ond peg each time and swing'tho rod round on the other. (To be continued.)
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Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 453, 11 March 1909, Page 2
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1,671FIRST STEPS IN FRUITGROWING. Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 453, 11 March 1909, Page 2
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