ORCHARD WORK FOR AUGUST.

Dunstan Times, Issue 2677, 4 August 1913, Page 5

ORCHARD WORK FOR AUGUST.

By W. A. Boucher.

—Planting.— Where antumn planting has been deferred owing to heavy rains having rendered the soil unsuitable for planting, the month ot August will provide favorable opportunities. Every advantage should be taken of the fine weather that usually prevails at intervals during this month. Peaches and Japanese plums especially should receive early attention, to be followed by the planting of other fruits that are later in coming into bud and blossom. —Pruning. — The winter pruning of the orchard should never be overlooked. If this very necessary work has not been carried out, attention'should be paid to it without delay. It is altogether unwise to allow a season to pass without pruning fruit-trees, as it is a difficult matter, and one involving more or less loss of crop, to bring the trees into suitable shape again. -—Treatment of Nursery Stock before Planting.— In the lifting of nursery stock the roots are necessarily more or less cut and bruised. All such cut and bruised portions should be carefully removed by cutting further back, preferably with a sharp knite, so that the bark surrounding the cut may remain uninjured. In most if not all cases it is wise to cut back all roots before planting. —Top-pruning,— It is necessary that all fruit-trees should be pruned either before or soon after setting out in the orchard or garden. Trees as received usually have a considerable amount of wood which if left unpruned would do considerably more harm than good, for until a completely new root system has commenced to form the fewer buds there arc—within reason—the better the trees will flourish. Moreover, uniformity in growth is most desirable, and that can be secured only by heading back as nearly as possible to a uniform height. —Cultivation.— The working of orchard land, which for the’ most part will have been left untouched during the months of June and July, will now require the attention of the orchardist. When sun and wind have removed superfluous moisture from the land, leaving the soil in a moist and friable condition, advantage should be taken of every opportunity to plough, and, if necessary, crossplough, disc and harrow in order to bring the soil into fine tilth, so that the working with the cultivator which will necessarily follow may proceed unhamnered.