THE FRUIT SECTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19626, 3 May 1927, Page 15

THE FRUIT SECTION.

SEASONAL ORCHARD WORK.

The harvesting of truit will, by this time, bo completed by quite a number of growers. They will, therefore, have some time in which to b&\e a general ciearin£-up i n the orchard before they enter into the very busy period of pruning and spraying. The ground within a raaius of four feet at least of each fruit tree should be dug over thoroughly and some stable manure may be worked under.- This will provide the surfacefeeding roots of the trees w ; 'h a handy suppiv of tood WiiOe digging _the giotiiid trie* opeiaUrr should be careful not to damage these roots too much. For this reason - fork might, perhaps, be preferable to a spade, provided it is satisfactory in other respects also. Stone-fruit trees which suffered from the attacks of brown rot last year may have mummified fruits still clinging to the branches. These should be gathered and destroved sn a fire as thev will berome an important source o: infection during the 'forthcoming season. Sometimes" the*e fruits fall to the ground and lie around under the trees, where they nre a no less grave source of mtection. Before digging around infected trees it will be well w have a gooo iook around for such fruits and to gather them. Other dsaning-up work in this direction will include the catting back of trees which were too badly infected last year } IV the worst of the fungous oiseases, among" which silver blight b prominent.