THE FRUIT SECTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20604, 1 July 1930, Page 17

THE FRUIT SECTION.

FURTHER PRUNING WORK. In continuation of tho pruning programme the next tree to be dealt with is the plum. There are two kinds of plum trees, these being the Japanese and the European plums. For the beneDt of triose who do not know Llio difference between a Japanese and a European plum the following lists nroi givon. Among tho Japanese varieties are included ihe following:—Alpha, Burbank, Doris, Hale, Ngata, Purple King, SatsumSultan, Sharp's Early and Wright's Early. The 'following aro tho more common oi the. European varieties: — Angelina Burdett, Coo's Golden Drop, all the Damson varieties, all the Gages, Diamond, Early Orleans, Early Rivers, Evan's Early and Monarch. Up to a certain .stage the treatment of the two kinds of plums is the same. The training of tho young tree, for instance, is the same in hot i cases. Tho wood of the plum tree is fainy pliable and will stand a fair weight before it will snap, Ihil tho tree must not. be allowed to grow too raptdly. The result of too rapid a growth is that the branches bend down ui time and this becomes their permanent position. Shaping the Tree. It v. ill he. found that tho best way to shape ;i tree is to train the main arms with a horizontal tendency for tho first year. The following year the leaders should bo trained with a more vertical inclination. The first year's treatment will open tho tree up in tho centre and the next training will help it to grow m an upright manner. For tho first, two or three years after planting tho shortening of the main shoots should be fairly severe m order that the framework will possess the stability.

Three ruain arms aro sufficient for the plum and from these one should train six secondary arms. These latter will remain tliu leaders for the life of tho tree, as a i ule, as tho plum is not as liable to produco an increasing number uf now leaders each year as tho majority of trees

As tho framework increases in height ] each year, tho primer sometimes has diffictdty in deciding on the best length of leader to retain. While I lie aim is to get the maximum cro;p during the construction of the frame, tho exact length to retain will depend on the vigour and production ol the tiee. When dealing with a vigorous but unfruitful tree very light pruning of the leaders should be practised. On the other hand, as it, is most desirable that the leaders should keep their individuality throughout the lifo of tho | tree, a tree which has not made the i growth that it. should have should be j pruned hard, in order to rciir. igorate it I ami encourage the leaders. Encouragement of Laterals. If any encouragement is given, laterals are produced readily on the branches of the plum. When a leader is left* unpinned it. gives rise to numerous side shoots, and, of course, when it is pruned, n pi ounces latetal shoots nioro readily. It is in tho treatment of the lateral growths that the Japanese plums require different treatment from that given the European trees. lu tho caac of the Japanese plums the most important, laterals are the fruit shoots. In this case the fruit shoot is very similar to that of the peach in appeal aricc. The difference is that tho leat buds on it develop into short, permanent spurs instead of remaining as mere leaf cuds, or perhaps dying. On account of their spur-forming liabit the fruit sfioots "oh Japanese plums should be given practically no treatment. The' most common laterals on the European plums are the leat twigs, and comprise the shoots that would have developed into wood shoots if thcro had been sufficient sap. Fortunately, however, their development was curtailed by tho shortness of the growing season. These leaf twigs produce an abundance of fruit spurs the following year and it is to- this j fact that they owe their importance. It will be. noticed in both instances that it takes two years to produco each lot of fruiting wood. As many of the leaf twigs as can be comfortably accommodated should bo retained on the European plum trees, but where there are obviously too many of them some should be pruned out. After the leaf twigs have produced their fruit spurs they should be shortened slightly, but drastic treatment in this connection will have the most undesirable results. Oiher Lateral Growths. Of the other growths found on the plum trees one of the most important is the leaf .-pur. This ss a shoot that, did not receive enough sap to allow it. to complete its development into a leaf twig, l'iic next year the leaf spurs will develop further, but n. change in their plans will product* fruit spurs instead of the leaf twigs that one might expect. Here, it will be noticed that it has again taken two years to produce the fruiting wood. | Leaf spurs require no treatment in- j cbvidually, but, .hey arc sometimes removed when a leaf'twig on which they occur is shortened had:. The fruit spur about which, so much has been said prior to this, is tho only remaining shoot to be discussed. Whilo thev remain productive, the fruit spurs require no attention, but as soon as they become worn out it becomes necessary to deal with them. When this time arrives thev should be cut back to the twig from which they arose, or else to one ol the side spurs into which they have subdivided during the course of several years. There are three reasons which cause a fruit spur lo lie in need of attention, the first one being on account of it hav- ! j»jg been cropped too heavily for several I seasons in succession. The second is that ; it may have become 100 much distended, j white" the last cause is that, it may have | I icon weakened o'"ing to continual sub- ! division. ! In making any cut while pruning the : plum the primer should not leave too ■ much wood above the bud to which fhe I : hoot is cut back. I JN THE ORCHARD. j BUSY TIME AHEAD. The oreiiardisf raav now look forward to a busy time as there will be pruning, planting ' a'tid spraying operations to bo attended to while the trees remain dor- { mailt. Pruning and planting como first | in their claim on the orchardist's time, j spraving being delayed until after tho i pruning has been done. I It the pruning has not been commenced i the orcliai'dNt it advised not to leave it ! for 100 long on account, of the pressttro iof the other work 1.5y this timo tho : trees should all have lost their leaves j and there will be no danger in porform!mg pruning operations on them. Ilieto ! ln ,i V be. one or two exceptions where the | trees are growing in a very shelterd posh ion and these may not have lost all j their foliage in which case tho pruning i must be delayed. . . . I The planting of strawberries should ; now be. completed, as tho plants aro not ! triven a chance if put in just before the i worst <-f 1 wintry wi:Htii(;r. Rods tiiJit have been planted * for some timo should ' l e ken! hoed frequently in order to keep * the plants growing as strongly as possible and as 1 ng as possible into the winter. The protective ties that were kept around any buds that were worked durum the autumn may be removed now as the rays of tho sun have not sufficient strength to harm the unions at this timo. j It v ill help to harden the callus to be 1 exposed now.