THE ORCHARD

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21640, 4 November 1933, Page 8 (Supplement)

THE ORCHARD

BARK-RINGING TREES The bark-ringing of fruit trees is a simple operation designed to check the growth of very vigorous fruit trees and bring them into bearing. It is a very old method and was practised by gardeners many years ago, but only in recent years has it been employed at all widely by commercial fruit growers and gardeners generally. The operation is carried out in spring, usually about November. The sap must be running freely so that the bark lifts easily and cleanly without tearing. Tho effect of bark-ringing is to check the downward flow of elaborated sap, thus conserving the concentrated food supplies in branches and shoots. As a result, fruit buds are developed and strengthened, and unfruitful grtfwth is checked. Bark-ringing may be practised on strong growing apple and pear trees quite safely. Plum and cherry trees can be operated on, but bark-ringing these and other " stone " fruit is fraught with danger. It may lead to an attack of gumming, in the case of stone fruits, root pruning in autumn is much to be preferred to bark-ringing as a means of checking rank growtu. COMPLETE NARROW RING Two methods are now in common practice. The easier one is to operate on the main stem of the tree at a point just below the lowest branches. A complete ring of bark, about oneeighth of an inch wide is cut out right round the stem; the strip of bark is pared off cleanly and evenly with a sharp knife or chisel and taken out down to the hard wood of the stem, but not cutting into the actual wood. It is important that this narrow encircling ring shall be allowed to heal over during the season; to assist healing and prevent entry of disease germs, it should bo bound over with a strip of adhesive tape, or covered with grafting wax. The complete ring must never be more than a quarter of an inch wide, preferably less.

TWO HALF-RINGS OF BARK The seconcf method favoured by many commercial growers, is to take out two half-rings or bark on opposite sides of the stem, one half-ring being about 4in. above the other. By a half-ring is meant the removal of a strip of bark encircling half thp circumference of the stem. Each half-ring should be about half an inch wide, and the bottom half-ring must begin and end immediately below the top half-ring; the second strip of bark being removed from the opposite side of the stem. When removing the bark, first cut round the edges with the knife point, then peel off the strip of bark right down to the white wood of the stem. A special bark-ring knife can be obtained for the operation, or a small half-inch chisel will do quite well for the purpose. If the tree is growing extraordinarily vigorously and a severe check seems necessary, this can be

applied by making each ring encircle a little more than half the circumference of the stem, so that the ends of the rings overlap. The greater the overlapping of the two half-rings, top and bottom, the more severe the check on the tree. But never must the tree bo girdled with a complete wide ring, or the result will be fatal.

It is not important that these halfrings shall heal over during the same year. It is usual to protect the cuts with a coating of lead paint, or adhesive tape. Finally the amateur is warned that it is advisable to apply this treatment only to rank growing unfruitful apples and pears."

BAIT FOR CUTWORMS A USEFUL FORMULA Several requests have been received for the formula for making poison bait for cutworms, etc. The bait is mixed as follows: Quarter pound of Paris green is mixed in tho dry with six pounds of course bran. r lhe Paris green is best mixed by sprinkling it on the bran from a tin with fino holes punched in tho lid, otherwise it will tend to remain at tho bottom of tho container by reason of its weight. In this dry condition the mixture may be''stored. When required for use sufficient water is mixed with the bran to make it damp, but it should still be of a crumbling consistency so that it readily falls apart when broadcast. If about two tablcspoonfuls of coarso treacle nro first mixed with the water the bait is made still more attractive to the cutworms. The quantities given above are sufficient to dress a quarter acre of land. In the case of a severe Httack two applications may be required. Paris mrecn is poisonous nnd must be handled with care and tho hands well washed after use. There is no danger of poisoning birds or animals. The bait should not bo used, however, on such crops as lettuce which are to bo consumed within a short, space of time.