REJUVENATING APPLES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22356, 29 February 1936, Page 8 (Supplement)

REJUVENATING APPLES

AN AUSTRALIAN METHOD It is something of a problem to the fruitgrower to know just what to do with varieties of apples which, for some reason or another, fail to produte payable crops, especially when the trees are old. That they may bo reworked successfully is shown by some interesting data from West Australia. A block of 18 huge 30-year-old Five Crown Pippin trees produced large crops in alternate years, but—being unsuited to tho warm district in which they were growing—a large proportion of the fruit was spongy and quite unmarketable. Notwithstanding this waste, the average yield of sound fruit was seven bushels a tree. How to replace these trees with another and more suitable variety, with a minimum loss of yield, was a problem. The difficulty of reworking these trees may be understood when the girth of one measured 3ft. Gin. That the reworking was a complete success is shown by the yield of eight and a-half bushels a tree the fourth season after grafting, with 10 bushels in the fifth season.

The overplus of sap from such a well-established root system was taken care ot by the unusual practice of allowing each leader to grow freely, none of the first season's growth being cut back, in this way no appreciable shock was inflicted on thp roots and •'hfthrowing out of useless water shoots from the butt and excess sappy growth from the spurs was avoided. The procedure of cutting back the leaders encourages the growth of fruit spurs, and also strengthens the limbs. In this case the nicking of tho leaders immediately

above the buds, where fruit spurs were required, produced all the needed spurs. Support for the leaders was required, and this was supplied by long stakes, driven into the ground at an angle. The stakes, which were needed for five or six years, also served to train the leaders, with the result that fine, cupshaped trees have been obtained. The limbs were in no case spindly, the support being needed largely because of the weight of fruit, as much as one and a-halt bushels growing on one limb. The leaders, being allowed free course, grew as much as 10ft. in one season, making large trees in short time. Eight years after working the iverage yield n tree was 18 bushels. ART OF SAVING SEED ENSURING GOOD QUALITY There is nothing more fascinating than raising plants from seed, and the enjoyment is increased when the seed has been harvested in the homo garden. Nevertheless, a good many fall into the error of indulging in this pleasure too freely, with tho result that the quality of the plants suffers. Annuals provide an excellent example of this. Tho many glorious strains obtainable from seedsmen are the result of years of patient breeding and selection, for in order to make certain that seeds will produce plants absolutely true to type, precautions must bo taken, which aro outside the scope of the averago gardener. Many vegetables are also exceedingly difficult to maintain free from contamination. This applies with force to ail members of the cabbage family, including broccoli, cauliflower, kales and Brussels sprouts, as they interbreed with tho utmost readiness, producing an astonishing lot of useless mongrel crosses. For these reasons tho experienced gardener rarely attempts to save seed of such plants at homo, realising that the small amount expended in purchasing supplies from a reliable source is repaid many times over. But there are cases when it will perhaps be advantageous to save some seed, when an outstanding variety of bloom appears in the garden, and it is desired to endeavour to perpetuate it. In the case of perennial plants the matter is easy, for cuttings can be taken, but in tho case of annual plants, seed must of necessity be relied upon. Always save the seed from the first and best flowers, not from the late-comers, which are small and poor.