THE ORCHARD.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1265, 28 May 1896, Page 5

THE ORCHARD.

HOW TO LOOK AFTER AN ORCHARD. SOME PRACTICAL HINTS FOR FRUIT-GROWERS. In order to grow good fruit it is also necessary that the trees shall be properly pruned, not only that the tree may lie made to grow symmetrically, and to produce the hulk of its crop along the main branches instead of at the extremities of the limbs, but also so tliat the tree shall not be allowed to bear more fruit than it can bring to perfection. Though the number of fruit on a tree can be greatly reduced by judicious winter pruning, it is often necessary, especially in the case of stone fruits, to thin heavily, as small stone fruits are generally of very little value, and, in addition to being almost unsaleable, when allowed to remain on the trees in large quantities they are a very severe stiain on the tree’s energy, as every stone contains the germ of a young tree, to form which takes much more out of the tree and soil than growing a heavy crop of large, fleshy fruit. When trees are shy bearers, summer pruning and root pruning will cause the formation of fruit-bearing wood. Winter pruning forms wood; summer pruning forms fruit. ALWAYS HEAD YOUR TREES LOW. The advantage of low heading are : Protection of trunk and main branches from sunburn, ease in gathering the fruit, less liability to damage by heavy winds, increased facilities for using the horse in cultivation, and ease in prunthey are out of the reach of the horse, ing, spraying, Ac. Head low, giving the main limbs an upward and slightly outward growth, but not spreading till Trees thus pruned are stronger, and able to carry more fruit than unpruned trees, as the weight of the fruit is borne directly on the main branches, the strain being nearly vertical, and with improved implements the ground can be cultivated by horse labour right up to the trunk of the tree without any danger of injuring the branches of the tree. When the brandies of the tree are allowed to spread too much, the weight of the fruit tends to break off the li nb or split the tree, but this is by no means all the damage, as the head of the tree is opened up and exnosed to the direct rays of the sun, which scald and blister the unprotected bark, and this, in many cases, is the direct cause of many trees dying from what is known as “ Fireblight.” Another most important consideration in looking after an orchard—in fact., I may say, the most important considetation of any—is to keep the orchard free from the RAVAGES OK INSECT AND FUNGUS PESTS j as far as i( is possible to do so. Fruitgrowers have to thank science for the knowledge of how to deal successfully I with the many diseases that attack fruit and fruit trees, and, if for no other reason than this, science has proved its great value to them. Every

orchardist owes a debt of gratitude to those scientists who have devoted years of careful stu ly to determining the habits and lifolhistoriesofonr insect friends and 1 foes, so that wo may know which to (ireserve and which to destroy; and, in the | case uf destruc'ive insects, that we may know when and how they may lie most j easily kept in check, as without hav- | ing a thorough knowledge of th« Im.it.s and life histories of the insects causing j the damage it is impossible to suggest | remedial measures. It is not only in the case of injurious insects that science has proved of such value to orchardists, but the various microscopic fungi that cause such an immense amount of! damage to the fruit industry have been | made an especial study of by vegetable | , I pathologists, and the results of their J • investigations have been ever more I marked than those of the entomologists, as diseases of which comparatively little was known a few years since, and which were generally looked upon as incurable, are nov’ thoroughly understood and easily prevented by the application of the right remedies at the right time. Every orcliardist should make him- j self thoroughly acquainted with the appearance of every disease that the fruit or fruit trees he is growing are liable to, so that lie may be able to detect the presence of disease as soon as it / makes its appearance. 1

THIS IS OF SPECIAL IMPORTANCE

in the ense of fungus diseases, as these ! diseases, if taken in hand in time, can he usually easily kept in check, but if neglected they spread so rapidly, and obtain such a thorough hold of the orchard, that it requires very careful treatment to bring the trees round to a healthy condition. Never consider any blemish of the fruit or tree, no j matter how insignificant it may be, as of no consequence. It may be of no consequence, but it may be the first indication of a disease that, unless it is 1 stamped out at once, will overrun the orchard. Therefore treat all blemishes as diseases till you have proved them to 1 be harmless. The various diseases of fruit | and fruit trees are most economicallyand j efficaciously treated by means of sprayi ing, the remedies used being dir* tributed over the trees affected with considerable force so as to reach every 1 part of the tree, and in as fine a state as possible. The object of spraying is i not to drench the tree, but to distribute 1 the material used evenly and finely, as 1 this is found to be far more efficacious ! than flooding one part of the tree and ! missing another, as to be successful 1 every part of the tree must be reached, In spraying for microscopic fungi it is impossible to get the spray too fine 1 or too well distributed, ns the SPORES OF THE FUNGI , are on every portion of the tree, so . that to bo successful the spraying must be thoroughly dono. The time to spray varies with the disease; but in the case of the fungus , diseases of deciduous fruit trees the | best results are obtained by spraying (first) when the buds are swelling in , spring, and (second) when the fruit is setting, the subsequent sprayings, though of value, being not nearly of ao much importance as the two mentioned. F ungus diseases attacking ripe or ripening fruit are best prevented by spraying the trees liable to attack as soon as the first signs of ripening take place, as the spores that would cause the disease are thereby destroyed. In the treatment of insect pests the remedies will depend on the habits tf the insects to bo destroyed. Thus all insects that live by eating their food are very easily destroyed by poisoning the food on which they are feeding with a preparation of arsenic, such as Paris green or London purple, whereas insects living by suction, such as aphiles and scales, can only be destroyed by spraying them with a material that, kills them on touching them. Spraying is now an ahsoluto necessity in all orchards, and no progressive orchardist can a fiord to neglect it, as a small expenditure of labour and spraying materials will often bo the means of saving a crop which would be otherwise lost. Theae is one OTHER QUESTION OF GREAT IMPORTANCE in the management of an orchard to ! which 1 will briefly refer, and that is the question of manuring. Here, again, science comes to the assistance of the fruitgrower by showing him in the first place the amount of available plant food contained in the soil of his orchard ; and also, if deficient in any plant fool, how the deficiency may be most advantageously and economically I supplied in the form of manure, j Science also .shows us the amount of | plant food removed from the soil l;v I the different varieties of fruit trees', | and the best manures to apply to Lho I soil to make good the loss. It also shows us when tin immures should be applied so as to produce the best results, and the best methods of applying them. In order to obtain the best results from manuring, it is necessary to make a thorough study of the plant or tree’s requirements, taking the nature of the soil, climate and rainfall into consideration. Plants, like animals, require their food regularly, not a surfeit to-day and no more for a year or longer ; a regular and constant supply of the essential elements of plant food will always produce the best results.

MANURES MAY BE ROUGHLY DIVIDED into two classes—those readily soluble and at on o available for plant foed, and thoi e only slowly available after they hive been for some time in the roil. S ilublc manures should only bo given during or slightly prior to a period of active plant growth, as, if not used by the' tree, they are often, especial y in the case of sandy soils, leached away, and so lost to the plant; but slowly soluble manures are beifc applied whilst the trees are dormant, so that they can be available when tlo period of active growth takes place.

Extremely soluble manures should never be used during a dry time, unless irrigation is available, as they are more likely to do harm than good, as, if they come into direct contact with the roots, they have a burning effect in dry weather. Therefore, those manures are usually of less value in a dry climate, or comparatively dry climate, than where a regular rainfall can bo depended upon. In using soluble manures it is not advisable to give too large dressings; smaller amounts more frequently applied will be found to give much better results.