PLANTING FRUIT TREES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7038, 28 January 1910, Page 10

PLANTING FRUIT TREES

COLONIAL CRITICISM ON WOBTJRN METHOD. At the Wobnrn Experimental Fruit Farm (England), the director, Mr S. A. Pickering, has carried out some experiments in the planting out of fruit trees, the results of which are rather startling. The purpose -of tho experiments -was to determine whether it is right, in planting out fruit trees, to dig a broad, shallow hole and evenly spread the roots out all around the tree, or to make a small hole, double up the roots, and stick the tree in; then throw in the soil and ram it as hard as if one were putting in a gate post. Tho experiments were carried out, not only at U'oburn, whore the Duke of Bedford carries out much valuable and exact experiment work, but at Harpenden, Bedford, various places in Cambridgeshire, and in Devonshire; 59 per cent, of the sets showed in favour of ramming 27 per cent, .showed no difference (i.e.,' all the elaborate detail of the ordinary way of planting was simply a waste of time), and only 14 per cent, were against-ramming. Mr E. J. Eussell. writing in Nature, says:—"lt makes no difference by -what criterion the trees are judged; planting in tins now wav eives better results than planting in the orthodox fashion —which, of course, remains to be seen. The Now South "Wales Fruit Expert, Mr Allan, commenting on the above statement, remarks:—"But in tho transplantation of trees, the orchardist in Great Britain can successfully do things that would mean utter failure in Newi South Wales. . Generally speaking, the trees used, for planting out ace of several years' growth, and are great lanky trees. Tlie maisture of soil and air, however, seems to heli> them to recover and establish themselves. In beautifying the grounds of the" Franco-British Exhibition, all sorts of deciduous ornamental trees, up to 3 or & inches diameter and 20 feet in height, were set out in small holes sunk in stiff clay, and it was amazing to observe how they flourished.