APPLE CULTURE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1987, 24 March 1892, Page 5

APPLE CULTURE.

The following essay was written by Mr Thomas Waugh, juu., formerly of Invercargill, for the Gardener's Mutual Improvement)' Society, Chiswick, London, and published in\ the Gardeners' Magazine of October 10,' 1891 :— In thus briefly describing the cultivation of the apple it will not be necessary for me to , give the history of this moot important fruit. v We all know it is of great antiquity, and that it has been cultivated from time immemorial. Unquestionably the apple is the most important of all our hardy fruits, and no other kind of fruit tree is so well adapted for cultivation in the gardens of all classes, and none affords such a lasting and generally useful supply. The fruit of some of the earliest varieties is" ready for use in July, while some of, the late keeping sorts may be had in good condition until the same time in the following year. This country is well adapted for the cultivation of apples, and it is surprising that there are so few really good home-grown samples to-, be seen in the markets during the winter, When the natural advantages cf the country are taken' into consideration. It is not to our credit .that we should be so dependent upon growers- in' America and France for supplies, when English grown apples superior in quality may be had:Much attention has recently been paid to the subject of our fruit supply, and the question is' important from all points of view. The several fruit conferences held in various parts of the country have been the means of eliciting much useful information, which has been made known throughout the land by the agency of the gardening press, and it cannot be due to the want of sound teaching if the supply of home-grown fruit is not materialh increased. In this paper I intend to deal with the subje'et from a private gardener's point of view. J?KOPAOfATIoV. '- / ' Apples can be increased by several methods, the most important of which are grafting apcl budding. Increasing by mean's of cuttings is sometimes adopted, but not always. Seed is extensively sown to obtain Hew varieties.. Budding is ill great favour with nurserytneji,-. as it possesses several distinct advantages over the other means of propagating, especially in the case of new varieties, as~a tree can,* be obtained from every well matured bud. It has also the advantage of being performed in the summer when other work is not so pressing, and should any bud fail to "take"the stock can be grafted in the ensuing spring. The chief points to be observed' in budding are to have the scions and stocks in good working order. In preparing the buds the wood should come out clean without injuring the stock, and the bark of the latter should lift freely when the handle of the knife is inserted, and the whole must be bound up so as to exclude the air. Grafting ' is a very ready and sure method of propagation, and it is especially useful in renovating* old trees or replacing worthless varieties 'by improved sorts. There are several ways in which the operation of grafting can be carried' out, but that known as tongue grafting is the most useful for young and wedge graftings for old trees. The chief points in grafting' are to get the cabium layers of the 'stock and scions to fit on one side of the stock, at . least or no union can be made. The- cuts should be clean and bound up before the sap has time to dry, and the graft should ,be kept' moist and airtight by means of wax or clay until the union has taken place. Layering, comes next in importance, and is largely adopted for raising stocks, as by this method any variety can be had true. I have found that the best layers are produced from, the shoots which are covered with soil to the extent of 3in or 4in. The layers are slightly tongued, and an opening made in the soil td receive them ; they should be cut down to' within three eyes of the surface of the soil when layered and strong stocks will be formed by the' following autumii. STOCKS. There is a great number of different stocks., ' and they exercise a great influence on the trees worked on them. Sufficient attention is not paid by gardeners to the stock on which their trees are grafted, and serious mistakes "are sometimes made by trying to train a tree to a form for which it is not suited by reason of its stock. An extensive trial of stocks was made, some years ago in the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens at Chiswick, no less than -18 , different kinds being collected and classified and grafted at the same time with Blenheim orange. Three years after grafting several ofthe trees bloomed ; the flowers were counted for the five succeeding years and the results, carefully noted. Those grafted on the Frehc'h Paradise and the Doucin stocks were 3he most productive, while some did ndt flower at all.; As the French Paradise is very dwarf] and'- liable to cause canker, it should only>bV used where very dwarf trees are required 4 .' The Doucin stock is the most serviceable," as it combiues a moderate growth with fruitfufneSs: The crab or free stock is the one best adajited for orchard trees, or where there is plenty of head room, as it promotes a strong growth, and is capable of carrying a la'xge • tr ee. . , $ , _ SOU, AND SITUATION. , ' Apples will grow in almost any well-draiped soil of moderate depth. In small gardens there is sometimes not much choice, but it- may be well to state that a good yellow loam of fair depth is much the best. • When potatoes and cabbages do well there is little fear of apple trees not thriving. If " the ground has a slight slope towards the south or south-east it will be an advantage. Choose a dry position in preference to a low damp one, as spring frosts are generally more severe in low - lying places. Strong winds must be guarded against ; if there is "no existing shelter suitable trees must b"e planted to form belts along the sides of the fruit garden or orchard. Having obtained a suitable soil," the first operation would be to prepare ground for planting, and this pays for being done well. It is a good rule to break it up to the depth of about 2ft. If the subsoil is a stiff clay, do not bring it up to the surface, but break it ujj with a pick nnd leaA'e it at the bottom. This is best done in the early autumn, so that the frost and "rains may sweeten and pulverise the soil. If the 'staple is poor advantage should be taken of -the ' trenching to thoroughly incorporate some good farmyard manure, care being taken not to make it too rich, as trees generally grow strong enough at firsl. If the soil is stiff, wood ashes, or lime rubble should be added to keep it open ; on the other hand, if it is too light, heavier material should bo applied. Of course if the" ground i.s wet attention musl^bepaid to draining. .' Have a main drain along the lowest part of the

ground, and into this let all the other drains be conducted. Thlfl should be seen to before any attempt is niade td trench" the ground. The depth of the drains must be regulated by the nature of the soil; The best time . to plant is in the autumn, just before the leaves fall, and care must tie exercised, aa the succes.^ of a tree entirely depends on how it is planted. The roots sliould be examined, and any that are injured removed, shortening back those of great length or having a downward tendency. The trees should not be planted too deeply, and •the old soil mark on the stem may be taken as a guide as to the depth. Fine soil ought to be worked In between the roots as the planting goes on, the uppermost roots being raised by the hand to allow the soil to pass between them. The soil iriuSt be made firm, but not trodden too hard, and the trees diighfc to be firmly staked when planted, but not fastened permanently until they have settled down. PRUNING AND TRAINING. These two operations ar6 so closely allied that they may be treated under one heading. Much diversity of opinion exists as to the pruning of apple trees, but I prefer to allow them unrestricted growth as far as possible. The of pruning Js to obtain the desired form .of tree and to assist Nature In the production of superior fruit. If a dwarf tree is decided " upon it should have a clear steiri of about lft. OrnameHtal trainiiig is not so mUch practised .with the apple as with some of oiir other fruits. If maidens are planted intheauttimn, cut them 1 back rather severely in the spring. For bush or standard trees, the form's which I recommend, three branches afe'best to ldy the' foundation with, any surplus shoots being clean' cut out. Those remaining will require to -be shorteaed to about 6in, the uppermost bud pointing outward. From each of these two or " three shoots will be produced, and any that in- ' cline to the centre of the tree or across one • another ou^ht to be removed. If the remainder are too close to allow the foliage full exposure, .thin them out. At the winter pruning they ' must be shortened again, but not so severely as in the previous year. As the tree advances in age lees shortening will be required, more attention being given, to the thinning out. Always keep the centre open and the branches sufficiently far apart to allow the foliage and spurs full advantage of light arid air. -x Some varieties require a slightly different treatment to others, and the habit of the trees must always bo looked to at first. Upright growers should be made to Spread out as much as pdssible aiid drooping varieties helped Up. Very prolific sorts, as Lord Sumcld and Stirling Castle, ought to be watched very carefully, for if the points are not taken out to encourage the production of wood they form so many fruit buds that the trees eventually perish from over fruiting, especially when' .they are worked on a dwarfing stock. Root pruning is of great service when the trees are growing too^vigoroUslyj and if carefully done •it has the result df making them nlore pro- • ductive. In the case of large trees the operation may be partly done one season aud completed -the next. Apples may be trained to any desired form. In - Scotland the ; choice dessert varieties are grown on 'walls, as cordons, • espaliers, and fan trained, but in the suburbs of London wall space is not necessary for them, as they can be had in perfection from the open quarters. The only other form I recommend is the horizontal cordon as an edging to the fruit quarters. The cordons must be on the Paradise stock, and in forming cut them down a maiden to near the required • height, and select two eyes as nearly opposite . each other as possible. t The shoots from these should be trained- to a" stout wire stretched horizontally, and any .shoots which are produced on the stem below must be rubbed off. The character of the growth must regulate the length retained each year (the stronger the growth the longer it must be left) — it should not exceed 18in, or spurs will not form the whole length. Stop all laterals to five or six eyes whenever the growth is nearly finished for the season. The stopping should not be done too soon, as that would cause a second growth, which is worse than useless. At the winter pruning these laterals must be shortened to two or three eyes to form spurs. GENERAL TREATMENT. So long as apples make a clean, healthy growth no manure will be required, on the other hand if they are stunted and lack vigour, the assistance of fertilisers will be necessary. Half-decayed farmyard manure is the most suitable, and spreading it on the surface in November will be found the best mode of applying it. If manure can be spared for mulching in summer it will be very beneficial, especially when the trees arc worked on the surface rooting stocks, as it protects them from drought in hot weather. It should be applied before the warm weather sets in, and the layer be about 3in in thickness. It is better if the whole 'surf ace can be covered, but if not it must be spread over the ground as far as the roots extend. Old and heavily-cropped trees are greatly benefited by mulching, and if weak liquid manure can be applied while the fruit is swelling, it will afford the trees considerable Assistance. With young trees over-feeding .should be avoided, as it causes an unduly luxuriant growth, which is not desirable. Some varieties bear very heavy props of small fruit, and if a little timely thinning of the clusters is practised, the size will be much greater, and thus the crop of more value. Some trees bear heavy crops one year and are barren the next, which is due, most probably, to exhaustion, as all the energy of the tree is required to ripen the heavy crop, and consequently the tree requires time to recruit. All trees should be correctly labelled, the best plan being to use wooden labels fastened on with thin wire. Give the 'labels two coats of white paint and after the last coat has thoroughly dried give them one of black. The names can then be scratched in with a nail before the black paint is thoroughly dry. If treated in this manner the labels will last for years and the names remain quite legible. In fastening them on they should be put on one of the side branches, and the wire loose enough to allow the branch to grow.