PROFITABLE FRUIT CULTURE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2209, 2 July 1896, Page 8

PROFITABLE FRUIT CULTURE.

By Chakees B. Whitehead. •

(Although written for England these articles are' by no means devoid of interest to colonists). Ivs-PEARs£aND CHERRIES^ '-£• ; PEAKS. ; ,-'"'■■ * The pear is undoubtedly the best hardy' fruit I'ba't can be stored for winter usßk }j ■, " , , iJt ifl.aaid'that tb^pear will succeed' well if grafted .on the mountain ash and the whitethorn; but it is usual to find pears graftect'on " their own. species, or on the quince. The quince 1 or dwarfing stock induces the tree to bear earlier, and trees when worked on this stock succeed in some localities where pears grafted on the pear stock fail entirely. Again, tome ' varieties of pears thrive much- better on the quince than on the free stock, . The pear requires a good soil. A moderately deep loam ojerlying a gravel subsoil is the best land for planting standards on. Dwarfs will succeed if the soilis somewhat heavier and the aubeoil clay, Boils containing iron are not adapted for the cultivation of this fruit, The pear likes a warm soil, and will nob thrjve on' web and untrained land. It is a curious fact that some jsorts of peara .will Dot work successfully on the dwarf or quince stock ; the mode of procedure in auoh cases is to graft a variety that take's freely to the qttince, and in the following year jto work- the variety on that which before this operation would nob unite with the quince." This is styled double working. Standard pears require little pruning save 'cutting out dead wood and oross boughs and xoot pruning. ' Pears are often trained horizontally, or in the shapo of a fan, against a wall ; this fan shape is obtained simply by cutting the leading Shoot one Twd above two nearly opposite buds nn the shoot, The aide' boughs are out back Jto half the former year's growth. Care must be taken to prune to an outer bud. Cordon trees are very , useful .for filling up Imall spaces on walls and for edging the out- ■ sides of borders or beds. The leader is allowed to develop till the height desired is attained, and the side shoot 'spurred. Pears are also trained on wire arches, and as espaliers in different forms. In whatever form they are trained, they must have their roots carefully attended to and pruned. The tap roots must always be removed, and. the other roots kept on the surface of too Jrihl as mnoh an possible,

Summer pruning, owing to the trees' large leafage, must in many cases be practised, especially upon pyramids and trees grown against a wall. . Pears are very liable to cracking; a good mulching of manure and working the soil well are considered to be useful in mitigating this affection. The best and most profitable pears for planting in orchards, or'as standards in arable lands, are as follows :— * Beurre*, de Capiaumont, Bishop's Thumb, Crawford or Chalk, Fertility, Hessle, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Summer Doyenne*, and Wi'.liams's Bon Chretien. All the above are good market pears, and travel well. For pyramids, bushes, fan-shaped trees, espaliers, cordons, or for growing as arches or on walls, the following are recommended ;— Beurre'd'Atnanlis, Beurre'Diel, Beurr<§ Hardy, « Beurre" Superfin, Copseiller de la Cour, Doyenne" dv Cornice, Josephine de Malines, "Marie Louise d'Uccle,. Pitmaston Duchess, Souvenir de Cqngre j. For stewing and culinary purposes, the following answer the best :r- ■ Beimont, Catillac, Uvedale's St. Germain, Vicar of Winkfield, and Verulam. . , . Pear* when btored "require' a method q"uite different from apples ; they are more liable to suffer' from extremes of temperature and require a drier atmosphere than apples. The fruit should be laid singly on shelves, and in no case should frost be allowed to penetrate into the building.. Such ..varieties as Doyenr6du Cornice, Beurr <s Diel, Duchess d'Angouleme,' and Chaumo'ntel pay amply for careful storage. The .fruit which is.'tb be sorted should be picked when quite ripe;, in a word, pears of all sorts require very tender handling. If gathered early the pears shrivel, and if gathered>too.late the fruit goes.rolbsn. Pears in store shou'd be watched carefully, ,and should bs marketed immediately they are fit for consumption. CHERRIES. Dvrerf cherries are becoming more popular, and are a marked feature- in plantations with their beautiful blossom in spring and ruddy fruit in summer. Cherries are for general purposes divided into dukes, black heatts, white hearts, red, and Morello cherries. Dr Hogg more rightly makes them into divisions of black gesns, red geans, black hearts, white hearts, black dukes, red dukes, black and red Morellos. The dake cherries are very early, and their skins tender; for this reason they are more suitable for gardens and cottages than for orchards. May duke, royal duke, and late dake are the best' varieties. The black and white heart?, or Bigarrcau cherries, are numerous in variety. The best, perhaps, are :— ' White HeartsElton Heart, a small cherry tree, and a good bearer ; it succeeds as a standard - or pyramid. \* Governor Wood is a very good cherry, and Trill do well in any form. Adam's Hearb is a capital cherry for orchards, •- Amber Hearb and Napoleon B'garreau are good late kinds. , Black HeartsBlack Hearb, or Early Black, is an old and well-known oheny; a good orchard kind. ■ ' Black Eagle is very hardy ; the tree bears well and succefds^ftgwnst a wall. 1 Cluster as a freo' bearer with small fruit. Waterloo, a large excellent oherry. The Kentiyh Red %nd the' Flemish are excel- . lent .late varieties, utfed greatly for preserving and confectionery. Tbe Flemish is smaller than the Kentish. Both cherries have very minute stones, and always command a good price in the market. The Morello is usually grown against a north wall ; ib produces fine fruifc, and is serviceable for cooking and for making cherry brandy ; ib will thrive also as a sbandard. Bedford Prolific, Black Tartar, Turk, Flemish, Wellington or Florence, Morello, succeed on a wall. . Cherries are grafted on wild cherry or gean stocks for standards and half standards, while some varieties can be grown on the Mahaleb, or dwarf stock, for bushes or for walls and the sides of buildings.