FRUIT GROWING.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10410, 25 July 1912, Page 5

FRUIT GROWING.

PRUNING DEMONSTRATION AT BULLS.

Yesterday afternoon Mr Wm, 0., Hyde, Government orchard expert, gave a most interesting and valuable demonstration of pruning and spraying at Mr J Q. Wilson’s orchard at Bnlls. Fully fifty interested In fruit culture were presant. Mr Hyde prefaced the practical work by an iatarestiEg talk upon various phases as regards soils, cultivation, root systems manuring, and emphasised the necessity for an orchardiat to study each individual tree and its requirements for what would suit one tree would not suit another. Turning to the subject of pruning, the object of which. Mr Hyde pointed out, was to produce not only a shapely tree, but to admit light and air to all parts, remove old parts, encourage fruit spurs, and new wood where required, sll of which tended to produce good cropping capacity. He then proceeded to prune an apple tree, demonstrating' with every oat the reason why a branch should be removed, the leader shortened, and the outgrowing (rather long) thin stem, with flower bud at the end was retained. He also was very careful to emphasise the necessity of removing enagG, Car not cutting to I«sve snags as they invariably decay and perpetuate their evil influence by setting np decay at their juncture with the main arms. A number of questions were asked and satisfactorily answered. After ibis a peach tree was operated upon. Here the difference in the fro it-bearing habit was ably demonstrated. While it was permissible to allow of either three, four, or five main arms, with perhaps twelve or fifteen leading shoota on the apple to furnish plenty of room for laterals and spurs forming on the leaders and to afford ample support for the crop in the case of*tbe peach, as many as eight arras oould .be allowed if properly placed and spaded, these constituting the permanent foundation for the annual growths of new wood open which the next season’s fruit will appear. All fruited stems should be removed at the proper time. The leading shoot should not be removed or hard out back, neither should there be a wholesale slaughter cf the terminal twigs on the arm. A Sew weaklings may bo removed or cut back to basal buds. This should be the object aimed at, for future crops depended upon the succession of new twigs. A demonstration upon orchard diseases-? and spraying was given, and |thia latter information was carefully recorded by many present. v