THE ORCHARD.

Colonist, Volume LXII, Issue 15238, 27 November 1919, Page 2

THE ORCHARD.

WORK FOR THE COMING MONTH

Mr G, Esam.j assistant-director of the Horticultural Division, writes as follows in the October number of the '.'.New Zealand Journal of Agriculture" concerning orchard operations for the month of November. Summer work in the orchard may now be said to have commenced. While the foliage is on the trees one of tnc most important things to guard against is spray-burn. Good healthy foliage, is necessary for the development and maturing of the crop, and every precaution should be taken to prevent loss of leaf-surface. Lime-sulphur and arsonato of lead are the two principal sprays used m summer. Growers should realise the importance of procuring a good and reliable brand of iime-sulphur, as much depends on the purity of the solution. Some of the best results that have come under m,v notice, and certainly the ,-afesfc as far as foliage is concerned, were from the use of home-made iimesulphur. With the home-made article one has certainly the knowledge that it is pure and contains no extraneous matter likely to act detrimentally on foliage. Though it is safer to use iimo-sulpnur and arsenate- of lead separately, •when the two are combined it is advisable- to add lime to the arsenate of lead before mixing with the lime-sulphur, in order to minimise the risk of burning. Use a little more lime than arsenate in weight; slake the lime and dilute it well; then ma Ice an equal dilution of arsenate and lime sulphur, and pour the two together into a tjiird vessel., stirring well. Many troubles from spray-burnin::l; can be directly traced to the spravotani! it is imperative that it should be thoroughly well washed cut when changing from one compound to another, lamtsalplrar following bordeaux in the tank often turns brown. Very little residue or bordeaux will do this. Even when lime-sulpliur or bordeaux is used continuously ail day, it is advisa'bie to wash the pump .put several times during the 'day, as the residue in. the-tank alters the strength of the incoming mixture. Good agitation during the whole time j the .spraying is* going on is also necesi sary to success. The district reports which follow fully cover the general work in the orciiard for fiie coming month. Messrs W. O, Hyde and W. T. Good-: win, orchard instructors for the Melson and Motueka districts respectively, j deal with the work in these districts as ' follows:— JSic-lson.—Grafting: Trees that have been regrafted will require careiul supervision. Stop (by pinching out tiie top) any growth made from the stock; \ any unsuitable growth on the scions ! should be similarly treated. ! Cultivation: About the middle of the month the land will probably be ready for cross-ploughing. This operation must be carefully considered and, if properly executed, should put the land into good tilth. Follow up the ploughing with a stroke of two of' the harrows j without delay. It is important that the soil should be sufficiently dry before working it. i Disbudding: Young trees should be carefully looked over and "unsuitable growth stopped, but this operation must not be carried too far. Should there be the least doubt about stopping a growth, leave it. Thinning the crop: This is perhaps the most important operation at the present time. To thin a heavy crop eases the tree and improves the sample, without loss of bulk; it is a gain every way. There is another advantage in that when the- crop is thinned sprays are more effective and a cleaner sample is secured. The tops of leaders should have all fruit removed for a- foot or two. Spraying: As stated last month, stone-fruit trees should receive seiiboiled lime-sulphur, 8-8-50, just after calyx-parts fall off. ltepeat this application' about three weeks later. if small quantities of lime are slaked at a time, hot water will be found best for the purpose. Keep a sharp lookout for green or black aphis, and if necessary spray Blackleaf 40 as required. At the first sight of brown-rot collect the affected fruit and destroy it, doing this weekly as long as it is necessary. About three weeks after the calyxspray, pears susceptible to black spot should receive- another application of bordeaux, 3-4-40. To this should be added 31b arsenate of lead paste to 100 gallons (or half this quantity of powder) for codlin moth and pear-slug. ' Other sorts should be given lime-sulphur, 1-100, with arsenate of lead. Apple-trees that have set their fruit should receive lime-sulphur, 1-100, with arsenate of lead : repeat this application about three weeks later. Keep a sharp lookout for leaf-hopper; should it make its appearance apply Blackleaf 40 in combination with lime-sulphur or soap. This application is said to bo most effective if made in the colder hours of early morning. Citrus trees affected with black t!r red scale may bo cleared by applying red-oil emulsion, 1-50. Severe cases will require two or three applications. Manuring: Backward trees should receive special treatment. In some instances they should be relieved of ail crop and a good quick-acting manure applied at the present time. Motueka.—Thinning : This important work can now be undertaken where the fruit has set. it is best done with a pair of tapered thinning-secateurs, as used for thinning grapes. Uften it. is done by picking off the surplus fruit with the fingers, but there is always tiie danger of loosening the stem of the fruit intended to remain, which subsequently drops, leaving the crop too light. ' By cutting the stem of the fruit to" be removed, the remaining portion of the atom wilts away without causing a wound at the base of the fruit remaining, and the danger of dropping from this cause is obviated. Thinning should be carried out by reducing the number to not more than two fruits in each cluster, and in most cases not leaving more than one fruit. Of course, no definite number can be stated to 'apply to every case, as wic general crop of each, individual tree must be taken into consideration. The general aim should be to produce the average size commercial fruit, typical of the" variety. When thinning, all deformed and black-spotted or other diseased fruit should 'be removed first, and only sound well-formed Mi it left for full development. Most varieties >of apricots, such as Moorpark and other heavy-bearing sorts, require thinning to obtain th<> best results. Among the apples ifc will bo found advisable to reduce the number of fruit on Dougherty, Yates, Stunner, Scarlet Nonpareil, and other heavy-bearing varieties. Spraying: The spraying measures tor control" of codlin-moth recommended in last month's notes should be followed up. Keep powdery mildew under control also by adopting the method recommended last month. A careful watch should be kept on quince and Dear trees for pear-slug or leech. Where it appears apply the arsonate-of-lead «pray as recommended for ccdlin-moth.' For' cherry or plum trees use hellebore J TOwder in'preference to arsenate of lead. Where scale insects exist kerosene | •mulsion should be used at a ratio of j [-15. Vistolene may be used for control j jf «pliis; it will be found especially use;nl for use against black, aphis' on 3eaches. Lime-sulphur should 'be used : orprevention of fungus diseases. Sumner strengths recommended arc— r>ears, 1-80 to 1-100; apples,- 1-100 to [-120; stone fruits, 1-125.