WORK FOR THE WEEK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9209, 11 April 1908, Page 1

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

To Gardeners. Hardy Fruits.— lt is passing strange that. so many leave the work of prun- . ing raspberries until winter. It has often been pointed out in this column how important it is that old canes should be- removed immediately they have finished fruiting, in order tp give the young canc3 that are to fruit - next season as much light and air as possible, and all the root support they can g«t to make strong, well-ripened canes for the next crop of fruit. There ■ \t> also another reason which might be noted: that is on account of the aimi- ; lartty of some young and old canes it ia ' possible to mistake old for young when the leaves have fallen, but if the old canes are removed in the summer then ; is not the same risk of this "mistake* No ' time should be lost in getting the ground ready where fruit trees are to ■' be planted, no matter whether a few- s or eome hundreds are to be put in. It should be remembered that these tree* ■' are to remain in the same positions for ■ many years j and, as heavy crops ok good fruit are expected from them; give the trees the best possible condi* ; tions at the start. Unfortunately, : many are in too great a hurry to plant, once they make up their minds where. the trees are to go; holes are taken oat . and the trees put in, although the ground has not been half prepared. Of course, the intention is to work th* land between the trees later on, but ex* ' perience teaches that onoe the trees are in they have to make the' best of their condition, and the planter wonders why the trees do not thrive better.. It is essential that the ground should all be broken up to one uniform depth, noj matter if the soil is light or heavy, and the holes in which the trees are to be -. planted ought not to be any deeper ] than the whole area has been worked. If they are, and the soil is on the heavy side, each of these holes jwill act as a sump, and the water will stand in them for a long time, and seriously injure the roots. One of the objects in , ' breaking the land up to a uniform S depth is to secure drainage— one of the most important items in fruit culture. Apples and pears planted in badly- . drained land cannot give the same results as they would on ground that is well drained. And readers may \ rest assured that it would be much wiser to defer planting for a season , than to put the trees in land that ie only partly prepared. A word about manure : This should not come in direct contact with the roots when planting the trees ; nothing but soil should, touch the roots, the manure should be put on the (surface as a mulch around each '- tree after it has been planted. Ann other important point to remember is— " do not plant deep." / Keep the roots ■as near the surface as possiblej the most profitable lot of apple .tgejeii the

jirriter of those notes has seen wero planted on tho surface. No holes v/ere taken out to Teoeive the roots — they were spread out on tho surface and two barrow-lofyds of soil put over the roots of each tree — and the results quite jus-iified;;the--system. When planting large plum and pear trees lioles would have to be taken out, because their roots are not- horizontal, like apples, hut strike straight down, and are often two feet longi' btit even then these should ho Uept as near to the (surface a> possible. As i-egarda manuring, trees that have given, heavy crops of fruit this season should" receive attention at once. Those that have carried the heaviest crop Bhould have the heaviest dressing, ■which should be spTead around the tree and forked into the' surface, taking care not to injure the surface roots.