ORCHARD WORK FOR MARCH.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume VI, Issue 2, 15 February 1913, Page 194

ORCHARD WORK FOR MARCH.

W. A. Boucher.

The majority of fruitgrowers rightly consider that clean cultivation of orchard lands during the spring and summer months is . r desirable. Yet if this system is continued for . a number of years the result in time will be a deficiency in humus. . This will bring about a soilcondition which is more or less injurious to the trees, and tends to increase the difficulty of maintaining satisfactory cultivation. Especially is this. so in the case of clay soils which, as the humus disappears,' will have an increased tendency to run together after heavy rainfall, and to. dry out again rapidly under the influence . of sun and wind. Therefore it becomes essential that the humus should be periodically renewed. This is most satisfactorily accomplished by sowing a clover crop to be ploughed in in spring or early summer. For preference, clover, rape, or mustard should be selected, as the orchard trees will then benefit considerably, not only by the humus, but also by the nitrogen which such crops will renew in the soil. In order to secure the best results, whatever crop, is selected should be planted early while the soil is warm, so that good growth may be made before cold weather sets in. If the sowing is deferred until late, little more than the germination of the seed will take place, and the crop will remain in a stagnant condition during the winter months, permitting probably an undesirable growth of weeds. Under such circumstances the clover crop will have made poor headway when the time arrives in the spring for it to be ploughed under. In that case but little will be gained either in humus or nitrogen, probably not sufficient to compensate for the cost of seed and labour. Insect Pests and Fungus Diseases. As a general rule, insect pests and fungus diseases require less attention during the month of March than at any other period during. the year. Still, there are two troubles that it will always pay the grower to keep under observation. Codlin-moth. This pest is usually most troublesome during the early .part' of the season, but it depends entirely upon locality and weather-conditions

whether late infection may take place or not. Therefore it would be as well for growers, especially in the warmer districts of the Dominion, to keep a good lookout for the eggs or newly hatched grubs of this pest, and, if necessary, to take measures to protect their crops of late apples or pears from infection. Leech. This pest, if the necessary steps have not been taken to keep it under control, will continue to do serious injury to foliage until quite late in the season. The result will be that buds which should be plump and vigorous will show imperfect development, from which affected trees will suffer during the following season. Spraying with arsenate of lead should be continued until no further signs of the pest can be noticed. Grading and Packing. . The necessity for the careful grading and packing ,of fruit cannot be too strongly impressed upon growers. Although there has been great improvement in this respect of late years, and many growers realize the value of carefully selecting, grading, and packing their fruit, still it is even now no uncommon thing to come across consignments badly graded and packed, and more or less infected with pests and diseases of various kinds.

This is much to be regretted, as the returns to the consignors can never be satisfactory, while the marketing of inferior qualities must to a greater or less extent affect the selling-value of the better class .of fruit.

As an explanation for the rapid extension of the trade to Germany, Government fruit experts state that the market facilities at Hamburg are much Superior to London. In the German centre every case is opened for inspection, bit at Covent Garden only one case of a line of apples is opened, and as a result deception is easily possible. — Australasian.

The spirit of co-operation is spreading among Nelson fruitgrowers. On the Motueka side of the Moutere Hills many of the growers have combined to form what is known as “ The Moutere Fruitgrowers, Limited,” whilst at Stoke, on the Nelson side of the hills, has been formed “The Stoke Fruit Distributing Company.” It is gratifying to know that these properly registered trading companies have as one of their main objectives the bringing of the grower and the consumer into closer touch.