WORK FOR THE COMING MONTH.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XIII, Issue 3, 20 September 1916, Page 233

WORK FOR THE COMING MONTH.

THE ORCHARD.

J. A. CAMPBELL,

Assistant Director, Horticulture Division.

THE FRUIT INDUSTRY AND THE NEW SEASON.

It goes without saying that every orchardist is desirous of having a successful season. What constitutes a successful season can only be judged by the returns received at the end of the year for fruit sold. The quantity of fruit available - for sale must necessarily play a large part ■ in this, but heavy crops are not necessarily a true indication, as quantity is not - the only thing to be considered. In a ready market with little competition quantity may play the leading part and work out satisfactorily, but under reverse circumstances the question of quality has to be considered. In fact, under anything like keen competition, such as exists in the fruit-markets of New .Zealand at the present time, the quality of the article must be given preference over quantity.

This position in regard to the fruit-markets is likely to become more pronounced as time goes on and the yield of the many acres of young orchard finds its way on to the markets increasingly year by year, which will no doubt perforce result in the abandonment of the practice, only too common among commercial orchardists, of encouraging or allowing a fruit-tree to bear as .heavily as possible, regardless of the size and general appearance of the fruit. Not only must this practice cease, but all other haphazard methods must also go. Successful orcharding means . careful and scientific management throughout the year, with high-quality fruit and as much of it as possible to sell at the proper season, but no rubbish. 'The fruit business is moving along rapidly. The pinch of overproduction is not yet felt, and it ,is to be hoped it never will be felt to a greater extent than is sufficient to raise the general standard of the fruit marketed, and to wholly eliminate the rubbish and much of the inferior fruit too commonly met with on the New Zealand markets.

A general movement is on foot throughout the leading fruitgrowing districts of New Zealand. New fruitgrowers’ companies are being formed, and cool stores and central packing-sheds are being erected for the purpose of handling the fruit crop. Others will no

doubt come into existence, with the result that such companies, together with those already in operation, will in the near future control the bulk of the packing of apples and other fruits. The policy of such companies will. be to standardize grades and to make a feature of the quality of their pack. This will mean that prices will be fixed for the various grades, and the grower will receive payment according to the manner in which his fruit grades out, thus rightly placing a premium on quality. This should also result in considerable improvement not only .in the quality of the. fruit placed on the market, but also in the reliability of the pack, as growers not associated with such companies must be detrimentally affected if they 1 fail to adopt similar standards.

Growers in those districts where fruit-packing companies are operating should particularly, note the practice that is - sure to apply in the purchase of fruit, and act with the idea that a crop —if necessary a limited crop — grades out well will be the most profitable. To bring this about there are many factors that must be considered. We have now arrived at the opening of the new season, and it will be therefore advisable to touch upon the principal requirements with a view to putting into practice those that are applicable from now onward.

FACTORS IN FRUITGROWING.

The requirements of an orchard for the production of fruit of high . quality and appearance include the following: Shelter; regulation of moisture by means of cultivation and drainage; an adequate supply of phosphoric acid, potash, and nitrogen; careful attention to pruning and' training the tree; thinning; and the control of diseases without damage to the fruit or foliage.

Shelter. An orchard requires to be adequately sheltered to protect the trees against damage from wind, and also to guard against windfalls and branch-blemished fruit. The last-mentioned, factor often becomes serious in connection with the lateral system of pruning apples and pears —■ i.e., the retention of weak and moderately weak laterals. This system works very satisfactorily in bringing a tree into bearing, but the percentage of branchmarked fruit is invariably high, owing to the position and flexibility- of the wood when the tree is exposed to the wind.

Although the practice of retaining laterals in the first place is right, in most instances the retention of such laterals is unduly prolonged, and unnecessary risk : of this form of blemish is thereby run. For this reason and for general utility purposes ’ the laterals,

after bearing and producing fruit-spurs, should be shortened in as soon as possible until the fruit is borne close to the main limb.

Moisture. regulation of moisture requires a proper and efficient drainage - system to carry away excessive moisture at any season, but the regulation of moisture during the summer mainly consists of proper cultivation. The orchard soil is thoroughly ploughed and worked down in the spring—exactly when depends on the nature of the soil and climatic conditions, but it is inadvisable to delay this work until the hot weather sets in. Under such conditions the deep working necessary leads to a considerable loss of moisture, which, if not replaced by rain, means that the summer has to be faced with a soil more or less depleted of moisture, which is a risk that should, be avoided. Subsequent work consists of frequently disturbing the surface soil with the cultivator, the resulting layer of loosened soil acting as . a mulch, thereby retarding evaporation.

Fertilizers. Phosphoric acid and potash play a very important part in the texture and colour of the fruit and also on the wood of the tree. More or less of both are found in practically all soils, but where either or both are deficient in an orchard soil they are usually supplied by means of fertilizers, and are best applied in late winter or early spring. Phosphoric acid may be given in the form of superphosphate, bonedust, or basic slag. Bonedust is slower acting but more lasting than superphosphate. Constant and heavy application of the latter is credited with making the soil more or less acid, therefore lime should be freely used to correct this action. Lime is otherwise beneficial to most soils, and is best applied in the autumn, following with the other fertiliz rs later. Basic slag is preferable to superphosphate for heavy damp soils fact, the super should not be used in such circumstances. Sulphate of potash, muriate of potash, and kainit are commonly used to supply potash, the former being by far the most popular, although difficult to obtain at the present time. Stable manure is recognized as the best all-round manure, obtainable, but for general orcharding purposes it is regarded as practically out of the question, owing to the difficulty of obtaining supplies. Nitrogen is mainly necessary when extra growth is required, and is usually supplied to the soil in the form of sulphate of ammonia or . nitrate of soda, or by means of covercrops composed of leguminous plants. The ploughing-in of such crops also supplies humus to the soil, which is in most cases necessary where commercial fertilizers are being used.

Pruning and Training. Pruning and shaping the tree has a great effect on the colour and maturity of the fruit it bears, particularly with the apple. The tree should be trained with an open centre, with the main limbs and branches well spaced. Overcrowding of growth should be avoided and the maximum provision made for air and sunlight; at the same time sufficient foliage should be provided for along the main limbs to protect the bark against the danger of sun-scald. Laterals should be treated as previously mentioned. . \

Thinning.— This is a very important matter in the production of fruit of high quality and appearance, and receives far less attention than it deserves, particularly in respect to the apple. Peachthinning is appreciated and regularly practised by many peachgrowers, but even in respect to this fruit much more work in that direction could be done with advantage. With the average appletree in full bearing thinning becomes a necessity for the benefit of the tree and its crop. When this is properly carried out inferior fruit is- reduced to a minimum, while the main crop is more even in size and superior in every way, and often little reduced in weight..

Spraying. Spraying and the diseases that necessitate the work contribute largely to the percentage of blemished fruit in the average fruit crop. Black-spot and spray-scorching are the principal causes. The disease itself, if not thoroughly checked, renders the fruit quite useless from the point of view of appearance, while the scorching resulting from injudicious spraying for its control has almost an equally bad effect. Scorching can take place at any time during the growth of the fruit, but the greatest danger is when the. fl uit is young and the skin tender. The effect on the foliage is the opposite. Foliage will invariably stand a stronger spray when young than it will later, therefore the best time, to use a comparatively strong spray, culculated to give the best results, is when the foliage is first appearing, or when the cluster of buds burst and show colour or the most advanced blossom-buds burst into bloom. Bordeaux mixture is the most reliable fungicide in use, but it is mainly accountable for the russeting of fruit when applied during the summer. It can, however, be used with safety at the stage above mentioned ; so also can the lime-sulphur solution. For later sprayings lime-sulphur is preferable, as it is less likely to damage the fruit, but as it is not as reliable a fungicide as Bordeaux mixture the latter should be resorted to if the season is such that outbreaks of spot occur.

MILDEW.

This is a disease that should be considered more seriously than it apparently is by the average orchardist. The disease affects the young growths, consequently reaching the health and growth of the tree. The work necessary for controlling mildew at the present stage consists of cutting away all affected parts that were overlooked in the winter pruning, and spraying the tree with some form of sulphur. - Sulphur in a finely divided form is recognized as being the most effective on the mould forms of fungus diseases. There are several preparations on the market, and no doubt the whole of them are good; they include lime-sulphur, atomic sulphur, soluble sulphur, &c. Lime-sulphur is the most popular, as it has been longer in use and is therefore better understood. Spraying should be done as soon as the foliage appears,, and should be repeated at intervals throughout the season.

CODLIN-MOTH.

Calyx-spraying for codlin-moth in order to be thoroughly effective should be done twice, the first time as soon as two-thirds of the blossoms have fallen, and again when the remainder have fallen. The object of this spraying is to thoroughly fill the calyx-cup with a poisonous mixture, so that when the calyx closes a quantity is retained and held in the form of a trap for grubs subsequently endeavouring to enter the fruit at this point. To avoid the risk of scorching, owing to the tender nature of the skin of the fruit at this stage it is better to reduce by one-third the strength of . spray ordinarily used for the control of moth. Use plenty of the mixture when spraying, in order to do the work thoroughly. Apply at a high pressure. Use an angle nozzle, and spray mainly, as a large number of the fruits at this stage are in a vertical position, calyx uppermost. STRENGTH OF SPRAYS TO BE USED.* Black - spot. —To be 1 applied as the buds show colour. Pears : Bordeaux mixture 6-4-50 or lime-sulphur 1-15. Apples: Bordeaux mixture 4-5-50 or lime-sulphur 1-30.

Black-spot and Codlin-moth. — Calyx-spraying. Lime-sulphur 1-100 to 1-120, with 2 lb. to 2| lb. arsenate of lead added

Powdery Mildew. Lime-sulphur - 1-30 as p the foliage appears. A weaker application would do as well, but at the strength given this spray also acts as a preventive for black-spot. Later applica-—lime-sulphur 1-100 to 1-120.