LOWER MOUTERE ORCHARD TEST AREA.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XV, Issue 3, 20 September 1917, Page 156

LOWER MOUTERE ORCHARD TEST AREA.

Claygate Pearmain.— Have a bold open framework, fairly vigorous and well furnished ; rather subject to aphis ; crops have been moderate but good quality.

Stark. Fairly' vigorous trees, well-furnished laterals; rather subject to aphis; a very fair cropper. ■

Duke op Clarence. — Clean, rather strong growth, well clothed with fruitful twigs ; slightly affected with aphis; has proved itself a good cropper here.

Allington Pippin. — Trees of exceptional vigour, with a shapely frame, bearing fruit-laterals freely ; a good cropper ; subject to woolly aphis.

Baldwin. — Vigorous trees with strong bold frame, now beginning to furnish out with fruit-spurs; to date the crop has consisted of two or three fruits annually ; trees practically clean.

Gravenstein. — Clean, bold trees of usual type ; ' framework well furnished, giving every indication of early crop ; a small crop has been gathered annually for the last two years. ■

Delicious. — Strong, shapely trees, some 9 ft. in height, that continue to merit the high esteem in which they are held ; they averaged i| bushels of clean fruit during the past season.

Dumelow’s Seedling.— Strong trees with broad base, and framework well furnished ; badly affected with woolly aphis ; a. moderate cropper.

Welcome. — Moderately strong, shapely trees ; clean, heavy crops of small early apples of little commercial value.

Dillington Beauty.— Vigorous, shapely trees in fruitful condition ; badly affected with aphis ; a very fair cropper here.

Alfriston. — Have made clean moderate growth, and have been very fruitful. They would no doubt have been better if not allowed to crop so heavily.

Loy.— Fairly vigorous, clean, shapely growth ; evidently a spur-bearer ; 'no crop . yet. . ■ .

Stewart’s Seedling {Ballarat ■ Seedling).— Strong shapely trees; framework well - furnished with twigs and spurs ;. a little aphis showing.

Yates.— Strong broad - based framework, well furnished with fruiting - laterals ; practically clean. This variety resembles Dougherty in many respects, and -on this plot is brighter and more free of black-spot. Its record here as a cropper is good. / ■ ■ ’ .

Senator. —-Strong vigorous framework, well furnished for fruit ; has been a very fair cropper.

A dams Pearmain.- —Shapely trees of moderate growth ; badly affected with woolly aphis ; only a moderate cropper in this locality.

William Anderson. — Trees unusually vigorous, but slow to mature; carried a small crop this season.

Scarlet Pearmain.—Clean, vigorous trees, in excellent condition ; 6 ft. in height - after pruning; last season bore a good clean crop.

Beauty op Bath. -Trees exceptionally strong, with shapely broad-based framework, well furnished ; slightly affected with aphis ; last season they bore a good crop of clean fruit. ;

Rib st on Pippin.— This old favourite is ■ represented by strong shapely trees, cropping well, but rather badly affected with woolly aphis. -

French Crab (Winter Greening').— Spare, poorly furnished trees, badly affected with woolly aphis and mildew.

Ballarat Seedling. —-Rather badly affected with woolly aphis; trees otherwise strong, shapely, and well furnished; a bushel case .of 3J- in. fruit to the tree was carried during the past season. ■.

Worcester Pearmain.— Practically clean ; bold-shaped trees of moderate vigour. This favourite February apple has made a good record here as a cropper.

Note. —-Apples Northern Spy, Rome Beauty, Newtown Pippin, and Etowah were regrafted two years ago with Delicious, Shoreland Queen, Statesman, and Mclntosh Red respectively.

SOME CONCLUSIONS.

From the foregoing descriptions it will be noted that apples Alfriston, Scarlet Pearmain, Beauty of Bath, Worcester Pearmain, Dougherty, Yates, Senator, Granny Smith, Duke of Clarence, Graven-

stein, and Delicious are of outstanding merit on this, test area. Of

the seven varieties of pears, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Winter Cole, and Fertility have proved their worth in this locality, while Doyenne

du Comice, Marie Louise, and Conference, being slower to mature, are not yet proved.