THE ORCHARD.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXVII, Issue 5, 20 November 1923, Page 331

THE ORCHARD.

From mid-November to mid-December thinning, cultivation, and spraying form the most important seasonable work. All of these operations play a most important part towards securing the best possible crop of fruit.

THINNING

With fertility now definite, the number of fruits the tree is carrying may be ascertained. Should the number be very low, it should not be assumed they are not worth spraying; judicious spraying for the benefit of the tree alone will be well worth while. Should the number of fruits carried • be medium, the crop will not necessarily be low in bushel capacity, as the fruits will be rather larger. One hesitates to recommend further thinning a comparatively light crop, yet there are instances where such can be done with advantage, as, for instance, with dense clusters of fruit. These are very difficult to keep clean ; aphis-dirt, contact blemish, deformity of shape, and patchy low colour are intensified by such clusters. A thinning in such cases would allow better development and permit the wash of the spray to encircle the fruit.

Some nice judgment is required to decide what number should be allowed to remain on a tree where there is a heavy setting to choose from. Much, of course, depends on the typical size of the variety ;. one should aim at securing good specimens. Generally speaking, two fruits per spur is ample, but in the case of short-stemmed or notoriously small varieties this may be reduced to one. There are instances where this reduction of crop is not sufficient to secure a good sample ; some trees spur so freely as to cause an overload to the tree even with one fruit only on each spur. In such a case the further reduction should be accomplished by removing all the fruit from'maiden wood. In general practice it is better to thin twice, allowing a week or two between each operation, rather than to aim at completing the work by means of one heavy thinning. Under the former plan more latitude is allowed to determine and, as a result, discard all malformed and diseased fruit, to the ultimate benefit of the quality of the crop.

CULTIVATION

The primary, object of cultivation is to so aerate the soil that beneficial bacteria may live and multiply. Some of the other considerations are suppression of weeds, so that the trees may have the full benefit of the land, and preservation of soil-moisture. Aeration of the soil presents no difficulties where the soil is porous

or well supplied with humus, continued working with the spring-tooth or pulverizer being all that is necessary at this season. Aeration of the more tenacious soils is rather more difficult, but the first rule is not to work such soils when they are wet. The best cultivation tools for such soils are the plough and disk harrow. A shallow ploughing and immediate disking aerate heavy soils to a much greater depth than would be possible with lighter implements.

Cultivation under the tree is just as, if not more, important than on the open land. Extension disks make this possible. A thorough working of the whole surface soil will also suppress weeds and conserve moisture. During cultivation, damage is often done to trees by horse-harness, swingletrees, &c. This may be reduced to a minimum by the use of special orchard harness. There are several types .to be had, all being designed to eliminate projections, which are the main cause of the damage.

SPRAYING

Spraying-requirements for the present period are not many, but they are exacting, as only timely and thorough applications will be effective. Timely, because though there may appear to be a liberal deposit of material remaining on the trees most of this is residue, the efficiency of which, from a protection point of view, has passed away. A renewal of the sprays is therefore necessary to afford continued freedom from fungi and insects. Thorough, because the fruit is rapidly developing and exposing new surface. New wood and foliage are being added, and unless these are sprayed they are exposed to attack. Applications at twenty-one-day intervals are usually sufficient to meet requirements.

Stone-fruits will require lime-sulphur, 1-125, plus atomic sulphur, 6 1b., for brown-rot, plus nicotine, 1 pint, if black or green aphis are present. As the season is approaching for leech on plums and cherries, keep a good lookout and apply arsenate of lead, i-J lb. per 100 gallons, should this pest appear. If the fruits are near the picking stage it is undesirable that they should be stained with arsenate, and hellebore powder, oz. per gallon, should be used instead. Hellebore should be boiled for 20 minutes in a small quantity of water to prepare it for mixing.

Apples, pears, and quinces will require arsenate of lead, i| lb. to 2 lb. per 100 gallons, for codlin-moth, leaf-roller, and other caterpillars lime-sulphur, 100, for fungi; 6 1b. atomic sulphur per 100 gallons for powdery mildew ; and nicotine, 1 pint per 800 gallons, for leaf-hopper. These may be mixed, but in such a case the milk of 2 lb. of fresh-slaked lime per 100 gallons should be added. Under some unfavourable conditions as to variety, weather, or locality, limesulphur may not be effective in controlling black-spot, and bordeaux, 3-4-40, must then be used. ■

GRAFTS

Look over grafts which were worked this season. If union has taken place, indicated by growth of the scion, sever the ties to allow expansion of the wood, but do not remove the covering.

HARVESTING AND PACKING STONE-FRUITS

The earliest varieties of stone-fruit will soon be ready for harvest. Some definite turn towards maturity is required, but otherwise the fruits should be picked when firm. Most stone-fruits ripen to full condition very rapidly when packed in cases, and firm condition at picking-time will naturally contribute to the arrival of the fruit at its destination in good order. Such picking can best be done by going over the trees from time to time and gathering only such fruits as have reached the requisite stage of maturity. Uneven maturity in a packed case of stone-fruit is a serious though common fault detrimentally affecting the price realized. In the very early part of the season the choicest peaches are worth special packages, such as trays or punnets enclosed in a crate. At all times the fruit should be evenly sized and graded. Even with plums, the larger sizes find a better sale if packed separately from the jumble pack, this invariably applying to the main crop.

Care should be taken to protect picked fruit from the direct rays of the sun. When exposed a considerable rise in flesh-temperature takes ' place, some scald, and much soft rot, also wilt due to loss of'moisture.

-IE. M. Rice,

Orchard Instructor, Hastings

CITRUS FRUITS

The main work in the citrus orchards at the present time consists of attention to efficient cultivation by means of cultivators and harrows, &c. ; also the spraying of both lemon and orange trees with bordeaux, 4-4-40, for the control of verrucosis. The spraying should be done at the time when the majority of the petals have fallen from the newly formed embryo fruits. This is a most important spray and should be got on as nearly as possible at the time indicated.

STRAWBERRY-GROWING

There will be time for little else but the harvesting of the crop at this period. The attention of growers is drawn to the necessity for the establishment of a standard pack and the honest maintenance of that pack. Only the best berries should be included in the top grade, and none but sound fruit should be sent to the market in any grade.

Those who are merely growing sufficient strawberries for their own use are advised to establish some form of protection by means of wire netting or old fishing-net to prevent depredation by birds. Where leaf-spot continues to be bad on plants a summer strength of Burgundy mixture may be applied with benefit, care being taken to pick all fruit near maturity before the application is made.

FIREBLIGHT

Growers are again reminded that swift action is absolutely necessary in the entire removal of any part of a tree or trees affected with this disease, and the burning of the same. Any orchardist who identifies the disease in his orchard, and who is situated outside the areas where fireblight is at present known to exist, is asked to notify the local Instructor immediately and ask his advice.

— J. W. Collard,

Orchard Instructor, Auckland.