HORTICULTURE.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXXVI, Issue 5, 21 May 1928, Page 364

HORTICULTURE.

PRUNING BUSH-FRUITS.

Suitable annual pruning of bush-fruits is as important as feeding and spraying, if they are to be kept in health and profit. On raspberry and loganberry brakes the fruiting-canes should have been cut out and burnt as soon as the crop was gathered, so that the young growth could be fed and sprayed to bring it into the best condition for next season’s cropping. If this has not been done the old canes should now be cut out 'at the surface of the ground, removing also small thriftless growth. Train in the strong new growth for next season’s crop, removing the short length of unripened wood at the tips.

Red and white currant bushes should be kept open to admit light and air. For that reason crowded growth should not be permitted, and where it occurs the superfluous growth should be removed completely. After this has been done, thin or shorten the small fruiting laterals on the permanent leaders as may be required, and top the leaders only if further extension is desired.

The black-currant brakes demand quite different treatment. These plants crop best with a denser growth and on young wood. For this reason the centre is not opened, but the old wood should be cut well back to a bud about its base and the young wood left without shortening the tops. This treatment, with the generous feeding this plant requires, will produce an abundant annual growth of young fruiting-wood. This valuable crop is best grown on moist well-drained soil in the cooler districts.

The gooseberry crop will be increased and more easily gathered if the bushes are pruned by opening the centres,. removing the branches lying on the ground, and thinning, out the remaining frame-work if it is crowded, as is so often the case. Finally shorten back old bearingwood and the weak new,growth to base buds.' This leaves a good supply of medium-sized new wood, from which the unripened ends .should be removed. SEEDS AND POTATO SETS. Potato sets are ‘too often allowed to shrivel and sprout by being kept in a dark, dry position.' If the quantity is small it is .better now to spread them in trays and give them light and air. The short growth made under such circumstances is thrifty and sound, but where larger quantities have to be dealt with they should be given cool, light, humid -conditions with no chance of heating.' The practice of packing them in wide-jointed fruit-cases and stacking them in the shelter of trees in the open that is sometimes adopted is very suitable so long as they are not liable to be eaten and nibbled by vermin. If these stocks are not to hand they should be obtained without delay, as good sets are scarce. A certain quantity of certificated potato seed may now be obtained ; this is an ■ opportunity the keen grower should not miss.

In the purchase of garden seeds there are three points the commercial grower should carefully study, or he may give his time to a worthless object. The three points are quality, strain, and variety. Under the first heading come the considerations of germination and freedom from disease. It is important to ascertain the germination percentage, so that the drills can be properly adjusted when sowing. The work of thinning the seedlings may then be unnecessary in many instances, and certainly it will be lighter. The evidence regarding the danger of seeds carrying many kinds of fungous and bacterial ■diseases is now well established, and great care should be taken when .harvesting or purchasing seeds to make sure, as far as possible, that they are free from disease. Remedial treatments for seed are . now being worked out, and the danger from this source will no doubt be greatly lessened in the near future.

Seeds may be sound and of high percentage germination, but the habits of the plant may be thriftless. In the case of cabbage or lettuce it may easily bolt into seed-growth without heading, or celery may be hollow-stemmed, or tomato-plants may set few fruits or many ■small ones. While these troubles may be due to cultural methods or unseasonable weather, they are also' often due to cheap seeds of poor strain. Bright strong seeds are very easily grown, but to maintain a high strain of seeds in annual and biennial plants demands a great deal of conscientious skill ; but their value, however, will be ■readily appreciated by the experienced grower.

The guile of the seed catalogue is very fascinating to one who, if he has a little imagination, will be impressed with the descriptions of the various forms of plant perfection that are given. The catalogue-writer ■omits to state that all his fine promises are made under the condition of weather and circumstances permitting.” Of course, these statements are. generally quite accurate.as far as they go,. but . experience has taught that when transported to another country, or even district, varieties of high promise are sometimes disappointing a literal

instance 'of circumstances altering cases. For that reason new varieties should be tested experimentally first, or the disappointment and loss may be great.- There is another feature, however, about this that should not ,be missed : many a variety that has received an adverse verdict after' trial has later come into considerable popularity ; Kondine and Dreadnough tomatoes, for instance. What has happened, and what frequently happens, is that a variety after becoming acclimatized sometimes shows .great improvement : or even the reverse may happen. For this reason it is well to be rather conservative in the matter of selecting plant varieties for main cropping. Small trials of new. varieties from a good source, however, should be made, for they are sometimes of great value - * . TOMATOES AND CUCUMBERS UNDER GLASS. ■ Towards the end of June is the usual time for sowing the seeds of these crops, with a view to planting them in the glass-house towards the end of August. Use sterilized soil in the seed-boxes, and see that both the soil and water are sufficiently warm before use ; they should be of the same temperature as the hot-bed on which the seeds are grown. Many of these crops are delayed, even if the plants are not'seriously injured, by being chilled occasionally in the seed-beds. This danger is greatest where the temperature is sometimes allowed to run high. A temperature of 55 0 to -65° F., with dryish atmosphere, will give best results. ' ‘ '

-W. C. Hyde,

Horticulturist, Wellington