Dec. 2, 1020.] Agricultmal Gazette of N.S.W. 899 



Til cutting the fruit and placing it on the trays, place it on the top 

 part, or so that the cleats at the ends will be resting on the ground, thus 

 allowing a current of air to pass underneath and assist in the drying process. 

 If the weather is hot, as it usually is about Christmas time, it will take 

 from two and a half to three and a half days to dry the fruit; which will 

 require to be sorted over so that any which is not quite dry may be put on 

 trays and allowed to stand for another half-day or so. The dried fruit should 

 be taken from the trap's and put immediately into clean calico bags, and 

 securely tied so that the moths may not reach it. 



When sorting over in the above manner, any fruit which is small or of 

 bad appearance should not be mixed up with the good, but sorted out and 

 marked as inferior, while the good also can be marked accordingly. When 

 the fruit is dried and bagg-ed, it should be at once stored in a cool, dry place; 

 if exposed to heat it will become hard, lose in weight, and deteriorate in 

 quality. 



Irrigation and Cultivation. 



In the drier districts, where irrigation is practised, it will be found 

 necessary to water all trees, vines, lucerne, or any other crops this month. 

 Be sure to work up the ground as soon as it is dry enough to allow the 

 horse and cultivator on the land. 



All orchard land should be kept free from weeds, and to accomplish this 

 the horse and cultivator should have but little rest this month, a« an 

 orchard that is neglected for a few days, will soon have a coating of 

 summer grass, which will take many a hard day's work to eradicate ; and 

 couch grass spreads rapidly when left undisturbed. Where there are bad 

 patches of couch grass, they should be ploughed up and harrowed on a very 

 hot day, as the roots die when exposed to the sun. 



Passion-vines which have been properly pruned and manured during 

 November will now be putting on good growth and blooming freely. This 

 fruit will be ready to meet the demand at Easter, when it usually finds a 

 ready sale at good prices. 



Various Pests and Diseases. 



Keep a strict lookout for pests, and if trees have not been fumigated or 

 sprayed, as the case may be, lose no time before beginning to fight them. 



For scales on citrus trees, Decembei-, January and February are g()od 

 months for either spraying or fumigating; but for fungus diseases it is 

 generally best to spray once before the trees bloom, and again as soon as the 

 fruit has set, rather than to leave it until now. In many cases, however, 

 later .sprayings are both beneficial and necessary. The grower shou'd not 

 neglect either to fumigate or spray all citrus trees, so as to secure clean fruit 

 and healthy ti'ees. 



With regard to apples and pears, this season there is promise of a veiy 

 heavy crop, and if there has not been a heavy natural fall by the end (.f 

 November the fruit should be thinned, as there is no demand for small fruit 

 on the market, an'J, apart from the smallness of the fruit, there is a grcnt 



