118 



induced a later growth than usual in trees and shrubs, more especially affecting root 

 grafts and young nursery stock not previously well rooted. 



Cultivation. — The same system of cultivation in orchard management has been 

 continued as that outlined in my report for 1890. 



INJURIES PROM MICE. 



Owing to the great amount of damage sustained by young orchards throughout 

 the countiy during the past winter, many questions have come in relating to the 

 best and cheapest means of repelling the attacks of field mice. As varying conditions 

 often call for different treatment, the following preventives and remedies are 

 suggested :— 



Preventives. — 1. Eemove all rubbish that may lie about the orchard affording 

 hiding places for mice. 



2. Trjimp the snow firmly about the trees after each snow storm. 



3. In the autumn, befoie the ground freezes, bank each tree with earth to 

 the height of fiom 12 to 15 inches. This was done the past season to the 1,700 trees 

 m the orchard of the Central Experimental Farm, at a cost of "53 cents per tree, or 

 a little over a half of 1 cent. 



4. Tarred paper, which has been allowed to dry for a few days after being cut 

 into squares of the required size, is also very serviceable. It may be fastened round 

 the stem of the tree with twine, or may be held in place by a single carpet tack^ 

 pressed through the over-lapping edges into the bark. 



Washes. — 5. Portland cement of the consistency of common paint, to which i» 

 added Paris green in the proportion of 3 or 4 oz. to 3 gallons of the former. Apply 

 with a brush, as a paint. 



6. Slake 1 peck of fresh lime and make to the consistency of paint, adding half 

 a gallon of soft soap, half a gallon crude carbolic acid, and 3 or 4 pounds of sulphur. 



Remedial. — 1. In all cases with a sharp knife pare the wound smoothly. If the 

 wound is 18 inches or more from the ground, cover completely with a thin coating 

 of grafting wax, and wrap with a cloth to prevent wax melting, and to assist in 

 excluding the air. 



2. When the wound is near the base of the tree, cover with grafting wax or 

 green cow-dung, held in place by rough sacking ; or the tree may be banked with 

 earth to a point above the wound, which is preferable. 



The main idea is to prevent evaporation by excluding the air, and keeping the 

 tissues in a normally moist condition. Under such circumstances, when taken in 

 time, trees will frequently recover, though completely girdled. 



I wish to again impiess the importance of keeping the bark on the stems and 

 branches of the young trees in a clean and healthy condition, by the application of 

 alkaline washes. Apart from preventing injury from scale insects, such washes repel 

 the inj-oads of borers to an extent not generally appreciated. In looking through an 

 orchard of 100 acres, chiefly made up of Duchess, the property of Messrs. Bard well 

 and Haviland, of Fort Dodge, Iowa, I could not, after the most careful examination, 

 find a single tree injured by borer, or affected with sun-scald This result Mr. 

 Haviland attributes entirely to the systematic and regular application of such a 

 wash as is recommended in my report of last year. The cost will vary from 30 to 

 50 cents per bundled trees for the season. 



Low Heads. — Another point which I wish to emphasize in connection with orchard- 

 ing at the north is the importance of heading the trees low and growing somewhat in 

 bush form. The experience of Messrs. Bedford and Mackay, of Brandon and Indian 

 Head, bears strong and unmistakable evidence on this point — a larger percentage in 

 every case of standards of the same vai-ieties failing than those planted as one-year- 

 olds and allowed to branch low. In climates subject to sudden extremes, long- 

 unprotected stems are very liable to suffer injury from sun-scald and bark-bursting. 

 Again, the low head, from its proximity to the ground, assists in collecting snow, 

 which does valuable service to the object covered in protecting it from extremes of 



