122 



IRIlSli e.AHDENING 



Type ok Tukk to Plant. 



All apple trees are worked on the crab and 

 paradist' stocks or on a rlosely-relatt'd stock. Tlio 

 crab is a long-lived stock, but not so fniillul in 

 the early years as tlie paradise. The stronj,'- 

 {f rowing orchard trees shoidd be on this st<.ik. 

 The paradise is a weaker-growing stock, more 

 fil>rons-n)otcd, and liaving a dwarfing cffcrt on 

 trees, it brings them more quickly into liearing. 

 The best type of tree to i>lant in an orchard is a half- 

 standard, two-year-old tree on crab. This should 



Apple, Lord Lambourne. 

 Award ed the Bunyard Cup as the most mer'itorirnis 

 variety shown this year. Baised by Messrs. 

 Laxton from Jas. Grieve xWorcester Fearrnain. 



give a clean stem of three to four feet above ground. 

 It is an advantage also, where horse and motor 

 labour is used, to have all the trees on clean stems. 

 Maidens, or one-year-old trees, are sometimes used 

 in preference to older trees, the grower training 

 the tree himself. 



|)|STANCKS IIKTWKE.N Tl{KE8. 



Tlif system .»f planting half-standard trees 24 

 feet apart with a dwarf grower between is good 

 enough for small areas where there is sufficient 

 lalniur to w(uk the plot, the idea being to do away 

 with the small trees when the standard ones re- 

 (piire more si)aee say in twenty or twenty-five 

 years. Now that motor laltonr is becoming more 

 general, even in orchards, a good deal more space 

 may be allowed. Thirty feet lietween the rows and 

 fifteen feet between each tree in the row is not 

 too nuich. A ihvarf-growing tree should be planted 

 alternately in tiie row. This will allow plenty of 

 room for the large trees to develop fully. 



Planting and Aktkk-theat.ment. 



November is the best month to commence this 

 work, l)ut any tiujg till the end of February will 

 do if the soil is in a workal)le state. In planting, 

 keep the roots almost on the surface, and cover 

 with !*ome of the surrounding soil; stake the treo 

 and tread the soil firmly. In the following April 

 (»r May give a good nuilcli of manure over the 

 roots to keep them moist in dry weather and help 

 the tree to re-establish itself. Prune soon after 

 l)lanting; use the knife boldly, and shape the 

 growtli l)y cutting back to an outward bud. Keep 

 the ground al)out the trees cultivated. It must not 

 be thought that the groiuid is being wasted even 

 though the trees are not paying. The space between 

 the rows can be cropped for several years and made 

 to pay the expenses. 



Geo. Doolan. 



Bush Fruits. 



Bush Fruits.— Currants. Gooseberries, or other 

 dwarf trained trees that are not satisfactory 

 should be rooted up and destroyed, and every 

 opportunity shoidd be taken to get the ground 

 l)repared in advance for planting. The grotnul 

 should be deeply worked and well man\ired, un- 

 less it is in a suitable condition already. 



The planting of Currant bushes should be com- 

 pleted as soon as possible. The best time to ])lant 

 is when the leaves begin to fall. They thrive best 

 in a rich, deep loam. They will grow satisfac- 

 torily on moist land, but the soil should not be 

 water-logged. Seasons like the past, which was 

 very dry, they did best where they were planted 

 between rows of apple trees, which provided them 

 with partial shade. Rows of currants are also 

 useful for dividing vegetable quarters. The usual 

 distance for planting is si.x feet apart each way. 

 Make the holes sufficiently wide to allow the roots 

 to be spread out. Avoid placing the latter too 

 deeply, and never do the work when the soil is 

 wet. Scatter some of the finer soil among the 

 roots, and then tread gently. Trees that are 

 lifted carefully, suffer very little by their removal. 

 The ground occupied by Black Currants should 

 be disturbed as little as possible, as the young 

 roots are near the surface. A dressing of decayed 

 manure used as a mulching will produce good 

 results. The best varieties to grow are Boskoop 

 Giant and Seabrook's Black. 



Red and White Currants should be always 

 grown on clean single stems, as then there will be 

 less trouble from suckers. They do not require 

 as rich a ground as Black Currants, and they 



