The Orchard. 459 



THE ORCHARD. 



By Jas. Lang. 

 Seasonable Work- 



This has been one of the best seasons experienced by orchardists 

 for very many years past, the splendid rains which fell during the 

 winter having thoroughly sa.turated the subsoil. Not for some years 

 has the subsoil received such a soaking as it has this winter. 

 Fruit trees are now making a healthy and vigorous growth, and look 

 better than they have done for a long time. It will be necessary to 

 keep the scarifier going to keep down the weeds and prevent the soil 

 from becoming caked. Keeping the surface loose also conserves the 

 moisture in the soil by preventing evaporation. 



The codlin moth will have to be attended to by spraying, and 

 examining the bandages every week. The season being cold and 

 damp, the moths have been much later in making their appearance 

 than usual, and should the weather remain cool it is possible that not 

 more than one brood will mature during the summer. If this should 

 be the case it will be a great relief to orchardists who have suffered 

 far more loss from the second and third broods than from the first. 

 It therefore behoves all orchardists to bestir themselves and take 

 advantage of the favourable season to destroy as many as possible of 

 the grubs, and thus lessen the number for next year. A spraying 

 should be given early in January, and another early in February, and 

 should the grub be prevalent still another about the middle of March 

 would be of advantage. It was observed last year that apples 

 gathered into the store during the latter part of April must have had 

 the eggs attached, as young grubs were developed for some weeks 

 afterwards. 



Where it is desired to pronagate young trees, or renew old ones, 

 the month of February will be the most suitable to bud them. It is 

 too late now this season to top the leading shoots on young fruit 

 trees, but superfluous shoots may be thinned out, and thus the work 

 •of winter pruning lessened. 



Export of Apples. 



As the export season for apples and pears will soon be round, it 

 will be well to remind growers and shippers that it will only pay to 

 ■export the most suitable varieties for the English market, viz., 

 Cleopatra, Munro's Favourite, Jonathan, Rome Beauty, Esopus 

 Spitzenburgh, and Newtown Pippin. Growers sometimes take up 

 more space than they are able to fill with the best sorts, so that they 

 have to make up their quantity by sending those that only realize a 

 moderate price in the London market, thus bringing down the average 

 of the whole consignment. It is therefore more profitable to send a 



