The Orchard. 551 



THE ORCHARD. 



By Jas. Lang. 



March will be a busy month for the orchardist, gathering and 

 marketing the fruit occupying most of the time. The present summer 

 will long be remembered for the copious rains which have fallen, and 

 the low temperature which has prevailed right through, so that the 

 consumption of soft fruits has been very much restricted, with 

 unremunerative prices to growers. In summer fruits the produc- 

 tion has now overtaken the local demand, and other outlets will have 

 to be secured in the future to render the business a profitable one, 

 either by the export of pulp or drying, as the present condition of 

 the oversea carriage of soft fruit in the cool chambers of our steamers 

 is not very encouraging. There is no doubt, however, that with 

 improvement in the method of cooling the fruit chambers of the 

 ships, a large export trade will spring up in soft fruits. 



Manuring- 



The manuring of orchards is a subject which has not received the 

 attention that its importance demands. Trees cannot go on for all 

 time bearing heavy crops of fruit without the soil becoming 

 exhausted, and the older our orchards grow the more necessary does 

 it become that the best methods of prolonging and increasing the 

 productiveness of the trees should be carried out, which can best be 

 done by applying artificial or stable manure. 



Green manuring is also practised with good results by many of 

 our leading orchardists. Plough the ground as soon as possible 

 after the fruit has all been gathered in, and sow with dun peas 

 at the rate of two bushels per acre. Apply one cwt. of superphosphate 

 with the peas, this will give them a good start and will also greatly 

 benefit the trees. In spring time, about the early part of September, the 

 peas will be fit to plough in. First roll them with a heavy roller the 

 way the plough runs, also fit the plough with a revolving coulter 

 when the peas can be turned in without much trouble. Before 

 ploughing the peas in, 2 cwt. of superphosphate and 8 cwt. of muriate 

 of potash per acre should be applied. This forms a very complete 

 manure, the peas supplying the nitrogen and humus, the super- 

 phosphate the phosphoric acid, and with the potash the trees will be 

 furnished with all that they require. Farmyard manure should also be 

 applied where sufficient quantity is available. A good dressing of 

 virgin soil, wood ashes, or any kind of litter is also of great advantage 

 where it can be obtained. 



Fruit Export. 



In gathering apples and pears for export, it is advisable to 

 gather them in the early morning when the fruit is cool. Advantage 



