446 



Journal of the Department of Agriculture. 



probably be sufficient. Fencing against rabbits has been practised 

 over immense areas in Australia, and to a less extent in Europe and 

 America, but the present high price of material will prevent any 

 extensive use of it in South Africa. For buck, a high and fairly 

 rigid fence is required. 



Mechanical Protectors for Fruit Trees. 



Mechanical protection is particularly adapted for small trees. It 

 consists in enclosing the trunks in some suitable material. The 

 practice that obtains in some farm orchards of allowing sprouts to 

 grow from near the surface of the soil, thus forming two or three 

 trunks instead of one, is objectionable from several standpoints, and 

 renders the use of protectors difficult. 



Plate 1 illustrates the use of different materials. Beginning on 

 the left of the picture, these materials are : (a) Wire-netting, (h) 

 maize stalks, (c) bagging, (d) paper. 



(ij) Wire-Netting. 



L'LATE 



(h) Maize Stalks. 



(<0 Bagging 



Photo by Ca-poini 

 (rf) Paper. 



Wire-netting. — Galvanized netting is suitable. A piece wide 

 enough to encircle the trunk very loosely (a piece about 1 foot wide is 

 used for a small tree) is cut and bent to form a cylinder, and, after 

 being placed in position is secured by twisting together the projecting 

 ends of the wire. Stakes may be used to prevent the cylinders from 

 being pressed against the tree trunk. 



One-inch mesh will protect the trees against hares, but a mesh 

 sufficiently small to keep out mice should always be used, if it can 



