lo April, 1909.] Orchard Notes. 233 



cleansing of bandages (used to trap codlin moth), and trunks of apple and 

 pear trees; cultivating for green manuring, and draining, or otherwise im- 

 proving the condition of soil where improvement is needed. 



All fruit should be carefully handled, especially so if designed for 

 export or long keeping. The best method of taking fruit from trees to the 

 storing or packing rooms with the least possible crushing or bruising is as 

 follows : — The fruit hanging pendant should be lifted up to break off the 

 stem, not, as is often done, pulled in any direction, which is liable to cause 

 the stem to leave the fruit, producing what is practically a wound that often 

 induces decay. The fruit should be carefully laid in a basket or other 

 vessel suspended by a hook to the branch which when filled should be 

 taken to the cases and be carefully deposited therein to be conveyed with 

 the least possible jolting to the packing or storing room. Many orchardists 

 use a bag to pick the fruit into. The bag is attached by a strap to the 

 waist of the picker, and when filled the fruit is taken to and carefully de- 

 posited in the cases. The bag system is attended with a deal of friction 

 and the bloom is generally rubbed from the fruit. The basket or, as a 

 substitute, a kerosene tin with one side taken out and a wire handle at- 

 tached, seems to be the best method. 



Fruit intended for export to distant countries should be carefully 

 selected, graded, wrapped in paper and firmly packed. Good typical 

 specimens, well coloured, of moderate size and firm texture, should be 

 chosen. Any fruit showing traces of " bitter pit, "or in a gross overgrown 

 condition likely to produce that disorder should be placed aside for im- 

 mediate use or sale. An exceptionally heavy crop of apples has been 

 produced this season, and this fact, together with the character of the 

 season, which has been unfavorable to a large consumption of fruit, has 

 resulted in low prices for fruit of fair quality in the local markets. Still 

 a grower has no option but to sell his Truit at once, even at low rates if 

 it is likely to become " pitted." Many varieties of apples will keep well, 

 if handled as advised fox export, and should be retained until the bulk 

 of the earlier fruits is consumed. Rome Beauty, Rokewood, Yates, and 

 other varieties will keep until August and September, if carefully handled 

 -and stored in cases in a room of regular, even if not of low, temperature. 



When the fruit is all gathered, the bandages should be taken from the 

 trees and be either boiled or burned. Good stout bagging is needed for 

 an effective trap for codlin moth and any that answers that description 

 should be boiled and put away for future use. Thin, old, or rotting bands 

 should be burned at once. The trunks of most trees afford a hiding place 

 for codlin moth " grubs " under the bands and in other places. The 

 places likely to harbor the pest should be examined and all grubs be 

 killed. Bands are often examined and cleansed, and replaced, to remain 

 on the trees during winter. This is not good practice as the bands act as 

 a shelter and harbor for red spider and other pests in various stages. 



Where a soil is deficient in organic matter, and stable manure is scarce, 

 or expensive to haul, a crop of peas grown during winter and ploughed in 

 .early in spring is the best means to supply the desired element of fertility. 

 Land should be ploughed at once and cultivated well to insure a good crop 

 of peas. Manure should be carted and spread to be ploughed in later in 

 season. In some of the best orchards in the Doncaster district, new soil 

 is carted at considerable expense and used as a top dressing for places 

 where the trees are in full bearing. A remarkable result has been obtained 

 in many places by the addition of fresh soil, superior to that following the 

 use of stable manure. Hard and poor patches of soil should receive 

 special attention in this direction. 



