15 Oct., 1919.] Peai- Growing in Victoria. 683 



PEAR GROWING IN VICTORIA. 



(Continued from page 216.) 

 By E. Wallis, Orchard Supervisor. 



Draining the Land. 



In the work of preparing the soil for the reception of the young pear 

 trees, the importance of establishing a proper system of artificial drain- 

 age should receive prompt and thorough attention. 



It may be that the land to be planted has the advantage of being 

 naturally drained, but such cases are by no means common, and, in fact, 

 it is hard to find an area of, say, twenty acres where perfect natural 

 drainage conditions obtain throughout the whole. In much of our 

 orchard country the soil is of a patchy nature, and, even in a small com- 

 pass, may differ in its physical composition, from the light residual to 



Plate 17.- Sub-soiling Operations. 



the heavy and compact soil. If, as previously recommended, the pear, 

 on account of its hardy nature, is to be planted under the harsher soil 

 conditions, reserving the more kindly soil for the less hardy kinds of 

 fruit, artificial drainage will be necessary to assist the trees to yield 

 maximum results. In fact, even the light alluvial soils, owing to seepage 

 and other causes, are often found to require draining by artificial means. 



The stunted appearance and, in some cases, actual die-back of the 

 trees in many of our established orchards bear witness to the neglect of 

 thorough soil preparation, such as drainage and sub-soiling, when trees 

 were planted, for, notwithstanding the natural hardiness of the pear 

 tree, it cannot be expected to thrive and prove profitable under water- 

 logged and impervious soil conditions. 



It should be remembered that the work of soil preparation, in which 

 drainage plays such an important part, together with sub-soiling and 



