10 June, 1916.] 



Orchdrd and Garden Notes. 



381 



Monthly Report. 



The weather during the past month was mild and warm for time of 

 year, consequently the new birds settled down and commenced laying 

 better than usual. The yield of eggs for the month has been very satis- 

 factory. A few birds have gone into partial moult, and others went 

 off after arrival, whilst two birds have gone brcody. Temperatures: 

 highest, 82 deg. Fahr. ; lowest, 45 deg. Fahr. Rainfall, 229 points. 



Department of Agriculture, 

 Melbourne, Victoria. 



A. HART, 



Chief Poultry Expert. 



ORCHARD AND GARDEN NOTES. 



E. E. Pescott, F.L.S., Frincipcd, School of Horticulture, BurnleiJ. 



The Orchard. 



Planting. 



The time has now arrived when the general planting of deciduous 

 fruit trees will take place. The soil should have previously been well 

 ploughed and subsoiled, and, as far as possible, drained. Certainly to 

 insure satisfactory results, the orchard must be subsoiled. Where 

 expense is a consideration, drainage may be left for subsequent years, 

 but once the orchard has been planted, it will be impossible to subsoil. 



When planting out, the distance between the trees will be determined 

 by the kinds to be planted. For ordinary deciduous fruiting trees it is 

 the custom in this State to plant them 20 feet apart in the rows, the 

 rows also being 20 feet apart. Results have proved this to be a satisfac- 

 tory practice. Almond trees may be planted 15 or 16 feet apart each 

 way, while walnuts, owing to their spreading habit, require a distance of 

 30 feet apart each way. 



Deep planting is not advocated, the general practice being that the 

 depth of planting in the nursery should be followed. If holes are dug, 

 they should be shallow the bottom being merely loosened to allow a 

 comfortable friable bed for the tree roots. A good practice is to dig the 

 whole strip along which the trees are to be planted, merely removing 

 sufficient soil afterwards when planting. Another satisfactory custom 

 is to plough furrows 20 feet apart, and to plant the trees in the furrows, 

 filling in the soil over the roots and trampling well down. 



Before planting, the roots of the young trees should be well trimmed, 

 shaped to an even form, and cleanly cut. As the result of their removal 

 from the nursery beds, the roots are generally more or less damaged, 

 and numbers of the fibrous roots, becoming: dry, shrivel and die. These 

 all require a clean trimming. Then it is often desirable to remove some 

 of the roots so as to balance the root system. The trimming of the roots 

 gives the young tree a clean root system, and it is enabled to establish 

 itself with young, vigorous roots. 



After planting, the top should be well rut back, so as to leave three 

 nr four ai'iiis, with Ihiec or foiir buds on each. Where it is not possible 



