388 Journal of Agriculture , Victoria. [ioth June, 191 2. 



Deep planting is not advocaied, 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 com- 

 fortable 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 when afterwards 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 tree should be well trimmed, 

 shaped to an even form, and cleanly cut. As a 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 cut l^ack, so as to leave three 01 

 four arms, with there or four buds on each. Where it is not possible to 

 have this number of arms or limbs it is frequently advisable to cut back 

 to one stem, allowing the buds to break out strongly and frame the tree 

 after planting. In some localities, the custom of not cutting back the 

 trees the first year is favoured. Local experience has not resulted in favour 

 of this practice, as it is found to be inadvisable to unduly strain the young 

 tree by leaving a heavy top to be sup})orted by the weak-growing root 

 system. 



A selection of varieties will be dt-termined bv the district, some fruits 

 thriving better in one locality than in others. For a gcod general list, re- 

 ference may be made to the Journal for June, 191 1. It is unwise to plant 

 a large number of varieties in a commercial orchard, but due consideration 

 should be given to planting varieties that have a favorable influence on 

 each other for cross-fertilization purposes, 



A number of good commercial fruits have been found to be either 

 wholly or partially self-sterile, requiring other varieties near them to enable 

 them to set their fruit. For this purpose it is necessary that the bloom 

 periods should be somewhat coincident. 



Spraying. 

 The dry suimuer and autumn have been favorable to the increase of 

 certain scale insects, woolly aphis, and the bryobia mite in some localities. 

 The use of red oil has been advocated for these pests ; and, as well, crude 

 petroleum, kerosene, and other oil emulsions have proved satisfactory. 

 Some years ago the u.se of the lime, sulphur, and salt spray was much 

 in vogue as a winter spray. Owing, however, to the diificulty of preparing 

 the spray, and to its caustic effects! on the skin, it was practically aban- 

 doned as an insecticide. Even then it was claimed, and rightly so, that 

 this spray was, to a certain extent, a very good fungicide. The u.se of 

 this mixture as a winter wash, with the omission of the salt, which has 

 been found to be an unnecessary ingredient, is now being revived ; and 

 as the lime-sulphur wash is now on the market in the form of proprietary 

 mixtures, it is likely that this spray will again become popular. It i> 

 searching in its action, very adhesive, and certainly very effective. Its 

 claims too, as a fungicide, are not without foundation, as some years ago, 

 when used in orchards on peach trees for scale insect troubles, it was 

 subsequently found that the trees were verv much more free from leaf curl 

 and shot hole than during previous seasons. 



