^04 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [lo Aug., 191 2. 



UNPROFITABLE ORCHARDS: REASONS AND 

 REMEDIES. 



E. Wallis, Orchard Supervisor. 

 Many orchards throughout the State are unprofitable, owing to one or 

 more of the following causes : — 

 Area too large. 

 Unprofitable varieties. 

 Want of proper soil drainage. 

 Lack of systematic cultivation and manuring. 

 Improper pruning methods. 

 Unsuccessful eradication of insect and fungus pests. 



Area of Orchard. 

 Large areas under orchard require much manual labour, horse and 

 mechanical power, to bring them into and sustain them in a highly profitable 

 condition. In many instances these necessary factors to profit-earning are 

 not provided, and thus some essential part of the orchard's well-being is 

 neglected. It may be cultivation, manuring, pruning, or spraying, but 

 whatever it is, the orchard suffers. Thus it cannot possibly yield the same 

 quantity or quality of fruit as if properly managed. Of course, large places 

 worked thoroughly under proper organization, yield large profits. 

 Unless, however, one has command of the necessary capital and labour, it 

 would be better for him to be placed on a small holding, which could be 

 thoroughly worked in every detail. Concentration is quite essential to 

 success, and without it the orchard will fail to yield its maximum profits. 



Unprofitable Varieties. 

 There is no greater drawback to the profit-earning capacity of many 

 established orchards than unprofitable varieties. It may be that when the 

 trees were planted, their adaptability to the climatic and soil conditions of 

 the locality was not understood. As a result of this want of knowledge, 

 much labour is often expended without any appreciable result in the way 

 of profitable crops. In most cases, none can be expected. Yet some 

 growers persevere year after year with such trees, thinking that at 

 some time their profitless career will end, and their profitable 

 one commence. As a rule, their perseverance remains unrewarded. 

 This is especially so with such varieties of apples as Cleopatra 

 and Munro's Favourite when grown in the southern districts of Victoria. 

 When, however, these splendid varieties are grown under congenial 

 climatic conditions, such as obtain in the northern parts of the State, 

 they produce fru't of high-grade quality without being subject to 

 the characteristic scab and cracking which affect them in the south. 

 Should these or any other varieties unsuitable to the locality be established, 

 no time should be wasted with them. They should be cut back and worked 

 over with some variety or varieties known to do well in the particular place 

 concerned. This method is shown in Plate No. i. The trees shown here 

 are two-year-old grafts of Rome Beauty worked on eight-vear-old stems 

 of Munro's Favourite. In another two years, they should be capable of 

 bearing a good crop. These Munro's Favourite trees were cut back on 

 account of the fruit cracking badly, and thus rendered unfit for market. 

 This is not a singular case, but one of many which has come under the 

 writer's notice in the Diamond Creek and other districts south of the 

 Dividing Range. 



