THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



January, 1910 



necessary — sometimes twice in the sea- 

 son. Many a sick looking peach tree 

 will upon examination be found to be 

 nearly girdled by the peach borer, whose 

 work can be discovered by the gummy 

 substance that exudes from the injured 

 roots. Mounding the earth up around 

 the tree and then removing the earth 

 after the period of egg laying has passed 

 is a method of some value and many re- 

 port good results from applying gas tar 

 to the base of the tree, thus shutting 

 out the borer. The plum curculio is 

 often quite destructive to the peach, but 

 clean cultivation will generally destroy 

 the pupa. 



FEETILIZBES 



Stable manure is all right to secure 

 rapid wood growth, but its continued 

 use in large quantities produces wood 

 that is soft and tender — easily injured 

 by the cold winters. However in our 

 exclusive fruit section, we do not have 

 enough stable manure on our farms to 

 make it possible for us to do much of 

 this kind of "damage." Fertilizers 

 that are rich in potash and phosphoric 

 acid are most valuable, such as un- 

 leached wood ashes and ground bone. 

 We find great profit from the use of 

 commercial fertilizers, the foundation of 

 which is usually muriate of potash and 

 ground bone from the packing houses. 



COVER CROPS 



About the middle or last of August we 

 sow some cover crop in the orchards. 

 Oats and barley have been very good, 

 but the sand vetch is now most popular, 

 as it makes a mammoth growth and also 

 adds considerable nitrogen to the soil, it 

 belonging to the class of legumes. When 

 it first begins to grow, this cover crop 

 acts as a "robber" crop, taking up the 

 soil moisture and available fertility at a 

 time when we want the trees to stop 

 growing and to ripen their new wood. 

 Later this cover crop acts as a blanket, 

 to hold the leaves and snow, preventing 

 bare spots on exposed knolls and the 

 consequent deep freezing and root in- 

 jury. In the spring this cover crop fur- 

 nishes considerable humus to be turned 

 under and thus improve the mechanical 

 condition of the soil. Clovers would be 

 even better for this purpose, as they fur- 

 nish considerable plant food, but they 

 have to be left too late in the spring if 

 they get much growth, and they are then 

 robbing the trees of food and moisture 

 at the time when the trees should be 

 making their best growth. We also find 

 it difficult to get a catch of clover under 

 large bearing trees. 



Finally, adopt the most intensive 

 methods to produce the largest and 

 handsomest specimens, pick and pack 

 them carefully and as near ripe as your 

 market will permit, pack honestly so that 

 you can guarantee every package, mar- 

 ket through some co-operati\e system 

 that will eliminate as many middle men 

 as possible and, above all things, be "in 



love with your job" and "Johnny on the 

 spot," and you will be safe in looking 

 for a neat balance on the right side of 

 the ledger at the end of each season. 



Fall Cultivation 



J. Arthur Johntsn, Grimiby, Ont. 

 I read the article on fall cultivation 

 by Mr. R. W. Starr of Wolfville, N. S., 

 that appeared in the November 

 Canadian Horticulturist, and agree 

 with him in some points, but in others 



the need of it on sandy land, as the 

 ground falls close together when plow- 

 ing and after a good rain the ground is 

 pretty well united. The extra expense 

 of cultivation also is saved. But I think 

 this method of cultivation might be well 

 applied to heavy ground which usually 

 breaks up in lumps when being plowed. 

 I agree with Mr. Starr as to leaving 

 the fall plowing until the leaves have 

 fallen. This year in our orchard after 

 the leaves had fallen the ground was 

 completely covered. This also acts as 





i •i'-''^ ., ,- 



A Baiinets Peach Tree— Low-Headed to Facilitate Labor and Open to the Sunlight 



The tree illustrated is ideal in shape, according to Mr. J. W. Smith, of Winona, Ont.. upon 

 whose farm it is growing. It is four years old and is seven feet high and twelve feet wide. 

 Trees in this orchard averaged five baskets each last season. At the last convention of the 

 Ontario Fruit Growers' Association, Mr. Smith strongly advocated the low-heading of peach 

 trees, by which system all the peaches can be picked without ladders. By this method, there 

 should be No. 1 peaches at bottom of the tree as well as at the top. Pruning is done chiefly 

 in winter. The limbs are thinned out to allow sunlight to enter and the air to circulate freely. 

 Mr. Smith, who stands in the illustration, is one of the most successful peach growers in the 

 Niagara district. 



I differ. His method of fall plowing 

 from five to six inches deep, I cannot 

 agree with. 



In the first place plowing six inches 

 deep brings the air space too close to 

 the main roots of the trees. In a great 

 many of the peach orchards of the Ni- 

 agara district, the main roots are not 

 much more than six inches from the sur- 

 face of the ground ; therefore, it would 

 leave the roots too much exposed. My 

 second and most important reason is 

 that plowing to the depth of six inches 

 would cut off all the fibrous roots which 

 are the main feeders and thereby weak- 

 en the trees. My method is to allow the 

 fibrous roots to come close to the sur- 

 face so that they may get stronger nour- 

 ishment and also the benefit of all the 

 showers. 



As to the cultivation on fall plowing, 

 I have never practised it, as I never saw 



a root mulch and helps to add humus 

 to the ground as well as to destroy all 

 the insects and pests that may be har- 

 boring near the surface. 



I agree, also, as to the time of putting 

 on manure and fertilizers. The fall is 

 the best time, as the summer seasons 

 are very dry and the fertilizers cannot 

 give good results in dry weather. My 

 method is to spread the manure on the 

 ground in the fall and to plow it under 

 to a depth of three inches. This gives 

 the trees a chance to start a vigorous 

 growth in early spring and to produce 

 a good crop of first class fruit and still 

 leave the tree in healthy condition for 

 the coming winter. 



It is said that soda-bordeaux and 

 Paris green will kill poison ivy — an ex- 

 cellent proof of its danger to fruit 

 trees. ' 



