86 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



April, 1912 



'SJ^J^, 



should never lose sight of the fact that 

 his orchard is the chief consideration and 

 that the small fruit is only of secondary 

 importance. 



An Out-of-Date Method of Pruning, Well Demon»»rated 



Nowflxiava oroEressive orchardist« aim to have their trees low-headed, in which ca«e much labor is 

 iL JlSifn nrJnfnV sDraying and in harvesting the fruit, and there is not the same Iobb from wind- 

 S7lfa^with the otdtfmehfgh headed, high-trimmed tree«. Except for the method of pruning being 

 falU aa witn ^''\°{^^^\-^ „m,g orchard shows that it is receiving good care. 



orchard after the trees require the land. 

 I have seen orchards where the limbs 

 have been meeting in the centre and un- 

 derneath the branches in the shade were 

 to be found raspberries growing for the 

 purpose of producing a crop, and a rev- 

 enue. The raspberries prevented an 

 economical and proper management of 

 the orchard, consequently the orchard 

 suffered, and besides the raspberries 

 could not possibly be returning much of 

 a crop from the manner and circum- 

 stances in which they were growing. 



In the orchard that is intercropped 

 there is a double demand on the fertility 

 of the soil. Provision must be made for 

 this in the way of fertilizers, of which 

 barnyard manure is the most satisfactory. 

 Cover crops can not be readily resorted 

 to where small fruits are grown; conse- 

 quently it is more difficult, and in fact 

 almost impossible, to keep the land in 

 the best physical condition. After the 

 small fruits have been removed from the 

 orchard, it is very desirable to grow, as 

 soon as possible, some cover crop, clov- 

 ers and vetches being among the best, in 

 order that it may be incorporated in the 

 soil. Of course if the land has been well 

 fertilized with barnyard manure, it may 

 not need the cover crop. 



CULTIVATION 



Early and frequent cultivation is nec- 

 «"ssary, chiefly to conserve the soil mois- 

 ture. If frequent cultivation is not giv- 

 en early in the season and there should 

 be a scarcity of rainfall, as there usually 

 is at the time when it is most needed, 

 the small fruits will suffer considerably 

 at fruiting time and the trees cannot be 

 expected to do their best. Cultivation 



should begin before the first of May, and 

 usually as early as possible. There is no 

 fear of giving the orchard and small 

 fruits too much cultivation during May 

 and June, as this is the time when the 

 orchard is making the greater part of its 

 growth. 



In summing up, would say that if it is 

 thought desirable to interplant in the 

 orchard with a view of making the land 

 profitable while the trees are coming into 

 bearing, small fruits can be grown with 

 satisfaction, and in some cases they may 

 induce the fruit grower to take better 

 care of his orchard. The fruit grower 



Spring Cultivation 



Grant S. Peart, Burlington, Ont. 



The scientist tells us that plant food in 

 the soil must be in solution before it can 

 be utilized by the plant. It is necessary, 

 therefore, that the soils of our orchards 

 shall be kept in a moist condition dur- 

 ing the growing season if we expect to 

 get suflicient wood growth and good- 

 sized fruit. In many parts of Ontario 

 the growers have to contend with a 

 month or more of drought during the 

 growing season, and at this time they 

 cannot afford to let the fruit and trees 

 stop growing. The value of conserva- 

 tion of moisture, to offset the dry wea- 

 ther, thus becomes important. ' The fact 

 that thorough cultivation tends to con- 

 serve soil moisture constitutes one of the 

 first principles in horticultural work. 

 Many of our Ontario growers do culti- 

 vate their orchards, but some commence 

 this op)eration too late in the season to 

 produce any beneficial effects. It is not 

 uncommon to observe orchards with 

 heavy clay soils being worked during 

 July, for the first time that season. These 

 orchards are generally dried out before 

 they are plowed, so that the ground turns 

 up very lumpy and rough. When in this 

 condition it is with great difficulty that 

 the lumps can be reduced sufficiently to 

 obtain the desired mellow mulch. 



A light dressing of nitrate in the 



spring has been found of assistance to 



fruit trees at the time of setting the 

 fruit. 



A Well Kept old Orchard That was Neglected When Young 



Notice that several of the trees have been allowed t^ develop from sprouts or suckers and that no 

 care has been taken whatever to direct the growth or snape. 



