The Home Fruit Garden 



IN the' rush to plant commercial orchards 

 for profit there is no doubt that too 

 little attention has been given by either nur- 

 serymen or lot owners to the planting of 

 gardens for the supply of the family at 

 home. How many waste back yards in our 

 villages, towns, and even cities, that might 

 be' utilized to give pleasant employment to 

 the merchant or the lawyer for odd mo- 

 ments of his time, as a rest from the worry 

 of his shop or his office, and at the same 

 time give the best possible profit for the in- 

 vestment of his time and money. 



No doubt the absence of literature upon 

 the home fruit garden, showing plans for 

 planting, varieties required to give a succes- 

 sion for the table, method of cultivation and 

 pruning, to a large extent account for the 

 neglect, and it would be a very wise subject 

 for a discussion at a session of the Ontario 

 Fruit Growers' Association. We notice 

 that Corbett in U. S. bulletin. No. 154, gives 

 some good hints along this line, which we 

 quote for our readers, under their several 

 heads, as follows : 



PLANTING. 



Preparation of Plants. — It is impossible to 

 give explicit directions for the many plants 

 which may be selected for planting in 

 fruit gardens in the various sections, and 

 general statements only can (be made. At 

 planting time all broken or decaped roots 

 should be cut away, leaving only smooth- 

 cut surfaces and healthy wood to come in con- 

 tact with the soil. If a large part of the root 

 area of the plant has been lost in transplanting, 

 the top should be cut back in proportion to the 

 roots remaining. By so doing the demand made 

 by the top when the plant starts into growth 

 can be met by the root. 



The holes in which trees, vines, or shrubs are 

 to be set should be ample, so that the roots of 

 the plant may have full spread without bending 

 them out of their natural course. The earth at 

 the bottom of the holes should be loosened a 

 spade depth below the line of excavation. The 

 soil placed immediately in contact with the 

 roots of the newly set plant should be rich top 

 soil, free from sod or partially decayed organic 



matter. Firm the soil over the roots by tramp- 

 ling, as this brings the soil particles close to- 

 gether and at the same time in close aontact 

 with the surface of the roots. A movement cf 

 soil water is thus set up and the food supply of 

 the soil brought immediately to the use of the 

 plane. When the operation of transplanting is 

 complete, the plant should stand one or two 

 inches deeper than it stood in the nursery. 

 Every precaution above enumerated will make 

 for the success of the plant and calls for care- 

 ful attention. 



PRUNING. 



While pruning has to be modified to suit the 

 style of training emiployed with any given plant, 

 each species of plant bears its fruit in a pecu- 

 liar manner, which renders the maintenance of 

 wood of a certain age and character necessary 

 in order to secure a crop of fruit. 



Iry the case of the apple and pear the fruits 

 are borne upon wood of last year's growth only. 

 Heading in or shortening each shoot of the sea- 

 son's growth, therefore, must be done with care 

 in order not to reduce the bearing wood beyond 

 a profitable limit. With these two plants, how- 

 ever, the bearing shoots are not those making 

 the most vigorous growth . at the ends of the 

 branches, but they are usually more dbscurely 

 located upon the sides of the branches, and 

 make a much smaller growth, for which reas^n 

 they have been termed " spurs." ^ 



With the peach, however, it is the wood of 

 last season's growth upon which the fruits are 

 directly borne, and with them heading in may 

 be successfully employed to limit the quantity 

 of fruit borne by the tree. Japan plums bear 

 on both year-old wood and spurs ; pruning may, 

 therefore, be used to thin the fruit, the same as 

 in the case of the peach. 



The quince bears its fruit at the extremity 

 of new shoots of the present season's growth, 

 in which respect it differs from both its close 

 relatives, the apple and the pear; but as these 

 shoots arise from wood of the previous season's 

 growth, pruning must be so adjusted that the 

 fruit crop will not be reduced. 



The grape bears its fruit on shoots of the 

 season, which in turn usually arise from canes 

 of the previous year's growth. Old wood on 

 the grape is therefore -of little value, hence the 

 development of so many systems of training 

 which maintain only a single permanent trunk, 

 from the top of which the bearing canes are re- 

 newed each year. The so-called "renewal," 

 " high renewal," " Kniffen," " Munson," and 

 various overhead systems of training all possess 

 this feature in common. In fact, it is the only 

 economical way in which to handle native kinds. 

 For the fruit garden, however, where the vines 

 are desired for covering artoors. pruning must 

 be modified so as to secure a screen from the 



