424 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Expert Apple Pickers Gathering the Crop in a Bruce County Orchard. 



A busy scene in the eight acre orchard of Mr. W. S. Hohnes, of Lucknow, in Bruce County, is here shown. The method u'ed by 

 Mr. Holmes is to barrel the fruit off the tree and put the apples under cover as soon as p. .eked For that purpose a horse and boat or 

 sleigh is kept for hau'ing the barrels under cover. In Mr. holmes' opinion too many farmers pick their apples and pile them in heaps, which 

 remain unpacked for days, sometimes weeks, in which condition the fruit is often seriously injured. Often after the apples are barreled 

 they are left in the orchard subject to the weather. Apples used in this way almost always, Mr. Holmes believes arrive at their destina- 

 tion in slack condition and sell at reduced prices. Two of the men shown in the illustration, MessJs. W. T. Holmes and P. Headley, are 

 expert apple pickery. 



SETTING AND CARING FOR PLUM TREES 



MIIvTON BACKUS, CHATHAM, ONT, 



IN digging lioles for plum trees dig tliree 

 feet in depth and fully as wide. Dig- 

 ging should be done in the fall, so as to ob- 

 tain the benefit of the winter's freezing and 

 thawing. 



In setting the trees, stretch a fine wire the 

 length of the row, having the distance apart 

 marked on the wire with either paint or 

 thread. In this way two men will set 

 ready for filling a great number in a day. 

 The distance they should be set apart de- 

 pends, somewhat, on the system of pruning 



I advocate low heads the shape of an in- 

 verted umbrella, severe winter pruning of 

 from one-half to three-quarters of each sea- 

 son's grnwtl?. Inis prevents the trees at- 



taining greater height than about 7 feet, so 

 that pruning, spraying, thinning and pack- 

 ing can all be done cheaply by standing on 

 the ground. 



On receiving the trees from the nursery, 

 I cut oflf the entire top to a bare stub not 

 more than 2 feet long, and form therefrom 

 a head having 5 to 7 branches. With the 

 . above system of pruning a tree, they should 

 be planted not closer than 16 to 20 feet. 



In regard to fertilizing, I have used only 

 wood ashes, the land being naturally strong. 

 Frequent and clean cultivation is best. I 

 keep my orchard free from all fungous dis- 

 eases, except the rot, by spraying as soon as 

 growth begins, with sulphate of copper, nd 



