jy 7 HE ORCHARD. 



425 



again with Borueaux mixture when the 

 fruit has grown to the size of peas. 



I have found it simply impossible to con- 

 trol the rot either by spraying, thinning, or 

 pruning, especially in orchards where it has 

 once become established, particularly if 

 rains occur near ripening time. Good Am- 

 erican authorities are of the same opinion. 

 Regarding the curculio, I have had no trou- 

 ble, having to practice thinning whenever 

 there is not a failure of the crop ; there- 

 fore the remedy I favor is the planting of 

 quite an extensive orchard. 



In the matter of varieties I should name 



Cultivation and Sod in an Orchard 



AN interesting method of treating an 

 orchard is being tried by Mr. W. H. 

 Gibson, of Newcastle, and was lately de- 

 scribed to a representative of The Horticul- 

 turist who visited his place. 



" When my trees are young," said Mr. 

 Gibson, " I trim them so it is possible to 

 cultivate beneath the branches. When they 

 are older, cultivation under the branches 

 is stopped. This spring I planted clover 

 under the branches of my ii-year-old trees, 

 which had been cultivated up to this year. 

 The clover runs out as far as the limbs of 

 the trees extend on each side of the trees. 

 An open space between the rows of trees is 

 cultivated. My idea is that the feeding 

 roots of tne trees extend beyond the 

 ^ranches and that fhey run out into this 

 open strip of land which I cultivate. In 

 this way tne trees will receive the benefit of 

 the cultivation, while the trouble of work- 

 ing under the branches will be avoided. 



" About nine-tenths of the orchards in 

 my vicinity are put into sod after they begin 

 to bear. I intend to cultivate my orchard 

 in the way described for several years to 

 see hov; it succeeds. Where I have young 

 trees plrnted I cultivate a strip of land on 

 each side of the tree as wide as the tree is 

 high, as I find the trees make twice the 



the Imperial Gage as the most delicious of 

 all plums, but a shy bearer. The Green 

 Gage is a splendid variety, but a poor bearer. 

 The i^ond Seedling, a grand plum, but poor 

 bearer. The Lombard, a rapid grower and 

 a great bearer of fair quality plums. The 

 Bradshav/ comes late into bearing, and is a 

 large coarse plum, while Coe's Golden Drop 

 I find a great bearer of magnificent plums, 

 and should consider it the most satisfactory 

 one to plant. The Burbank is a great 

 grower and an enormous bearer of hand- 

 some fruit, but like all Japanese plums, of 

 poor quality when canned. 



growth they do when grain or clover is al- 

 lowed to grow close to them. I fertilize 

 heavily, using 200 loads of barnyard manure 

 in my orchards every year. The fertility 

 of the rest of the farm is maintained by 

 growing clover. 



Shavings as Mulch in Orchard 



PR3F. H. I,. HUTT, ONT. AGRI. COLLEGE, 



GUELPH. 



Are shavings taken from a basswood or poplar 

 tree good for mulch around -ipple trees in an orch- 

 ard ? Will they harbor mice or insects ? 



F. J. Barber, (Georgetown, Ont. 



1AM somewhat dubious about advising 

 the use of a mulch such as you sug- 

 gest, although I do not see why it should 

 not be better than allowing the trees to rem- 

 ain in sod with no cultivation whatever. I 

 think it would be advisable to try it first 

 upon part of the orchard and note results. 

 There is no doubt but that it will aflford 

 more or less of a harbour for insects, but 

 these, of course, can be kept in check by 

 the regular methods of spraying and band- 

 ing the trees. Care should also be 

 taken to guard against mice which no doubt 

 harbour in such a mulch. Otherwise, I do 

 not see that much injury can result, except 

 that the roots would in time form more or 

 less near the surface, which would not be 

 serious were a proper m:ulch maintained. 



