FRUIT CULTURE. 



will be found a capital outline of entomology, 

 written by the Jate Prof. Panton. Anyone 

 who carefully refers to that article will be 

 able to g-et a good grasp of the subject. 

 The bulletins issued by the Department of 

 Agriculture entitled " Instructions in Spray- 

 ing " touch on insects also, as well as the 

 various fungi, such as apple scab and grape 

 mildew. Spraying, though not always a 

 sure cure, will generally successfully control 

 our insect and fungous pests. Success, 

 however, will not be achieved unless there 

 is a right understanding of the nature of the 

 enemy, and prompt and thorough measures 

 taken on the grower's part. Neither the 

 amateur nor the professional can afford to 

 produce fruit of an inferior kind, and it will 

 be a red-letter day for Ontario when her 

 fruit-growing population realizes the fact. 



The Apple. 



After all that may be said in favor of 

 pears, plums and peaches, the apple, 

 as far as Ontario generally is concerned, 

 must remain the king of fruits. The 

 keeping qualities of this fruit, the dura- 

 bility of the tree and its adaptability to 

 so wide a range of climate and soil will 

 always make it the staple amongst fruits. 

 It has been demonstrated over and over 

 again that the apple orchard, thoroughly 

 cared for, will be one of the most profita- 

 ble parts of the farm. .Apple growers, ! 

 generally, are becoming alive to the fact 

 that, with proper methods of grading and 

 packing, the market is practically limit- 

 less, and no intelligent man need feel un- 

 certain as to whether or not the planting 

 of an apple orchard will be a profitable in- 

 vestment. 



The Soil. — The apple will thrive on a 

 greater variety of soils than, perhaps, any 

 of our fruits. Hard, shallow and wet lands 

 must, however, be avoided. As long as the 

 soil is porous and friable, and the subsoil not 

 too compact, success can be achieved on all 



soils from sand to clay. Thorough prepara- 

 tion of the soil before planting must be in- 

 sisted on. It is better to plant on land pre- 

 viously occupied by hoe crops, such land 

 being usually both clearer and in a better 

 mechanical condition. A clover sod plowed 

 the previous fall and thoroughly worked in 

 the spring will also be satisfactory. The 

 site should have a northwesterly or north- 

 erly exposure. These matters have been 

 referred to at greater length in the opening- 

 chapters on " General Principles." 



Blving the Trees. — It is usually best to 

 purchase the trees in the early fall, but with 

 the stipulation that they shall not be removed 

 from the nurserv row till the leaves have 



'■Root-gaii- upon apple trees from a niiisery.BAILEY 



fallen and the wood ripened thoroughly. 

 The subject of fall or spring planting is a 

 much discussed one, each plan having its 

 advantages. There is often more time in 

 the fall to do the necessary work, and if the 

 fall planted trees gets thoroughly established 

 it will no doubt stand a dry summer better 

 than the tree planted in the spring. But 

 the question of the tree ripening its wood 

 before being dug is important. Young trees 

 planted in the fall with wood not matured, 

 when subjected to the severe cold and dry- 



