FRUIT CULTURE. 



187 



top dressing of manure, and, worst 

 of all, there is an increasing ten- 

 dency towards a surface habit of 

 the roots. Fig. 2 (of this series) 

 shows where the roots are in sod. 

 In a dry season such trees de- 

 cidedly suffer, and, if left too long 

 in sod, the eventual plowing be- p^ 

 comes ^ Hiffirnlf and verv de- ' T-<^^ 



a difficult and very de- 

 structive process. 



As to the distance in planting 

 something depends on the nature 

 of the soil and the locality. With 

 vigorous growers and a good soil, 

 forty feet apart is better than a 

 less distance. From thirty-five 

 to forty feet will be none too far, if every care 

 is given to the orchard. The latter distance 

 will pay for itself by the additional conveni- 

 ence in spraying, cultivating and picking, 

 and by the improved quality of the fruit. 



Thinning has not been touched on, though 

 it will be dealt with fully under the peach. 

 The thinning of apples has been successfully 

 attempted in New York and Massachusetts. 

 The work was done by hand, and at a cost 

 on large trees of from 30 to 80 cents a tree. 

 With good varieties it would undoubtedly 

 pay where the trees were loaded, inasmuch 

 as it would not only increase the size of the 

 fruit and lessen the drain on the tree's vitali- 

 ty, but it would largely do away with the 'off 

 year ' which is simply a result of overbearing. 



V\\RiETiEs. — For a special- 

 ized list, suited to the various 

 counties of Ontario, readers are 

 referred to pages 141 and 142 

 of the report of the Ontario 

 Fruit Growers' Association for 

 1893. 



For the coldest sections of 

 the Province the following may 

 be recommended : 



FIG, 23. 



Improper cutting of a limk 



FIG 24 >5.^. 



Proper cutting of a limb. 



-Pe^vaiikee, Scoffs Winter, Golden 



Summer. — Yello7v Transpar- 

 ent, Duchess. 



FIG, 24A Apple-scab. 



WlNTER- 



Rttsset. 



For the milder districts : 

 Summer — Yellow Transparent, Duchess. 

 Autumn — Grcnienstein, Colvert, Wealthy, 

 Ribs ton, Fameuse or Snow. 



Winter — Northern Spy, Baldwin, Ontario, 

 Greening, Cranberry Pippin, Golden Russet, 

 Blenheim Pippin, Stark and Ben Davis. The 

 two last need not be included in a list for 

 home use. 



Fungi and Insects — The insects chiefly at- 

 tacking the apple are the codling moth, the 

 canker worm, tent caterpillar, the borer, the 

 oyster-shell bark louse and the apple louse. 

 Instructions on the methods of fighting these 

 pests will be found in the 1896 and 1897 report 

 of the Superintendent of Farm- 

 ers' Institutes, pp. 180 to 196. 

 Apple Scab, Fig. 24 A — Leaf 

 blight, canker, etc., are refer- 

 red to in the Government Bulle- 

 tin "Instructions in Spraying." 

 A careful examination of the 

 report of Superintendent of 

 Spraying will convince orchard- 

 ists that apple-scab can be suc- 

 cessfully controlled by faithful 

 and intelligent work. 



Autumn — Grtn'enstein, Alexander, Wealthy. St. Catharines, Ont. 



M. Burrell. 



