June, TQTi 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



137 



Intensive Fruit Cultivation 



Pear Orchard of Mr. Jas. E. Johnson, Simcoe, with strawberry plants between the trees 



insects, laees are of the greatest impor- 

 tance in this work. Thoroughly fer- 

 tilized blossoms produce larger and bet- 

 ter shaped fruits. 



As bees are quite a study in them- 

 selves, if the fruit grower does not 

 understand their care, it might be more 

 satisfactory to get some beekeeper to 

 place a few hives in the orchard. Bees 



will travel two or three miles from the 

 hive in good weather, but their greatest 

 benefit is obtained in wet, cold and 

 cloudy weather, when it is probable that 

 they will not venture far from the hive. 

 In this district, wherever bees are 

 kept they have good crops cf well shap- 

 ed apples and heavy yields of alsike 

 clover seed. 



Fertilizers for Fruit Groovers 



Prof. R. Haicaart, 0. A. C, Gatlph, Oat. 



I 



^^B Regarding the influence of fertilizers 

 ^^Bn quality and flavor of fruit, experi- 

 P^Rnents seem to show that an abundance 

 of phosphoric acid and potash in the food 

 and plant is extremely important, and 

 that, on the other hand, where nitrogen 

 is somewhat deficient the effect on the 

 quality is scarcely perceptible. Consider- 

 able work has been done in determining 

 the influence of the several ingredients, 

 that is, the nitrogen, potash and phos- 

 phoric acid on the size of individual fruits. 

 With core and stone fruits the experi- 

 ments are not far enough advanced to 

 warrant definite conclusions, but with 

 berries a greater number of results have 

 been obtained, and these appear to indi- 

 cate that the lack of phosphoric acid did 

 not materially decrease the size of the ber- 

 ries, as compared with those grown 

 where a complete mixture of fertilizers 

 was used, but when potash was not sup- 

 plied the berries were small, and where 

 nitrogen was left out they were still 

 small. 



There is very little definite data to show 

 that color in the fruit is influenced by the 

 nature of the fertilizers used. It is sup- 

 posed by many that the use of potash 

 nd phosphoric acid will influence the 





color, and it is quite probable that they 

 do, but I fancy that the influence of these 

 may \je very easily overshadowed by the 

 effects of excessive quantities of nitro- 

 gen in the soil. It is quite possible, and 

 even probable, that too late in the season 

 there is apt to be so much leaf growth 

 that the fruit is too much shaded, and 

 the leaf and stem growth once strongly 

 started is not easily checked, and as a 

 result we have fruit lacking in color and 

 often really lacking in maturity. It seems 

 likely that if cultivation was stopped ear- 

 ly in the season, and cover crops sown, 

 that better results would be got. The 

 cover crop will use up a great part of the 

 moisture and thus check growth and 

 cause ripening of the fruit. 



If this be true, cultivation in the or- 

 chard cannot be stopped at any set time 

 from year to year, or in one orchard as 

 compared with another. The time to 

 cease cultivation is dependent upon con- 

 dition of the growth, which will be in- 

 fluenced by the nature of the weather and 

 the richness of the soil in plant food. 



It is our intention this coming year to 

 place a number of experiments which we 

 hope to continue for a series of years. 

 We wish to .see what elTect fertilizers will 



have on the fruits and also to study the 

 influence of fertilizers and other factors 

 on the color of fruit. I shall be very glad 

 to co-operate with anyone who wishes to 

 take up this matter seriously, in order 

 that we may get the experiment started 

 on some really good basis. It is useless 

 to .start experiments on orchard fruits un- 

 less they are to be continued over a num- 

 ber of years, so that the full effects of 

 the fertilizers on the trees and fruit can be 

 definitely studied. 



Spray Injury 



In many instances the omission of the 

 spraying just befcre the blossoms open- 

 ed permitted the scab on the pedicles to 

 cause a serious dropping of the young 

 forming fruit, resulting in a poor set 

 and consequently in a light crop. This 

 early fungous infection of the young 

 fruit and pedicles was, we believe, the 

 main cause of the generally light crop 

 of apples throughout western New York 

 last season. This early infection also 

 occurs on the leaves and is responsible 

 for many mysterious cases of lime-sul- 

 phur injury. Infection of apple leaves 

 by the scab fungus previous to applica- 

 tion is one of the most common causes 

 of spray injury. The injury caused by 

 the fungus admits the spray material to 

 the inner tissues of the leaf more readily. 

 Probably insect injuries also play an im- 

 portant part in spray injury. — Prof. E. 

 Wallace, Cornell University. 



Treatment of Evergreen Plants 



Wm. Hont, O.A.C., Goelph 



As early in the spring as possible, the 

 plants should be placed outside in the 

 day time on warm days. Avoid putting 

 them out on cold windy days, or placing 

 them in a too sunny position at any 

 time. Often they could be set outside 

 early in May in the day time, and lifted 

 in at night, or covered up if the weather 

 should be frosty. This would shorten 

 the time in their undesirable winter 

 quarters. 



About the end of May the plants could 

 be placed where they are to stay for the 

 summer. A too sunny position is not 

 advisable ; they should never be exposed 

 to the hot mid-day sun — very little sun 

 is best for them. 



Spring or early summer, immediately 

 after the flowering season, is the best 

 time to repot these plants. An applica- 

 tion of some kind of fertilizer during 

 the summer will often obviate the ne- 

 cessity for repotting, thus helping to 

 keep the size of the pot or tub reduced 



A liquid solution made from one part 

 cow or sheep manure in ten or twelve 

 parts of water and allowed to stand 

 twenty-four hours and sufficient given to 

 about moisten half the soil, and applied 

 every week or ten days will be beneficial. 

 The fertilizer should be applied when the 



