SUMMER TREATMENT 33 



done. During hot and dry weather much time will 

 be taken up by watering, and even this work, if 

 mulching is well attended to, will be lessened. The 

 value of a good mulch cannot be over-estimated. Hoe- 

 ing with a Dutch hoe also has a very beneficial effect 

 upon the soil in hot weather, and should be frequently 

 practised. By its means the loose soil closes up the 

 pores of the land surface, and thus prevents the escape 

 of moisture from below. Water is best applied either 

 in the early morning or in the evening, for then it has 

 an opportunity of well soaking into the ground before 

 the sun shines with force. It is almost useless to give 

 water in the middle of the day with the hot sun striking 

 upon the ground, for it is dried up again before it has 

 a chance of even entering the soil, much less of reaching 

 the roots of the trees. 



Early or late watering, a good mulch of manure for a 

 few feet around the base of the tree, and a free use of 

 the hoe, will tend to lessen the severity and labour of 

 watering during a hot and dry summer, and will also 

 materially assist the trees in passing through it success- 

 fully. Summer pruning will have to be attended 

 to, and the method of doing this has already been 

 explained. A sharp look-out must also be kept for 

 the attacks of insect pests, black and green fly or 

 " blight," as it is popularly called being often trouble- 

 some, and making its appearance early ; but with this 

 pest, and its prevention and cure, we shall deal in a 

 later chapter. There is nothing like a hose for water- 

 ing fruit trees, as these can then at the same time be 

 well washed down, a practice that does them a world of 

 good, for it tends to keep them free from insects and 

 other pests, as well as to encourage them to make good 

 growth. 



Thinning the fruit is an important item, and one that 

 is very often much neglected. In some seasons, it 



c 



