57 



the head which perhaps the grower may have taken several years 1 

 to secure, and that as the result of a great deal of pains, trouble 

 and expense. 



We wish to draw growers, special attention to these instruc- 

 tions, as we think they will prove of considerable service when 

 these conditions arise. Should this erratic style of spring growth 

 continue for two or three consecutive years, the orchardist's only 

 course is to work over the tree to another variety, whose habits 

 are regular in his particular district. We have this year had 

 several complaints about early peaches acting in this manner, thi& 

 is the first season we have had a general complaint and we have 

 known them over several years to do well. We consider cold 

 winds to be the main factor towards the unhealthy effect. 



WHY FRUIT DOES NOT SET. 



Often this happens on young trees because growers almost 

 always expect a tree to carry a crop before it is sufficiently 

 matured to do so ; the fact of the ' matter being that there is no 

 worse sign to the intelligent grower than to find his trees coming 

 into bearing before the right age. In a young tree we consider 

 that although sometimes it blossoms freely and one would naturally 

 expect a crop, it does not set the fruit because the flow of sap is- 

 so strong that it tends to throw the fruit off in trees of bearing 

 age for either of the following reasons : 



1. Because during the blossoming season continued or fre- 



quent rains occur, thus washing out the pollen ; in this 

 matter it may be laid down as a fact that rain in the 

 blossoming season must mean a shortage in the amount 

 of fruit that sets. 



2. Because the fruit before setting is cut off by a frost or cold 



wind. 



3. Because insects may be prevented from visiting the flowera 



during blossoming season ; it is essential that they should 

 do so, and the keeping of bees is quite to be encouraged 

 by growers for this purpose. 



4. Because the varieties planted need cross fertilization. 



Several varieties of apples and pears and plums are in 

 themselves unfertile, indeed of other classes of fruit in a 

 lesser degree and to secure a crop must be fertilized with 

 pollen from another sort, therefore it is always advisable 

 not to plant varieties in great big blocks of one sort. In 

 all our own plantings we have invariably kept this matter 

 in view, generally alternating rows with different varieties. 

 Some growers prefer to alternate the single trees, but we 

 think the different rows planted to different sorts should 

 meet the difficulty. 



