2 4 



Commercial Gardening 



wounds in the bark, and have no other means of entrance. As the stem 

 will increase in diameter as the tree grows, it will be necessary to attend 

 to all bands tied round the trees every winter. 



Rabbits and hares are a great nuisance, causing much damage to 

 Apple and Pear trees. They do not seem to attack Plums or Cherries so 

 much. By biting the bark as high as they can reach, in frosty weather, 

 when other food is scarce, they are especially mischievous, and may cause 



the loss of many trees. 



The best method of pro- 

 tection is to put round the 

 tree a little ring of wire net- 



/ I / / / / ting of 1-in. mesh, 2 ft. high 



where there are no hares, 2 ft. 

 6 in. where there are. It should 

 be cut generous enough to 

 allow for the growth of the 



Fig. 326. Three-year-old Dwarf or Half -standard Apple, 

 before pruning 



Fig. 327. The same tree, after pruning 

 either for a pyramid or a bush 



tree stem, and should be secured to a short stake driven into the ground. 



To get the trees, go to a nurseryman with a reputation to maintain; 

 don't look after bargains. Cheap trees are like cheap labour, blessing 

 neither him that takes nor him that gives. 



The maintenance of a plantation until it comes into bearing is the 

 most expensive part of the business, and most often imposes the greatest 

 strain upon the resources of the beginner. Yet everything in the after 

 results of the enterprise depends upon the doing of what should be done 

 during this period thoroughly and at the right time. The man who 

 commenced to build a tower without counting the cost thereof was a 

 statesman compared with the man who goes to the trouble and expense 

 of planting a fruit garden without making sure that his resources are 

 sufficient to bridge the space between planting and bearing. This may 



