CULTIVATION. 



PRUNING. 



caked and hard at the surface, the fruit 

 trees are doomed to failure. In this country the 

 air is so dry in comparison with the moist cHmates 

 of most parts of Europe, that only plantations of 

 fruit trees, instead of the grass orchards found 

 throughout England, would be successful. 



For cultivating the plantation, a single ox 

 cultivator is the best, allowing the cultivator to 

 operate close to the tree without injuring the 

 branches, which often happens when more than 

 one ox is used. Manuring is not necessary in the 

 rich soil we possess in B.E.A. until the trees start 

 to bear, and then the ground should only receive 

 manure in proportion to what is taken from it by 

 the fruit. Manuring young trees gives them an 

 over luxuriance which is as bad as weakness of 

 growth in a tree; both of which tend to make trees 

 unhealthy and encourage disease among them. 

 Ordinary farmyard manure has all the chemical 

 elements required to promote growth and fruitful- 

 ness, so no artificial manures need be used. It 

 should be spread broadcast throughout the planta- 

 tion, and not merely around the base of each tree. 

 Lime and bone meal in small quantities would be 

 useful in old shamba-land which is deficient in 

 these properties, but it is not likely to be needed 

 extensively in this country for fruit cultivation for 

 some years to come. 



Pruning should start as soon as the trees get 

 established, and it will need close attention for a 

 year or two to shape the trees well and to produce 

 the fruit spurs in the best positions. This is done 

 by allowing about four or five well balanced shoots 

 only in the first instance, and these equally placed 

 ground the tree. When the shoots have made 

 good growth they should be shortened back to 

 within one foot of the stem, and two shoots be 

 allowed to form from the top of each former one, 

 and again next season repeat the same process. 

 This will give within two years time a well shaped 

 tree, with numerous fruit buds all along the 

 branches, well exposed to the sun and air, which 

 will enlarge and ripen the fruit. When once the 

 tree is symmetrical and well balanced, little fur- 

 ther care will be necessary, beyond the cutting out 



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