CHAPTER IV. 



How to Deal with Established 

 Fruit Trees. 



MULCHING FRUIT TREES. 



A DRESSING of manure on top of the ground 

 around fruit trees is usually applied in Novem- 

 ber. This mulching serves two different pur- 

 poses. It is one way of applying nourishment 

 to the trees, and it also protects the valuable 

 fibry roots from damage by frosts. The latter 

 function is the more important one. Fibry roots 

 are feeding roots, and damage to these means loss 

 of fruit later on. 



As already mentioned, manure is generally used 

 for this purpose, but I maintain that this is a mis- 

 take in some cases. Raspberries, black currants, 

 apples, pears, and plums which are bearing heavily 

 each year should receive a good dressing of dung 

 at mulching time, but for young, growing trees, 

 and in many cases for red currants, I should not 

 use animal manure. In fact, plain peat moss litter 

 or leaf mould would be much more suitable for any 

 trees or bushes which are likely to make too much 

 wood. Animal manures are usually rich in nitrogen, 

 and the continual use of nitrogenous manures for 

 fruit trees often results in a luxuriant growth of leaf 

 and stem. That is one reason why young fruit trees 

 so often fail to bear, and the drastic remedy of root 

 pruning has to be applied. 



The mulch should be applied if possible whilst 



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