WKat Hind of Location and Soil for an OrcKard? 



IT is the general opinion that apple 

 trees should thrive anywhere and in 

 any kind of soil. They are planted 

 in any kind of soil and with any ex- 

 posures and, not until after costly ex- 

 perience, does the planter realize the 

 fact that it should have been otherwise, 

 and that for the trees to thrive they 

 should have been planted under special 

 conditions. 



A remarkable fact has been noticed in 

 the Province of Quebec, namely, the in- 

 fluence of open water on our fruit trees 

 during winter. The county of L'Islet, 

 and the neighboring counties, owe their 

 celebrity as fruit districts greatly, it is 

 true, to the intelligence of their inhabit- 

 ants, but also in a measure to the pres- 

 ence of open water during winter. Not 

 that the normal temperature has been 

 modified nor the trees better from a 

 change of temperature, but the air is 

 more saturated with moisture, the cold 

 is drier and the evaporation is less from 

 the trees, which is better for them. 

 This fact is not peculiar to the Gulf of 

 St. Lawrence, but has been noticed 

 wherever large rivers form rapids of any 

 size. 



From a different aspect the proximity 

 of great expanses of water, even when 

 covered with ice, has another marked 

 influence on the vegetation of fruit trees. 

 Cooling later, they help to temper the 

 first frosts and diminish the havoc 

 wrought at a time when the wood is not 

 fully ripened. In the spring time the 

 ice moderates the first heat of the sun, 

 preventing premature growth and ex- 

 posure. The conclusion follows, that 

 situations near large bodies of water are 

 preferable. 



One of the greatest obstacles to be 

 overcome, before success follows, is the 

 dominating winds. An orchard which 

 has no protection will never bear any- 

 thing; the trees take on impossible 

 shapes, and live without giving any 

 profit. This can be remedied to a cer- 

 tain extent by placing stakes to the 

 trunks and arranging the rows so that 

 the trees protect one another, but this 

 is not always sufficient. It is necessary, 

 then, as often as possible to choose situa- 

 tions which are naturally protected 

 either by a hill or by woods. Trees of 

 rapid growth, of dense foliage, and with 

 powers for resisting wind, form excellent 

 windbreaks. For this purpose I know 

 of nothing better than the poplar. 

 Having once seen this tree, one is con- 

 vinced of its efficiency and its superior- 

 ity over other kinds. Above all things, 

 it is necessary to observe, when sur- 

 rounding an orchard on all sides, that 

 the branches of the windbreak do not 



Prof. C Reynaud, La Trappe, Quebec 



extend to the ground; for though it is 

 necessary to stop the heavy winds, it is 

 also needful to have currents of air pass- 

 ing through. 



What sort of land should the planter 

 choose for his orchard? The best, no 

 matter what it cost him. The best land, 

 generally speaking, is that on which one 

 can grow all kind of crops with equal 

 results. It should be remembered that 

 an orchard in full bearing, well looked 

 after, and composed of the best varieties 

 of apples, yields more to the acre than 

 any other crop. Therefore, one need 

 not fear to devote the best piece of land 

 for this purpose. If one only wishes to 

 grow apples for domestic use, having a 

 small orchard, a poorer piece of ground 

 might be taken. The work of improv- 

 ing, manuring, breaking, seems at times 

 long and costly, but what returns ! 



An important point in the preparation 

 of the land is the drainage, without 

 which it is impossible, at least for the 

 majority of land, to establish a paying 

 orchard. It is with this object in view 

 that we should start all our work, and 

 stop at nothing to give perfect drainage, 



not only in the work done, but also in 

 the materials employed. 



Apart from the best land which the 

 orchardist can and should choose for the 

 planting of his orchard, there are other 

 lands which might be advantageously 

 employed in fruit growing; lands diffi- 

 cult of cultivation, easily drained and 

 which are well suited for apple trees. I 

 know certain rocky hillsides which are 

 covered with flourishing orchards. In 

 any case, do not neglect the trees. Good 

 attention, pruning, manuring and spray- 

 ing, also, are necessary. It would be a 

 grave error to reason otherwise, and let 

 the trees shift for themselves, under the 

 pretext that one did not wish it to be 

 the principal, but only a make-shift crop. 

 One cannot imagine a more pitiable sight 

 than a hillside covered with stunted, 

 wind-battered trees, the remains of an 

 orchard planted several years ago and- 

 never given any care. The import of 

 this is that one should look closely into 

 the word culture and then one would 

 not pretend to follow fruit growing 

 without caring for his apple trees in the 

 same manner he would any other plant 

 or crop on the farm. 



Elneinies of tKe Plxim 



V. R. Gardner, Macdonald College 



BLACK KNOT affects the branches 

 and twigs of the plum and cherry. 

 Large, wart -like, knotty swellings are 

 produced. They usually occur mainly are 

 on one side of the branch, often causing 

 the branch to bend more or less abrupt- 

 ly. They usually appear in spring or 

 in early summer, at which time they are 

 yellowish green in color. Later they 

 become a dark green, and finally coal 

 black. During the fall and winter they 

 are studded with minute pimples, or 

 "pustules," which are filled with spores 

 for the spread of the disease. The swell- 

 ings may be all the way from a quarter 

 of an inch to several inches long. They 

 not only rob the tree of considerable food 

 but interrupt the flow of sap and nutri- 

 ents, check growth and finally cause the 

 death of the part of the branch above 

 the swelling. Some varieties are much 

 more susceptible to black knot than 

 others. The European varieties as a 

 whole are more subject to it than those 

 of any other class, the Damsons being 

 especially liable to attack. 



TREATMENT FOR BLACK KNOT 



Spraying is only a partial remedy. 

 The same treatment that will control 

 brown rot and shot hole fungus will also 



26 



serve to hold black knot in check, but it 

 will not completely succeed. The cheap- 

 est and best means of control is to cut 

 out and burn the knots as soon as they 

 appear. The affected branches should 

 be cut at least three or four inches be- 

 low the swellings to make sure of the 

 removal of all traces of the fungus. 



GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS 



As before stated, there are many 

 other plum pests besides those that have 

 been mentioned. There are a large 

 number of insects and nearly an equal 

 number of parasitic fungi occasionally 

 met with. Special treatments could be, 

 and often are, recommended for each 

 one. For the ordinary person to keep 

 them all in mind, however, is next to 

 impossible. As a rule the treatment 

 which will control the two or three chief 

 pests will also hold in check the others, 

 and for the most part they are the only 

 ones that the grower need keep in mind. 



To summarize, there is one very im- 

 portant plum insect and three very im- 

 portant plum diseases. Any one or all 

 of these pests may appear any season 

 and in sufficient numbers or sufficient 

 virulence to practically ruin the plum 

 crop. For them, the fruit grower should 



