270 



rilE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



mercial fertilizers. The effect of barn- 

 yard manure is similar to that of other 

 nitrogenous fertilizers, and its use may 

 be governed by similar conditions. For 



young orchards on poor soil its use is 

 beneficial. Two or three forkfuls of 

 manure spread around each young tree 

 in winter may be of value. Generally 



speaking, however, the profitable use of 

 stable manure in peach orchards is con- 

 fined, as in this case, to the stimulation 

 of early growth in newly-set orchards. 



Protect tKe Stra^vberry Plants 



To protect strawberry plants from 

 the cold of winter and from the 

 disastrous effects of alternate freez- 

 ing andthawing in spring, it is necessary 

 to give them some protection. This is 

 best done by means of mulching. Be- 

 sides being a protection against severe 

 weather, a good mulch should enrich 

 the soil, and if skilfully handled, it will 

 delay the ripening of the fruit in spring 

 as much as a week and more. 



While it is desirable in most straw- 

 berry districts to secure earliness in 

 fruiting, there are some sections in 

 Canada where the profits of the straw- 

 berry patch would be materially increas- 

 ed if the crop were to ripen a few days 

 later than is usual. It is important then 

 for growers to consider carefully the 

 possibilities of mulching for this purpose, 

 but it must be practised with caution. 

 Although some growers may delay 

 fruiting through personal skill and the 

 effect of favorable conditions, a mulch 

 of sufficient depth to retard vegetation 

 is apt to injure the young plants and, 

 if left too long, it will rot and kill them. 

 The kind of material to use for mulch- 

 ing depends on what can be obtained 

 most readily. To combine manurial 

 value with protection, strawy horse 

 manure is the most satisfactory. It can 

 be obtained quite readily in most local- 

 ities. It should not be applied, how- 

 ever, quite so heavily as some of the 



Hghter mulches, such as clean straw or 

 hay. An objectionable feature in con- 

 nection with the use of strawy horse 

 manure, particularly that drawn from 

 city stables, is that it is apt to contain a 

 large number of weed seeds. This ob- 

 jection is seldom strong enough, how- 

 ever, to overcome the advantage gained 

 by its use as a fertilizer and for protec- 

 tion. 



The time to apply the mulch is gov- 

 erned by the lateness of the season. 

 Usually it is appHed soon after the 

 ground becomes frozen hard enough to 

 carry the horses and wagon. The 

 covering should not be heavy • enough 

 to smother the plants. Should the winds 

 of winter remove a considerable portion 

 of the mulch during seasons of little 

 snow, it is well, towards spring, to cover 

 these bare spots, if material and time are 

 plenty. Alternate thawing and freezing 

 in spring do more damage than the cold 

 and frosts of winter. 



In spring the covering may be removed 

 as soon as danger of frosts is past, or 

 if it is desired to retard fruiting, a few 

 days later. It is best to do this on a 

 dark day to mitigate the effect of a 

 sudden change from protection to light. 



Rake the mulch off the plants to the 

 space between the rows where it will 

 serve to keep down weeds and to con- 

 serve moisture, which is so necessary 

 to the production of large, high grade 



berries. A mulch between the rows in 

 early summer also serves to make clean 

 picking for the pickers, and to keep the 

 berries from being splashed with sand 

 during rains. 



Fall W^orK 'With Plum Trees 



In the treatment of a plum orchard, 

 Mr. F. G. Stewart, of Homer, gives the 

 following advice: "Spray plum trees in 

 fall after the fruit and leaves are off. 

 This kills the fungus of the Black Knot. 

 The spores of this fungus develop twice 

 a year, in summer and in winter. Spraj'- 

 ing in the fall washes down anfi prevents 

 the spread and development of the 

 summer spores for the next season. Use 

 the sulphate of copper solution, four 

 pounds to the barrel, and apply any 

 time after the leaves fall. This solution 

 also helps to prevent plum rot. 



"Plow to the trees about the endjof 

 October or first of November, to throw 

 the water away from the roots. This 

 leaves a furrow or ditch between the 

 rows which must be opened at the ends 

 to let the water away. If the plowing is 

 not done until late, the ground should 

 be harrowed so as not to leave it too 

 open and so admit the frost. If the 

 ground is left open, the water goes in 

 and freezes in little pools around the 

 roots. When the soil is packed tightly 

 around the roots, however, the trees 

 always do much better." 



T'wo Ways of Pruning' Grape Vines 



Which is the best, cheapest and easiest 

 method of pruning grapes, the fan or Kniffen 

 system?— P. E. K., Halton Co., Ont. 



IN all grape-growing localities, the 

 Kniffen system is the best and cheap- 

 est for strong growing varieties, such 

 as Niagara. It is best because it re- 

 quires less care and work, and it is 

 cheap. It saves money in time and 

 labor. Only two wires, instead of three 

 or four, are required for the trellis. Slow- 

 growing varieties, such as Delaware, are 

 better trained on the fan system, as 

 they must be renewed from a point 

 nearer the ground. When following the 

 fan system the pruner can always cut to 

 good wood; when following a. more 

 definite system, as the Kniffen, some- 

 times he must cut at a loss. 



The fan system is briefly as follows: 

 When planting, cut the vine back to two 

 buds; next spring, again cut back to 



two buds ; second spring after planting, 

 if vine is strong, leave one cane about 

 two or three feet long, and tie up to 

 trellis wires. When growth on this is 

 about six inches long, nib off all sprouts 

 below the point on the upright where it 

 is desired to start the fan. Third spring, 

 prune back to six or eight buds the 

 strongest canes that arise from near a 

 central point below first wire; tie about 

 three of these fan-shaped to the wires 

 and remove all the rest. The following 

 seasons, renew the wood from as near 

 the trunk as possible and increase the 

 number of arms to five or more if growth 

 is strong. 



A vine trained by the Kniffen system 

 consists of an upright trunk or standard 

 and four arms. To produce this result 

 the young vine is treated similar to the 

 fan system for two seasons. The second 

 spring after planting, select the strongest 



cane and tie it straight and firmly to the 

 top wire, cutting everything else away. 

 The third spring, select four arms, two 

 on opposite sides of the standard near 

 the lower wire and two similarly placed 

 near the upper wire, cut these back to 

 six or eight buds according to the length 

 of the joints on the cane, tie them to the 

 wires, and remove all other canes. The 

 fourth and subsequent years renew the 

 arms with wood that arises from a point 

 as near to the central standard as 

 possible. 



Apples for storing should be picked, 

 barrelled and placed in a shed, then, 

 when hard frosts come, put in a cool 

 cellar. A sUght frost will do no in- 

 jun,', but it is best to keep the apples 

 as cool as possible without freezing. 



As a rule the finest and highest priced 

 fruits are the rrcst difficult to raise. 



