Round the Year in the Garden 



on the floor or in barrels ; they keep better if arranged 

 in one layer, but this is not always convenient. If heaps 

 have to be made, let them consist of the smaller and 

 less valuable fruits. It is necessary to look over the 

 Apples frequently, and to remove those that show 

 signs of decay. Otherwise many fruits will be spoilt. 

 In gathering Pears it is wise to take special care in 

 handling them for they are more easily bruised even 

 than Apples. They ripen best in rather warmer and 

 drier conditions than Apples, and an ordinary room 

 is as satisfactory as anywhere in the absence of a 

 proper fruit room. 



One's stock of Gooseberries and Red, Black, and 

 White Currants may be increased at this season without 

 difficulty by means of cuttings. These ought to be 

 chosen from firm, hard shoots of the current year's 

 growth, preference being given to those from 9 to 12 

 inches in length. To form the base of the cutting it 

 is necessary to cut immediately beneath a bud or joint. 

 In the case of Gooseberries and Bed and White Currants 

 it is wise to remove all except the four uppermost 

 buds so that the bushes shall have stems clear of the 

 ground. The cuttings must be inserted firmly in a 

 sheltered spot out of doors, only one third of each 

 cutting being above the soil surface. 



Grease-banding Fruit Trees. The caterpillars of 

 the winter moth do a great deal of damage to fruit 

 trees and other garden plants in spring and early 

 summer by feeding on the buds, blossoms and leaves, 

 and the present is the best time to seek their destruction 

 by grease-banding. The object of fastening sticky bands 

 round the tree stems is to prevent the wingless female 

 moths from ascending for the purpose of depositing 

 their eggs on the shoots and branches. The old-fashioned 

 plan was to place bands of strong brown paper on the 

 stems about 2 feet from the ground and to smear them 

 with cart grease, and to renew this substance period- 



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