AMONG THE ORCHARDS THE ABUNDANT YIELD IN RELATION TO PIT. 7 



I. AMONG THE ORCHARDS THE ABUNDANT YIELD IN 



RELATION TO PIT. 



The yield of apples for season 1915-16 has been phenomenal in the State of Victoria. This is 

 largely accounted for by the fact that the crop was very light the previous season, and in some instances 

 there was no crop at all. The yield is a record one, as shown by statistics (Appendix I.), being about 

 six times as large as the crop of the preceding year, and although many of the apples were rather 

 small, yet, on the whole, there was a good marketable product. 



I have taken advantage of this to illustrate the well-laden trees in some of the orchards within 

 convenient distance of Melbourne. In these orchards, on account of the generally small size of the 

 fruit, the relative proportion of Pit was not large, but the worst cases occurred where the fruit was 

 extra large and in very susceptible varieties. 



BOX HILL. 



At Mr. Hat field's orchard. Box Hill, where the manurial experiments were conducted, the yield 

 far exceeded any previous records, and a few striking examples have been selected for illustration. 



An avenue of Rymer apple trees is shown in Fig. 1, about 1C years old, and without any artificial 

 watering. The trees, as may be seen, were loaded with fruit and formed an imposing picture, yielding 

 on an average 5 to 6 bushel cases. 



As showing the effect of watering on the yield, I have represented two varieties of apple trees, 

 which were artificially watered three times. 



The Stone Pippin (Fig. 2), 18 years old. yielded about 15 bushel cases of fruit when picked in 

 May. The watering kept the trees going, and prevented the leaves from falling too early. The fruit 

 was generally sound, and the large leaves effectually protected it. 



The Statesman (Fig. 3), about 16 years old, yielded 10 bushel cases, and the fruit was well dis- 

 tributed over the tree. There was very little Pit in the orchard this season, the few Cleopatras grown 

 being the worst. The Esopus Spitzenberg apples were relatively small and free from Pit, but the 

 large ones were badly affected. The Jonathans were small but good, on the whole, and free from 

 Pit. 



DEEPDENE. 



I have also selected some typical examples from the orchard of Mr. Smith, at Decpdene, where 

 the pruning experiments were conducted. It is not only individual trees which bore well, but a high 

 standard was maintained throughout the orchard, and avenues of trees are shown all equally loaded 

 with fruit. 



In Fig. 4 is represented an avenue of Statesman apple trees, about 12 years old, the average yield 

 of which was 8 bushel cases. 



In another portion of the orchard is shown a Rome Beauty apple tree (Fig. 5), about 10 years old, 

 which yielded 5 bushel cases. There was only a very slight proportion of Pit throughout this orchard, 

 but in the experimental Cleopatra trees, where severe pruning was adopted, as much as 32 per cent, 

 occurred in individual trees. With light pruning there was only from 4 to 6 per cent, of Pit, and the 

 influence of the method of pruning on the development of Pit will be subsequently shown in a detailed 

 account of the experiment. 



GREENSBOROUGH. 

 A RECOKD YIELD. 



I am indebted to Mr. Wallis, Orchard Supervisor for the district, for bringing under my notice 

 a Rymer apple tree, with the largest yield yet recorded, to my knowledge, and at the same time practi- 

 cally free from Bitter Pit, 



