75 



the tree is too exhausted to mature its spurs well. It often fails for several years, 

 running, which I attribute to the early failure of the soil-moisture, since culti- 

 vation is frequently neglected after harvesting, and, in consequence, the tree 

 cannot mature its spurs and store up the necessary nutriment for the spring growth. 

 It is best to plant only in places where the trees can be watered, for the diffi- 

 culty cannot be overcome except by intense cultivation. The tree should be watered 

 just as the fruit begins to fill out, and again after the crop is harvested, to fill out 

 and develop the spur and bud-growth and enable the tree to store up plant foods 

 in its tissues. 



Much can be done without water, in such cases by pruning the tree about 

 March ; this strengthens the buds, and causes them to fill out. The leaders 

 however, are best left alone until the winter-pruning. It is not advisable to remove 

 too much foliage, for if any good is to result from the summer-pruning, sufficient 

 foliage must be retained for the assimilation process, without which function 

 the buds cannot Ije developed. 



The apricot bears on young and old wood. 



In lighter soils peach stock could be used to advantage in place of apricot 

 stock ; while on heavy, wet soils, or on soil with a stiff clay subsoil, the plum 

 stock, Myrabolan or cherry plum, will prove more suitable. 



The apricot should be planted in well-drained soils in districts not subject 

 to severe frosts at flowering time, or to late frosts, because the apricot is the first 

 fruit to feel the effects of frost. Most other varieties of fruit will not even be affected 

 by a frost which is severe enough to ruin the apricot crop. ■ -. ■• ■■ . ■ '. >■ 



The fruit should be well thinned when the trees set heavy crops. 



English Plums and Prunes. 



These are practically the same varieties , for a prune is only a very sweet plum. 



Some difficulty has been experienced in getting these plums to bear in Western 

 Australia, but if the varieties are planted in close proximity so that the pollen will 

 cross fertilise the blossoms, I think this difficulty will be largely overcome. Under 

 projjer soil and cultivation conditions many of these varieties make strong rank 

 growtli, and although tliey flower well thej^ will not set their fruit. I had consider- 

 able trouble in New Soutli Wales with these varieties, owing to the strong growth 

 the trees made, and adapted the following method of pruning with great success, 

 and tills method may pro'S'e suitable in this State. 



Any prunes and plums which make strong growth should be both summer 

 and winter pruned up to the fourth year in the same manner as for apricots, that 

 is, Ijotli the laterals and leaders should be pruned during the summer. 



Start the trees off as for other varieties of deciduous fruits with low stem 

 and open sturdy main and secondary arms and hollow centre, and prune regularly 

 every winter and summer if the growth is strong, obtaining a nice, shapely tree 

 as illustrated in Figure 8.5, a three year old tree pruned. It will be noticed that 

 this tree (a Prune d'Agen) is an upright grower, and it has been necessary to throw 

 the arms well out in this last pruning, and that no forks have been permitted so. 



