87 



The Quince* 



The quince as a rule gets little attention in the way of pruning ; yet the tree 

 responds to good treatment under the secateurs, producing a better and more 

 even class of fruit. A good formation should be obtained, as for other deciduous 

 trees, and the lateral growth thinned and shortened. The lateral growth, as 

 a rule, is very rank, bruichy, and excessive, and summer pruning and tliimiing 

 should be practised, though the leaders are best not pruned during the summer. 

 The fruit is borne on short growth thrown out from the previous season's wood ; 

 therefore care must be used not to cut away too nuich of the short spur growth. 



The Cherry* 



Only very few portions of this State are suitable for cherrjr cultivation, and 

 great care and judgment are needed in the choice of district, situation, soil, and 

 varieties. 



The cherry requires deep, free, well-drained soil, moist, but with no excess 

 of water during either sununer or winter. The trees are not satisfactory in a heavy, 

 retentive, or wet subsoil ; they fail early and gum badly. High, alluvial, well- 

 drained soil near M'ater- courses, or the light loams with good, free subsoils on the 

 lower hillsides, are most suitable ; but irrigation must be provided. _ ^ \ ■• 



This fruit should be planted in the cooler districts, away from the coast. 

 Some cherry trees on the Narrogin State Farm, planted on a sandy soil with free 

 subsoil, are doing well, and the plantation at Cherrydale, Donnybrook, is now bear- 

 ing well. 



The varieties which so far have proved the best in this State are — Heart 

 of Midlothian, St Margaret, Werder's Early Black, Early Purple Guigne, and 

 Bijarreau Napoleon. However, I have no doubt that many of the Californian 

 varieties will prove successful under proper conditions of soil and cultivation. 



The cherry is a difficult tree to prune in this State, owing to liability to gum. 



Most varieties are upright growers, and every effort must be made to spread 

 the tree during the first few years and to obtain a sufficient number of leaders. 

 For the first three j^ears, prune verj? judiciously and spread the tree well, obtaining 

 as wide forks as possible, for narrow forks gum badly. Figures 103 and 105 show 

 three year old trees and Figures 104 and 106, the same trees pruned ; these 

 trees are not again pruned during the winter. Avoid having three shoots 

 coming from the one close base by removing the central one ; otherwise, as the 

 barks come together the limbs will be apt to gum very badly indeed. It is best 

 to obtain as many leaders as possible during the first three or four years, for after 

 this period it is not advisable to prune again, but to allow the tree to go without any 

 winter-XJruning. Then the tree should be run over every summer, removing any 

 cross-limbs or branches and shortening in any laterals which require attention 

 All new lateral growth should be pinched back during the summer. 



