1044 



PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS 



APPLE 



grower whether it is worth while to per- 

 form it. 



Thinning the fruit. — As judicious 

 pruning improves the tree, ao does judi- 

 cious thinning of the fruit improve those 

 that are left to ripen. "When the fruits 

 have fairly ' set ' — that is, have begun to 

 swell, about the end of May and early 

 June, the trees may he given a light shake. 

 This will bring down a number of young 

 fruits that would never ripen under any 

 circumstances. Others will still remain, 

 but if they have yellowish stalks are best 

 removed by hand at once, as they will 

 drop sooner or later. The removal of 

 others then becomes a matter of judgment, 

 but as a rule if two or three of the best 

 formed and healthiest looking fruits are 

 left to each side shoot, that will be quite 

 sufficient for the tree to carry. If thin- 

 ning is not performed the branches wUl 

 bear a mass of small fruits, which very 

 often ovraig to their weight break down 

 the branches and disfigure the tree — thus 

 pruning and thinning it in an undesired 

 fashion at one and the same time. 



Ripeness. — Apples (and other fruits) 

 do not all ripen at the same period, some 

 being early, some mid-season, and -some 

 late. The same variety ripens at different 

 periods also according to soil, situation, 

 aspect, and general cultivation. As a rule, 

 however, healthy fruits are ripe when 

 they part easily from the branch on being 

 gently raised to a horizontal position by 

 the hand. If they drop from the tree, 

 assuming they are not maggoty, cankered, 

 or otherwise diseased, they are then fully 

 ripe, and should be gathered immediately. 



Gathering. — The more carefully the 

 fruit is picked from the trees the better 

 and longer will it last in a good condition. 

 Shaking the fruit down or knocking it 

 down with sticks or poles is a very primi- 

 tive and schoolboy method of gathering 

 fruit, and throwing it anyhow into boxes 

 or baskets is little better, as it is thus 

 much injured and bruised and quite unable 

 to last for a long period. Besides, where 

 surplus quantities are sold, they are not 

 likely to secure a good price. Prom a 

 commercial point of view the more care- 

 fully Apples and fruit generally are picked 

 and packed the higher thefr value. The 

 fruit should also for this same reason 

 be ' graded ' according to size, uniformity, 

 and colouring, the best and finest fruits 

 being kept by themselves, and not mixed 

 with the smaller and poorly coloured ones. 



The different varieties should of course 

 also be kept separate, and not mixed one 

 with another. 



Packings Apples. — When Apples are 

 sent to market it is essential that they 

 should be well and securely packed if they 

 are to pay for thefr cultivation at all. 

 Each grade and variety should be kept 

 separate and distinctly marked. They 

 may be packed in fiat baskets with Uds — 

 each basket holding about 40 lbs., or in 

 bushels or barrels. The great point is to 

 secm-e the fruit from being bruised by 

 shitting about in transit. The baskets, 

 bushels, barrels, or other receptacles 

 should be well lined with soft spongy 

 paper, and the fruit should be of the same 

 quality throughout, instead of placing the 

 finest samples on top — a foohsh proceed- 

 ing knovsTi technically as 'topping.' 

 "Where extra fine fruits of extra choice 

 varieties are marketed, it is weU worth 

 while rolling each fruit in a piece of soft 

 paper, and packing the whole in wood 

 wool so that there will be no chance of 

 shifting about. Good fruit well packed 

 always secures a high price if marketed 

 with business intelligence, some varieties 

 of course more than others, according 

 to thefr reputation for quality and 

 flavour. 



Propagation. — Apples may be in- 

 creased by seeds, cuttings, layers, budding, 

 and grafting. Seeds are usually sown 

 with the object of raising new varieties, 

 and also to produce stocks for grafting 

 or budding. As they do not retain thefr 

 vitality long, seeds are best sown thinly 

 as soon as ripe in prepared beds in the 

 open air. The seedlings are transplanted 

 the following autumn, with the object of 

 destroying the taproot, and producing root 

 fibres. As a rule the seeds of Crab and 

 Cider Apples are sown for producing 

 stocks, but other varieties may be used 

 for the same pm^pose. "Where new 

 varieties are required the seeds should 

 be saved from the best varieties only, 

 that is, from those remarkable for then' 

 hardiness, freedom from canker and other 

 diseases, fruitftilness, and flavour. The 

 seedlings may be grown on after trans- 

 planting once or twice, until they fruit. 

 Or, when large enough, to produce a good 

 graft or scion, they may be grafted on to 

 a Paradise Stock, or even a full-grown 

 tree, so as to obtain fruit for testing as to 

 quality and flavour as early as possible. 



Cuttings. — Cuttings will root in the 



