2IO FRUIT FARMING 



August.— The fruits for Bank Holiday folk will be 

 ripe Gooseberries, early Pears, and in early seasons a 

 few Juneating and Gladstone Apples. Lammas and 

 Chalk Pears, if gathered a week previously and heaped, 

 will take on a little colour and ripeness, and thus sell 

 better. 



Continue to thin Apples where the trees need it. 

 Early Dessert Apples should be coloured before they 

 are marketed. 



The Summer Pruning of Red Currants and removing 

 of superfluous inner shoots of Pear, Apple, and Plums 

 on trees planted 2 to 7 years will be very beneficial, 

 useless shoots being cut back to four leaves, to let in 

 sun and air to ripen the wood. 



The Budding of Plums on young stock should be done 

 the first week in August, following with Pears and 

 concluding with AppUs. In some districts, perhaps the 

 stocks are fit even the last week in July. 



Blights. — If aphis blight has been well attended to, 

 there should be but little now left to be killed, but if 

 hot dry weather sets in, the American woolh- aphis 

 blight on Apples should be attended to see Chapter 

 XXIIIj. 



Rivers' Prolific and Czar Plums will now be coming 

 on. It is a mistake to let them be fully ripe before 

 they are sent to market. Now that soft fruits are 

 past, early kitchen Apples are wanted for tarts, and 

 they often pay t" send before tliev are fullv fit, and 

 it helps the trees to 140 o\er them ;, or 4 times, 

 especially lliose t;rtnvn as bushes on the Paradise 

 stock. In somi! years green fruits of \"irioria Plums 

 pay to market ; any way, a tew shouKi be tried, as 

 fully cropi)etl trees are assisted by the thinning, and 



