October, 1913 



211 



ways happens that in plantations 

 of anv si»o some parts bear much 

 uuiro freely than do others, and 

 this should furnish a jjuide for 

 the manuriu!;-, cultivating, and 

 jjeneral treatment of the plants. 

 Don't manure and cultivate all 

 alike, where the varieties, soils 

 and situations vary, but <;ive each 

 attention according- to its owu 

 special wants. lyime should be 

 irceXy used in all strawberry plan- 

 tations at this season. Linve 

 sweetens the soil atid makes avail- 

 able all its inert food supply. It 

 ilso creates new stores of plant 

 ..>c>d, is a necessity of itself, and 

 does more to keep down rust and 

 insect pests than anything else 

 which can be employed. Slake the 

 lime in small heaps under-ground, 

 that is bv burning in holes where 

 soil is no more than damp, and 

 when the lime is like Hour sow 

 it evenlv over the strawberry land, 

 taking care to well dust imder the 

 leaves of all dirtv and sickly 

 plants. A good liming before the 

 lea,ves start will secure a clean, 

 free growth, and go far towards 

 securing, an even crop of well grown 

 fruit. Where mulching is practic- 

 able the material should be got 

 readv at once. TMany object to 

 m'ulching, on the ground that it 

 begets insects and disease, but that 

 is absurd, foT the plant must be 

 fed, and if the mulching material 

 is clean itself, and it ought to be, 

 and pladsd in clean ground — and 

 lime will secure cleanliness to both 

 — then the plantation stands to 

 benefit in every way. Fill all gaps 

 with strong young plants, which 

 can be lifted with a ball of earth 

 to their roots. Cut oR some of 

 the leaves from excessively strong 

 plants which show no signs of 

 "truiting, and carefully note result, 

 as it often happens that a little 

 more or less foliage has a g"'ood 

 deal to do with the powers of 

 fruiting. 



^ 



Spring Irrigatiou. 



Water should be used, in distinct 

 accord with the condition and 

 wants of the individpial tree. We 

 now quite well that water cannot 

 Iten be kept under such complete 

 control as to secure greatly vary- 

 ing supplies to a single plot of 

 ground, but in a general way we 

 lack system in irrigating our or- 

 chard and do not properly control 

 the supply according to the land 

 and the varying trees it carries. 

 First of all make provision for 



getting rid of anv surplus. This 

 Uivans that where the undvr drain- 

 age is not sullicientlN sharp to 

 sc'oirc a sanitary and free soil the 

 luadlands, ditches and ir.ain chan- 

 nels and depres.sions of the block 

 should each aiid all bo graded and 

 l)roiierlv prepared to carry off any 

 sur])lus water as soon as ever it 

 l)ecomes a suri)lus. Prompt culti- 

 vating should always follow irri- 

 gating in spring, and this is sel- 

 dom possible, unless the surface 

 and under drainage are both ela- 

 borated before apphing the water. 

 Different soils, climates and trees 

 call for different amounts of water, 

 and somewh'nt different methods of 

 applying, but in nearly all cases 

 we ovi?r-irrigate and imder-qulti- 

 vate. The orchard work is of 

 course to be judged by results, 

 and where heavy watering is found 

 to pay handsomely we do not say 

 give less, but there are many who 

 make more work for themselves 

 and so retrularly reduce the returns 

 from their orchard by over'water- 

 ing. A <rood deal of useful work- 

 ing knowledfe is now accumiilated 

 in the best irrigated districts, bvit 

 there is also room for a great deal 

 of imnrovement, and growers one 

 and all shoidd make careful note of 

 the effect of different volumes of 

 water and applied in certain ways 

 and seasons so as to obtain a safe 

 working standard for ev^ery soil, 

 situation and class of tree. 



^ 



Thinning Blooms and 

 Pollination. 



As pears and apples come into 

 bloom it will be easy to discern 

 how far each variety or tree has 

 been thinned and generally shaped, 

 according to its needs. The spring 

 is full of interest for the fruit 

 grower, and though he may not 

 find time — nor is there anv need 

 that he should— to pry into sub- 

 tleties of plant growth, he will 

 find it greatly to his advantage 

 to watch the imfolding of leaves 

 and flowers with the object of not- 

 ing their value as they appear in 

 open or close confined parts of the 

 tree. The size and vitality of 

 flower buds is largely determined 

 bv the leaves which gave birth to 

 them, and which disappeared dur- 

 ing the autumn or winter months, 

 biit even when a bud hias^ been well 

 formed and endowed with all the 

 requisite qualities to yield fruit, 

 it ma-'' still fail through receiving 

 defective treatment in the spring. 



.\l)a'.-t from b.ul weather, space or 

 the want of it, and insufTicient sun 

 heat, light and air, may i)revent 

 the elaboration of the iioUen 

 grains, in which case it is impos- 

 sible for flowers to yieJd to fruit. 

 An examination of the different 

 j)arts of trees will show some 

 flowering or setting most freely 

 on the windv or well lighted side, 

 whilst in the event of very boist- 

 erous and harsh weather prevail- 

 ing the best results may be on the 

 protected side. Again, trees bear 

 throu'rhout, or only in part, of 

 their in or exterior, in which ca.se 

 the lesson should be easilyV-leamed. 

 With many who have grown old in 

 the orchard, bearing is supposed 

 to be possible only on the outside 

 of trees, but this shows want of 

 insight and woeful lack of capaci- 

 city for the bj'isiness of fruit grow- 

 ing. Now, whilst the buds are 

 unfolding, do some thinning of 

 crowded spurs and their 'blooms. 

 Soon it will be plain enough 

 what degree of openness proved 

 most conductiye to setting and 

 the even distribution of fruit. Na- 

 turally the most vigorous trees 

 will bear with the most open 

 branch and snur arrangement, and 

 it will probably be an advantage 

 to thin the new wood as well as 

 the old — that is, when shoots have 

 grown to four or six inches in 

 leng'th, as then they snap ofi 

 easily and save a lot of winter 

 pruning. 



G. A PREVOST & CO., 



25-27 Steamship Buildings, 

 CURRIE STREET, ADELAIDE. 



' COLONIAL PRODUCE EX- 

 PORTERS, 



on Commission Only. 



Special attention given to the 

 Export of Fruit to English, Ger- 

 man, and other Markets. 



Woodwool, Apple Wrapping Paper, 

 Apple Cases, Pear Trays — in the 

 regulation Export Sizes. 



All Orchardists' requisites suppled 

 at Lowest Rates. 



Agent for — 



The Harvey Orchard Ploughs and 

 Cultivators. 



Bam. V. Spray Pumps, hand or 

 Motor Power. On view at our 

 North Terrace Store. 



