Miirch, 1914 



tluit a crop o[ peas plovijyhed iu 

 uiKler these condilLons represents 

 the equiN iileiit of j^oircl laniu anl 

 luamire. As an additional reeom- 

 inendatiou it is in a lorin kadUifj 

 to its rapid decav, even in coiu- 

 parativeh- drv conditions, and 

 hence rapidly l)iv(mies available as 

 plant food. 



— tireen Mauurinjj;. — 



For districts of low rainfall this 

 practice of j^reen munnriug sUonld 

 be of {jreat inijiortance in viticul- 

 ture, and to this end special pro- 

 vis-ion nii<,rht be made in plautino- 

 vounjf \ineyards to facilitate the 

 passajj^e of a two-horse seed and 

 manure drill between the rows. 

 For established vineyards, where 

 this is not pos.sible, an old drill 

 cut down to suit requirements 

 should • prove a profitable invest- 

 ment. The jreneral practice is to 

 sow 2 bushels of field pe?is with 

 2 cwt. of super[)hosphate to the 

 acre. In heavy soils deficient in 

 lime the use of 2 cw^.. or 3 cwt. 

 of jiypsum can be recommended 

 or else % cwt. of potassic manure. 

 Generally the use of gvmpsum' is 

 sufficient, as its action is to free 

 the natural potash salts in such a 

 soil and make them available to 

 the plants. Much depends upon 

 the time of sowing, and, irenerallv 

 speakinjj, this should be done be- 

 fore the autumn rains set in. This 

 represents a ^ period when there is 

 not a jjreat deal doing in the vine- 

 yards, and, in addition, the seed 

 is in the ground early to germin- 

 ate as soon as the soil becomes 

 moist enough. As a preparation, 

 thoroiigh scarifying is all that is 

 necessary, owing to the fact that 

 the soil should he in crood order 

 from the summer cultivation. If 

 rood conditions prevail the crop 

 should be ready to plough in bv 

 the end of July or early in Au- 

 ETUSt. It is generally rejomised 

 that the best time to plough the 

 croD under is when the peas are in 

 flower, but, if thought advisable, 

 it may be better to anticipate this 

 period to suit special circum- 

 stanoes. Time should be allowed 

 for the green matter to rot before 

 all the rain has gone ; but, owinp- 

 to the succulent nature of the 

 mass, ploughing can be deferred 

 until fairh' late in most seasons. 

 One of the first evidences of the 

 beneficial effect to be derived from 

 n^reen manuring is the manner in 

 a fact w^hich cannot fail to increase! 

 their ^^talitv. For several years 

 Dast peas have been sown on a 

 portion of the college vineyard in 

 a soil of a light limestone nature 

 and under conditions decidedly im- 

 favorable to vine-growing. In ."^pite 



TllK CIARDEN AND FIELD. 



of unsuitable conditions, the man- 

 ner in which these vines retain 

 their leaves when other i)ortions of 

 the vineyard are bare iji a sure 

 evidence of the benefit being de- 

 rived l)v iheiu from the organic 

 matter. Althougli it is dilheult 

 to gauge results as to fruit-beariug 

 under such conditions, it ciii >-.aiely 

 l)e said that the cropi)ing of the.se 

 vines has improved since green 

 manuring was started. One; of tlie 

 most consistent and eonvincing 

 tests of green manuring was car- 

 ried out at Albury, New South 

 Wales, by Mr. h. Frere. In addi- 

 tion, a series of experiments with 

 other manures were carried out for 

 a number of years, but results did 

 not justif}' their continuation when 

 set beside those of the green man- 

 ure plots. At the outset, the 

 growth of vines was weak, and 

 yields had fallen as low as 100 

 gallons to the acre. After some 

 years of green manuring the 

 growth of the vines became so 

 strong that it was considered ad- 

 visable to discontinue the, experi- 

 ment for the time being. In the 

 meantime, the yields from these 

 vines had risen from 100 gallons 

 to the acre until they reached 

 from 400 gallons to 500 gallons, 

 and in one instance 600 gallons per 

 acre was reached. 



(To be Contimied). 

 ♦ 



Treatment of Fruit Trees. 



— Convenience. — 



Trees which branch near the 

 ground are most quickly and 

 cheaply handled in all the opera- 

 tions of pruning, spraying, fruit 

 thinning, and picking. I^ow trees, 

 with obliquely rising branches, are 

 more easily cultivated than any 

 form with horizontal branches un- 

 less the head is carried so high 

 that the teams pass easily under 

 the tree. To do this, sacrifices all 

 the other conveniences and econo- 

 mies which actually determine pro- 

 fit, and is really out of the ques- 

 tion from a commercial point of 

 view. 



— Plealth and Strength. — 



It is imperative in most parts 

 of this State that the sunshine be 

 not allowed to touch the bark 

 during the heat of the day. This 

 protection is secured even for 

 young trees by low branching. The 

 low tree, with properly spaced 

 branches, attains superior strength 

 by virtue of thick, strongly-knit 

 short ( growth between branches, 

 and by its strong, stiff, obliquely- 

 rising, growth, sustains weight 



455 



wliicli brings horizontal liranches 

 to the ground, and thus even high- 

 headed trees are lialile t(j Continu- 

 allv increasing interference with 

 cultivation, and the desperate 

 grower has to raise the head of 

 his tree higher in the air, and fur- 

 ther al)ove the profit lime, while 

 at the same time he renders it 

 more liable to .sunburn, to bark- 

 l)inding, and to unthrift, by forc- 

 ing the .sap to flow an unnecessary 

 distance, and through wood and 

 bark which impede its movement. 

 Hie«ides, a low tree escapes stress 

 by strong winds which a high tree 

 in\ites, and at the same time is 

 less able to withstand. rruniii'- 

 for health and strength of the 

 tree also includes the removal of 

 unthrifty or diseased parts, which 

 are not only an encumbrance to 

 the tree, but may communicate to 

 other parts the cause of their ill 

 condition. 



— Heat and Light. — 



The maintenance of strong-bear- 

 ing wood in the lower part of the 

 tree is conditional upon the proper 

 pruning of the top of the tree. 

 How far the upper levels or the 

 shade layer of tree can be safely 

 opened depends upon the local cli- 

 mate in each fruit region. The 

 rule must be : the higher the sum- 

 mer heat, the denser the tree ; the 

 lower the heat, the thinner the 

 tree ; but everywhere the proper 

 condition of openness must be 

 constantly in view in pruning. 

 Not alone mikst this be done to 

 maintain thrifty growth below, but 

 it is also essential to the best 

 growth and ripening of the fruit 

 in the lower and interior parts of 

 the tree. Fruit inferior in size, 

 colour and tinality results in part 

 from laick of pruning to regulate 

 the admission of light and heat — 

 sometimes one, sometimes both — 

 to the shaded portion of the tree. 



— Bearing Wood. — 



Good fruit develops on good 

 bearine wood, and good bearing 

 wood is the product of proper de- 

 grees of lig'ht and heat, as has 

 just been urged ; biit bearing wood 

 in the case of some fruits is new 

 wood, and the reduction of old 

 wood for the purpose of forcing 

 the growth of new wood must be 

 constantly in mind. Renewal is 

 more or less a consideration with 

 all trees, and especially the secur- 

 ing of strong new wood. This is 

 a point upon which close study of 

 the bearing tree will ^-ield most 

 satisfactory suggestions. The size 

 of fruit, providing the tree is 

 healthy and vigorous, depends 

 upon the character jmd amount of 

 bearing wood which the tree is al- 

 lowed to carry. 



