544 



THE GARDEJN AND FIELD. 



May, 1914 



physical condition by draining sub- 

 soiling and thorough cultivation, so 

 that the tree roots may derive the 

 greatest possible benefit from the soil 

 itself. Then when that is done, the 

 grower may turn to soil additions as 

 a further means of increasing his 

 yield. 



There are several methods by 

 which the soil may be enriched for 

 orchard trees; humus may be added 

 in the form of animal manures, green 

 manures, plant or animal refuse; the 

 trees may be stimulated by a chemi- 

 cal plant food; or the food in the soil 

 may be released by the application 

 of lime in one of its many forms. 

 Whatever method is selected, it is 

 wise to adopt a regular system of 

 rotation, so that the soil may be as- 

 sisted ^nd enriched in a difTeren(| 

 manner each year, and so that it may 

 not be over-stocked with any one 

 particular form of tree food 



Orchards will benefit if an attack 

 is now made upon the codlin moth. 

 All hiding places, nooks and crannies, 

 wherever the larvae have hidden, 

 should be thoroughly searched and 

 cleaned out. The orjhardist has far 

 more time now to do this work than 

 he will have in the springtime. It is 

 now a favorable time to spray the 

 trees where such pests as Bryobia 

 mite, wooly aphis, scale insects, and 

 peach aphis have been or are preva- 

 lent. Any of the recognised sprays 

 are suitable, these being red oil, crude 

 petroleum, kerosene emiilsion,, or 

 lime-sulphur wash. The latter wash 

 is again becoming popular, partly 

 owing to its effectiveness, and also 

 to its possessing certain properties as 

 a fungicide. 



C. A. SMITH & CO. 



ENGINEERS, 



WAKElflELD STREET 

 ADELAIDE 

 (0pp. Gawler Place). 



Sole Makers of the 



" DON " Centrifugal and Double 

 Action Pumps, Horizontal and 

 Vertical. 



The best on the market. Repairs 

 to all kinds of Machinery. 



'Phone 766. 



The Loquat. 



This useful fruit should be more 

 generally cultivated in this part of 

 the world, as it has much to recom- 

 mend it. In the first place the trees 

 as a rule are very prolific, and when 

 grown under fairly favorable condi- 

 tions, seldom fail in bearing heavy 

 crops. These conditions are in local- 

 ities that are not subject to heavy 

 frosts; though the trees will not be 

 seriously affected by light ones. 

 Trees will thrive in any fairly good 

 soil, of moderate depth, but flourish 

 best in a deep sandy loam. A good 

 depth of well-broken soil and effec- 

 tive drainage are essential, and these 

 conditions should always be secured. 

 Autumn planting is the best, but un- 

 less the summer growth has hard- 

 ened, it is better to wait till early 

 spring. If planted in orchard fashion 

 the trees should stand about 24 feet 

 apart, to allow ample space for de- 

 velopment. Being an ever-green 

 with handsome foliage, that contrasts 

 well with other trees and shrubs, the 

 loquat may also be planted for orna- 

 mental purposes in shrubberies. The 

 trees also make very good break- 

 winds for orchards and gardens, when 

 as a matter of course they should be 

 planted thickly, say from ten to 

 twelve feet apart. Pruning should 

 be carefully attended to during the 

 early years of growth, so as to obtain 

 compact well-formed trees. After- 

 wards but little is required in the way 

 of pruning. The fruit can be utilised 

 in various ways, and where generally 

 known is popular. When eaten ripe 

 it is refreshing and grateful to the 

 palate. Early Oval, Herd's Mam- 

 moth, Chatsworth Victory and Enor- 

 mity are good sorts. 



4 



Some Good Plums. 



The chief recommendation of the 

 Cherry Plum is its early ripening and 

 the beauty of its bloom. Clyman, 

 wliich ripens about the same time is 

 a dark skinned fruit of medium 

 (|iiality, a good market variety. An- 

 gelina Burdett is early, dark, and of 

 good quality. Early New Orleans 

 is not quite so large, of rather Ijettcr 

 quality, not usually so heavy a bearer 

 as the former. Rivers' Early Pro- 

 lific, not a large plum but handsome, 

 and a good all round fruit. Wash- 



ington is later, a large yellow plum. 

 Greengage if of the true type is one 

 of the very best for dessert and pre- 

 serving. Jefferson is a very large 

 handsome fruit of the very best quali- 

 ty. Grand Duke, one of the best of 

 the later dark plums. Monarch is 

 one of the latest to ripen and one of 

 the very best. Japanese Plums — In 

 Wickson, Burbank, Climax, Combin- 

 ation Kelsey's and October Purple 

 you have about the pick of this splen- 

 did class. Satsuma, sometimes 

 called the Blood Plum, is an exceed- 

 ingly good fruit. It is dark red and 

 carries the colour right down to the 

 stone, keeps well after ripening and 

 makes a fine 'preserve. For drying 

 Prune d' Agen and Robe de Sergeant 

 are standard Prunes. The former is 

 said to be the better for cooler dis- 

 tricts, the latter for the hot districts. 

 Splendour which is very large, Sugar 

 and Fellemberg also make excellent 

 prunes. 



^ 



Orchard Cover Crops. 



A cover crop, according to Bailey, 

 is one which is used for the particu- 

 lar purpose of securing its mulching 

 and physical effect upon the land in 

 the intervals between the regular 

 crops in the normal seasons of tillage. 

 A sowed crop in the orchard may be 

 valuable in two ways: by aflFording a 

 cover to the land and by improving 

 the soil when it is ploughed in. As a 

 cover, it may keep down weeds, and 

 protect the land from the injurious 

 effect of frost. As a green manure 

 it may add fibre to the soil, and thus 

 augment its power of holding fertility 

 and moisture, and it may add directly 

 to the fertility of the land. This late 

 crop catches and holds the leaching 

 nitrates which the tree roots utilise 

 earlier in the season. Taken as a 

 whole, the crop may be said to im- 

 prove the soil in eight ways: — It 

 directly improves the physical condi- 

 tion of the land; prevents hard soils 

 from cementing or puddling; holds 

 the rains until they have time to soak 

 into the land; dries out the soil in 

 spring, making early tillage possible; 

 sometimes serves as a protection 

 from frost; it improves the chemical 

 conditions of the soil; catches and 

 holds some of the leaching nitrates; 

 adds humus; renders plant foods 

 available; appropriates nitrogen if it 

 is leguminous. 



