1920.] 



Profitable Apples for ]\1 arret. 



291 



both for dessert and cooking purposes ma^^ be continuous 

 tliroughout Die season. 



In both cases, early and late varieties should be planted in 

 such proportions that the marketing period is prolonged as 

 much as possible. Provided efficient storage room is available, 

 it is best, to plant the largest possible proportion of late 

 varieties possessing long-keeping qualities, for the prices 

 realised in December, January, and onwards are generally more 

 remunerative than earlier in the season ; this course has also 

 the advantage that apple packing during these months ensures 

 wet-weather work for the regular orchard hands. 



(2) Method of Cultivation. — As a general rule, and provided 

 that the land is suitable, the strong-growing culinary sorts, 

 which formx large heads and produce quantityrather than quality 

 are best grown as standards or half-standards ; on the other 

 hand, the weaker culinary sorts, which make small trees, and 

 dessert varieties, in which quality is as important as quantit}^ 

 should be grown as bush trees. With the present condition 

 of the labour market, it is a point in favour of standards or 

 half-standards that the width of planting facihtates horse or 

 mechanical cultivation, while, v/hen in bearing, they produce 

 a larger bulk of fruit at a lower average cost than bush trees. 

 On the other hand, they take a longer time to come into bearing, 

 and the quality, especially of dessert sorts, is not so high. 

 Standards and half-standards planted jO-40 ft. apart allow 

 for intercropping with market-garden crops or bush fruit 

 (gooseberries, currants, etc.) for ten to fifteen years after 

 planting, and with standards the costs of cultivation can 

 then be reduced to the lowest Hmit by laying the land down to 

 grass. 



For cordons only high-quality dessert varieties, giving good 

 results from spur pruning, should be considered. Several 

 culinary varieties, such as Lord Derb}/ or Grenadier, grow well 

 and yield good crops as cordons, but the fruit does not command 

 prices which will repay the cost of the extra attention required. 



(3) Locality and Soils. — Some of the chief market varieties 

 are definitely known to dislike certain situations and types 

 of soils. For this reason local knowledge should always be 

 followed closely, especially in relation to the power of a variety 

 to resist disease. In some districts certain varieties are very 

 susceptible to apple canker, and unsuitable soil and chmatic 

 conditions are usually first manifested in a we^ened power of 

 disease resistance. It is useless to plant any variety which is 

 known locally to scab or canker badly. 



