1921.] 



Renovation of Farm Orchards. 



•293 



In arranging lor such demonstrationB Committees should, 

 as far as possible, work on uniform lines. The selected orchards 

 should be in districts where old orchards are plentiful; they 

 should also be of average size, and near main roads. They 

 should either be farmed by an owner-occupier or held under a 

 lease, and, as a general rule, should be taken over for a period 

 of not less than ten years. An agreement should be drawn up, 

 and the consent of the landlord, as well as the tenant, obtained, 

 so that in the case of any change of tenancy the work can be 

 continued by the incoming tenant. The agreement should 

 make the occupier responsible for the labour for carrying out 

 the manual operations involved (planting, fencing, staking, 

 pruning, heading back, top-grafting, spraying, grease banding, 

 picking, storing, grading and packing, marketing, &c.) under 

 instruction from the experts of the County Committee. These 

 would be assisted by the County Committee and by the West 

 of England Fai-m Orchards Committee acting in an advisory 

 capacity. 



The County Committee would undertake to supply to the 

 farmer at cost price any new trees or grafts that may be 

 required. These probably could be obtained from the Ministry's 

 Eesearch Stations at East Mailing, Kent, or Long Ashton. 



Under such a scheme the occupiers would supply the material 

 for demonstrations and labour, while the County Committees 

 would supply expert technical knowledge and direction for 

 carrying out the work. It should be found, after a period of 

 years, that orchards had increased their out-put many times 

 over; and the owners and occupiers, besides reaping this 

 advantage, would have the satisfaction of helping the district 

 to acquire much useful knowledge, which should be of distinct 

 commercial advantage. 



The following is a list of the varieties of apples recom- 

 mended for planting in the neglected orchards selected for 

 demonstration : — 



Desi<frt varieties. 

 AUington Pippin. 



Kill*;' of the Pippins. 

 Rlenlieini Orange. 

 Worcester Poarniain. 



Culinaru varieties. 

 Anne Elizabeth. 

 Ivhvard VII. 

 Warner's King. 

 BraniU'V Set'dhng. 

 Newton Wonder. 

 Underleaf. 

 S(M)tcli Bi i<lget. 



