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FRUIT CULTURE. 



MR. BUNYARD in his excellent practical articles upon various phases of fruit culture has 

 given almost all the information readers could desire, but as fruit culture is an important 

 industry a few more articles follow to give further assistance, in case any be needed after 

 the foregoing practical information. 



THE APPLE. 



If the Grape is the prince of hothouse fruits, the Apple 

 is certainly king amongst hardy fruits. None can equal 

 it in point of usefulness; it is a fruit for the cottager 

 as well as for the rich. Apples can be had in use for fully 

 ten months of the year if space is available to plant 

 sufficient trees and a wise selection of varieties be made. 

 Dessert Apples are ready for use at the end of June, and 

 these and the kitchen varieties last until the end of the 

 following April. Apples can be grown almost anywhere, 

 provided the weather at the time of blossoming is favourable. 

 No matter the sorts and how well they are attended to, if the 

 weather is not suitable for, say, one week at the time the 

 blossoms are expanding, success cannot follow. It would 

 be quite useless to plant some varieties in certain kinds of 

 soil, but in the same soil others would grow; therefore, it is 

 plain that a judicious selection of varieties must be made, as 

 this has such an important bearing on the results. 



Varieties are chosen sometimes that are not suitable for 

 the kind of soil in which they are to grow, the trees are not 

 of the right character, and the planting of them is ill- 

 managed, while the after attention is faulty. When all these 

 points are borne in mind, what wonder if we are told that 

 Apples will not grow in a particular neighbourhood. 



Selection Of Varieties. — Although there are many 

 important details in connection with successful Apple 

 culture, the selection of suitable varieties demands unusual 

 consideration. As previously stated, it is possible to 

 grow Apples in any soil ; but where this is naturally un- 

 favourable special preparation must be made and the after 

 attention must be of the right kind. Soil that is of a heavy and 

 retentive nature, especially during the winter, is a trouble- 

 some kind to deal with. In such a soil as this canker is pre- 

 valent with some sorts. The reason for this is, that the bark of 

 the branches does not mature thoroughly, owing to such soil 

 being cold and retentive of moisture during the winter and 

 early spring. Severe frost coming then often injures the 

 bark t'ssues, causing canker to spread over such parts as 

 are affected by the frost. In ^iich a soil the varieties 

 named will generally succeed if the details given as to 

 planting and alter management are carefully carried out. 

 Except for special needs, such as forming a collection, it is 

 a mistake to grow many varieties. For home use or for 

 market requirements it is far better to plant several trees of 

 one variety that is well known to be desirable and that will 

 succeed in the soil to be employed. If varieties succeed in 

 unfavourable soil, they are certain to do so in that which 

 is favourable to their requirements. 



Kitchen Varieties. — The sorts named in this section 

 will give fruit from July until May, thus covering a long 

 season. Lord Grosvenor, July and August, is an Apple 

 very similar in character to the well-known Lord Suffield, 

 and, like it, is of the Codlin type. It is, however, superior 

 to that old favourite, because the trees do not canker 

 as in the case of Lord Suffield. Ecklinville, September ; 

 Mank's Codlin, September. This is a capital sort to plant 

 where space is limited, as its growth is not vigorous, and it 

 succeeds also raised from cuttings. Warner's King, Golden 

 Spire, and Stirling Castle, October ; Lane's Prince Albert, 

 New llawthornden, and Bismarck, November ; Golden 

 Noble, Alfriston, and Mere de Menage, December ; Wel- 

 lington, Annie Elizabeth, and Royal Jubilee, January and 

 February ; Bramley's Seedling, Sandringham, and Northern 

 Greening, March ; French Crab and Newton Wonder, 

 April and May. If a lesser number only is required, select 

 from the above Lord Grosvenor, Ecklinville, Warner's King, 

 Lane's Prince Albert, Alfriston, and Bramley's Seedling. 



Dessert Varieties. — Irish Peach and Devonshire 

 Quarrenden, August ; Lady Sudeley, Worcester Pearmain, 

 and Red Astrachan, September ; King of the Pippins and 

 Benoni, October ; Cox's Orange Pippin, Blenheim Orange, 

 and Cockle Pippin, November ; Baumann's Red Reinette 

 and Claygate Pearmain, December and January ; Stunner 

 Pippin, D'Arcy Spice, and Fearn's Pippin, January and 

 February. 



For a less numerous selection the following are 

 desirable : Irish Peach, Lady Sudeley, Worcester Pearmain, 

 King of the Pippins, Cox's Orange Pippin, and Stunner 

 Pippin. 



The kind of trees to be planted is an important detail. 

 Circumstances in all cases will decide this point. If an 

 orchard in grass is to be iormed where cattle can graze 

 under the trees, standards are preferable, and so they h re if 

 small fruit is to be grown in amongst the Apples Standard 

 trees are best budded or grafted on the Crab or seedling 

 stock. The roots of the Crab are stronger and mure 

 rambling, which is a point in their favour, as standard- 

 grown trees require more nourishment, therefore the far- 

 reaching roots ot the Crab are desirable. 



If a quantity of fruit is required in a small space bushes 

 are prelerable ; they are more easily managed and more 

 suitable for small gardens. The stock best suited for these 

 where the varieties are of strong growth, like Warner's King 

 for example, is the English Nonsuch Paradise. The roots 

 of this stock are fibrous, and are generally close to the 

 surface. In strong soil the Paradise slock is not so suitable 

 as the free stock, or what is known as the seedling stocks, 

 which are really the result of sowing the seeds as taken 

 from the cider mills. As an illustration of what is meant, 

 Lane's Prince Albert, which is of moderate growth, should 

 be grown on the seedling stock, while Bramley's Seedling, 

 a vigorous-growing sort, succeeds on the Paradise where 

 bush trees are required. 



Bush-grown trees are those whose branches start within 

 a few inches of the ground and never grow high, obviating 

 the use of ladders to gather the fruit. Pyramid-trained 

 trees are not so much in request as formerly ; they are more 

 remarkable for the symmetry of their branches than for 

 the fulness of their fruit crop. To obtain really perfect 

 pyramids training and pruning are necessary before the 

 final shape is assured. It is not by vigorous hand pruning 

 that heavy crops of fruit are obtained, rather the reverse. 

 Horizontally-trained trees are really a desirable form of 

 training, especially where a suitable situation can be found. 

 For instance, alongside paths in the kitchen or fruit garden 

 well-trained trees are prolific, and certainly are neat in 

 appearance. Upright cordon-trained trees have much to 

 recommend them; they are well adapted for filling in vacant 

 spaces between other trees when new ones of the ordinary 

 fan-trained kind are planted. These cordon-trained Apple 

 trees fruit freely, and form a feature also where they can be 

 planted at the side of the garden paths and trained over 

 them in arch fashion. Cordon-trained trees are those 

 restricted to one stem. 



The situation for the production of Apples is an 

 important point, and is nearly always dominated by 

 circumstances. Shelter from south-west and east winds 

 is very important. The former exposure results very 

 often in a loss of the fruit when attaining full size and 

 approaching maturity in October. Easterly winds are 

 very often to blame for a thin crop if it comes when the 

 trees are in full bloom. 



Planting 1 . — The bet lime to plant the trees is early in 

 November, or directly the leaves fall, so that the trees will 

 have time to settle down thoroughly to enable them to make 



