TREES FOR LONG ISLAND 



FRUITS 



Spraying insures good fruit 



aerate the soil, helping the bacteria to make the plant- 

 food available. The dust-mulch, to hold moisture, is 

 especially essential on Long Island because of the porous 

 subsoil. 



The way to start a fruit orchard for home use is to 

 plant the trees in rows 15 to 30 feet apart, and cultivate 

 them with a horse so as to stir the surface soil 3 inches 

 deep once every ten days from April to August or Septem- 

 ber. If you plant them in grass, you may plan to keep a 

 circle around each tree cultivated, but it will not be done 

 thoroughly by hand. The circle will not be wide enough, 

 the ground will be scraped inch deep once in three 

 weeks, just enough to keep away the weeds. The soil will 

 become baked and hard, allowing the ground to dry 

 rapidly. 



Planting. — In planting, cut off bruised and broken 

 roots, dig a hole wide enough to spread out the roots, 

 and pack the earth firmly. Cut back the top severely, 

 nearly or quite to a bare pole. Let new branches start out 

 to form the new framework of the tree close to the ground 

 and avoid having them opposite because they are more 

 liable to split when heavily laden. Many fruit trees die 

 because the full top is left on and the roots cannot sup- 

 port it. Few have the courage to prune because they think they are throwing away a year's growth. 



Pruning. — Pruning fruit trees is a practical subject for large commercial growers. For the home orchard it is 

 of less importance. Keep the trees headed low, so they may be thoroughly sprayed. Keep the tops open so that the sun- 

 light reaches all parts of the foliage and gives the fruit a good color. Head back Peach trees to keep them so that the 

 limbs will not be long and break down. Thin out the fruit in early summer to improve the size and flavor. 



With Raspberries and Blackberries, cut out the old wood after the fruit has ripened, cut out all the young suckers 

 as they appear during the summer except a few for next year's bearing, and cut these back during the summer to keep 

 them from getting too high. 



With Currants and Gooseberries, trim out a few of the oldest branches. 



With Grapes, cut back every winter, leaving 2 to 4 buds about every foot along the arms, and when the arms get 

 old and rough, replace with a young shoot. Spray Grapes several times during the summer with Bordeaux mixture to 

 keep off mildew and rot. Put paper bags over the young clusters to keep off fungus, and keep away the birds. 



Spraying. — Spraying for San Jose scale is still essential, although the pest has apparently lessened in the last 

 few years. There two efficient remedies: One is soap made of petroleum, one form of which is Scalecide, manufactured 

 by the B. G. Pratt Co., 50 Church Street, New York. The other is a mixture of lime and sulphur boiled together. 

 This may be secured from the Niagara Sprayer Co., Middleport, New York. There are many preparations in the trade, 



and you have only to ask in a seed, drug or paint store for 

 such articles, and follow directions. A spray pump is a 

 simple matter for a small home-orchard. A force pump and 

 a pail is sufficient; for larger operations it had best be 

 mounted on a barrel. For very large orchards and Elms, 

 a gasolene engine, pump and tank on a wagon is best, or 

 the Niagara Gas Sprayer, using compressed carbonic acid 

 gas. It is a mysterious, disagreeable operation and people 

 wait to hire someone or wait for neighborhood cooperation. 

 It is not so difficult; the main thing is for every fruit- 

 grower to get a small outfit and spray thoroughly every 

 year. Some say, "If my neighbors do not spray, there is no 

 use of my doing it." With the best of spraying, there will 

 be enough to re-stock your orchard from your own. 



For codling-moth, which makes wormy Apples and 

 Pears, spray with Bordeaux mixture and arsenate of lead, 

 when the petals of the blossoms are falling. 



Borers. — Borers are serious in Peaches and on the 

 south part of Long Island, on Apples. Dig them out with 

 a knife, chisel and wire. The borers show on Peaches in 

 masses of jelly filled with saw-dust, mostly at the base of 

 the trunk at the ground. On Apple trees, the presence of 

 borers is shown by castings also at the base. 



87 



Cutting out Peach borers. Hoe away the soil and find the 

 borer under each mass of jelly and saw-dust 



