Practical  Hints  on  Fruit  Farming. 
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fence  rails  cut  into  slats  ” or  lengths  of  8 ft.,  ami  H in.  to  2 in. 
in  thickness  and  width,  into  the  ground,  and  fastening  them  at 
the  top  with  braces.  The  ends  of  the  uprights  should  he 
creosoted,  as  all  posts  and  j>arts  of  fencing  that  go  into  the 
ground  u])on  farms  should  he,  and  with  care  they  will  last 
])retty  well  until  the  tree  is  out  of  danger.  The  trees  also 
require  to  he  protected  against  rabbits  by  cages  of  galvanised 
wire  netting.  The  best  and  most  effectual  method  of  protection 
is  to  wire  the  orchard  all  round  taking  care  to  sink  the  wire 
deeply,  and  yet  to  j)lace  it  high  enough  to  prevent  the  animals 
from  jum{)ing  over.  Where  wire  is  deemed  too  costly,  the 
trees  are  often  snu'ared  with  compounds  obnoxious  to  these 
pests.  It  is  practically  essential  to  wire  plantations  containing 
bush  trees,  as  their  branches  and  shoots  are  so  close  to  tin* 
ground  that  they  fall  an  easy  prey  to  hares  and  rabbits. 
Poultry  are  an  admirable  acquisition  to  grass  orchards. 
If  placed  in  j)ortable  houses  and  moved  occasionally,  so  as 
not  to  taint  the  land  for  stock,  they  not  only  bring  in  a 
revenue  but  also  consume  (juantities  of  insects.  The  crop  of 
a hen  examined  in  the  autumn  revealed  the  bodies  of  forty 
wingless  females  of  the  winter  moth.  Their  avidity  for 
earwigs  and  weevils  is  remarkable,  and  in  their  roamings 
they  destroy  and  consume  myriads  of  the  numerous  foes  which 
assail  fruit  trees  and  bushes.  Pigs  fed  under  orchards,  if 
allowed  to  root,  not  only  manure  the  trees  but  also  im]>rove 
the  pasture.  They  should  be  ])enned  iu  a small  area  at  a time, 
and  peas  or  maize  may  be  thrown  over  the  grass,  which  is 
afterwards  harrowed  or  rolled,  and  fresh  seed  sown  if  necessary. 
(Irass,  as  is  well  known,  was  never  the  worse  for  rough  usage, 
and  a b(‘autiful  sward  is  the  result  of  this  practice.  In  cold 
or  rough  weather  shelters  may  be  erected  for  the  pigs.  Bees 
undoubtedly  fertilise  the  blossoms  aud  should  be  encouraged. 
Some  think  that  they  injure  the  bloom  by  nipping  out  the 
calyx  to  obtain  the  honey  with  greater  facility,  but  an  observer 
will  note  that  this  injury  is  due  to  birds.  It  has  been  remarked 
that  where  bees  are  kept  the  trees  surrounding  the  hives  bear 
fruit  of  better  (juality  and  heavier  in  weight,  but  this  assertion 
requires  further  impdry  aud  observation. 
CL'Ltivation  of  Spkcific  Fruits. 
Apples.  — The  A])ple  is  the  most  useful  fruit  of  commerce, 
and  always  meets  with  a large  demand  for  dessert  and  culinary 
purposes.  Uidike  most  fruits  it  can  b(>  us(‘(l  nearly  throughout 
