December 31, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
569 
growers’ meeting the following formula for compounding a cheap and 
effective orchard fertiliser : 
40 bushels of unleached ashes. 
100 pounds of crushed or ground bone. 
100 pounds of sulphate of ammonia, or nitrate of soda. 
This quantity is to be applied at least once in two or three years. It 
supplies about 120 lb3. of, potash, 23 lbs. of phosphoric acid, and 20 lbs. 
of nitrogen. 
Nitrogen, if such be needed in greater quantities, can be obtained in 
a much cheaper way by the help of crops that are nitrogen gatherers 
(such as Clovers and Peas, which should be left on the ground to decay), 
than by outside applications. 
In a majority of cases, perhaps, yard manure is the only form in 
which plant food is ever given back to the orchard or fruit garden. 
Twelve tons of it will furnish the 120 lbs. of potash needed, but also two 
or three times as much phosphoric acid and nitrogen as required for 
the crops. It will hardly be good economy, therefore, to use yard 
manure exclusively, especially if we should have to purchase it at any¬ 
thing like full value. The cheaper way would be to apply a smaller 
quantity of yard manure, say one-half of the named quantity, or six 
tons, every second or third year, and add to it the missing GO lbs. of 
potash in the form of unleached wood ashes, muriate of potash, sulphate 
of potash, kainit, &c. My ration for the yard manure and potash salts 
combined would be six tons of the former, and 120 lbs. of muriate or 
sulphate of potash, or 500 lbs. of kainit; and would prefer to apply this 
every second year at least. 
We should fully understand, however, that simple phosphates alone 
are no manure for fruit crops. Potash, on the other hand, is the chief 
substance needed, and we cannot easily apply it in too large doses for 
fruits. A sufficiency of potash makes bush and tree fruits finer, sweeter, 
better in flavour, and renders the wood more resistent to severe cold. 
Vegetable crops usually make still heavier draughts on the potash 
stores of the soil than fruit crops. In Carrots, Mangolds or Turnips, for 
instance, we remove over 100 lbs. of potash per acre, if the crop be simply 
a fair one, and perhaps over 200 lbs. if it be a heavy one. This loss, of 
course, is usually made up by heavy dressings of yard manure, every ton 
of which returns to the soil about 10 lbs. of potash. This calls for appli¬ 
cations of at least from fifteen to twenty tons of such manure per acre 
for every crop, and for larger ones, where very large yields are obtained 
or aimed at. In every event, yard manure will be found a mo3t excel¬ 
lent fertiliser for thtse crops, and one of the best means to maintain the 
balance of soil fertility. 
The query now comes up, what to do in case that yard manure is not 
available ? Perhaps the grower, following the advice given by expert 
gardeners, has used bone flour or other phosphates for some time as a 
substitute for yard manure. He may have been very liberal in his 
applications, using a ton or more per acre ; yet in all this dressing he 
has not furnished a single pound of the potash so urgently needed, only 
a large quantity of phosphoric acid, for which his crop has little use. 
Consequently the crops must soon suffer for the want of potash, and 
perhaps of nitrogen. 
Having made the correct soil diagnosis again, the proper treatment 
is easily prescribed. Apply potaah, and perhaps some quickly available 
nitrogen. My rations, in such case, would be almost as follows, per 
acre—viz. 
(1) . 50 to 100 bushels of unleached ashes. 
200 to 400 lbs. of nitrate of soda. 
The phosphoric acid, contained in the ashes, would do no harm, and 
in some cases may be needed. 
(2) . 200 to 300 lbs. of sulphate or muriate of potash. 
200 to 400 lbs. of nitrate of soda. 
—(From Practical Farm Chemistry , by T. Greiner, La Salle , N. Y.') 
BRITISH GROWN FRUIT. 
Illustrative of what Mr. J. Wright says at page 509 regarding the 
superiority of home-grown Apphs. Upwards of a quarter of a century 
since I had on hand a large quantity of Apples saleable to fruit 
merchants at a price that would barely pay the working of them, although 
they sold similar fruit at from 2d. to 3d. per lb. I had the fruit graded, and 
sent a hamper of them, mostly Ke«wick Codlins and “ Perstons.” These 
pleased so well that an order in several days arrived for upwards of a 
dozen similar hampers, and this dozen hampers was the immediate cause 
of more orders than I could supply, while the smaller and deformed 
fruits brought a higher price amongst poorer people than I could 
possibly get from any fruit merchants. While I bear no malice towards 
fruit merchants, I have a strong antipathy to goods rising in price more 
than 100 per cent, to the consumer above what the raiser or producer 
realised, and I am astonished at the latter abandoning the custom of 
olden times dealing direct with consumers, who, as a rule, laid in stores 
of fruit annually of the good keeping sorts, and this from the poorest 
to the more wealthy, the quantity being regulated by their require¬ 
ments and purse. All had their store of Apples, the rich getting the 
luxury of Apples cooked with sugar. Its high price in those days com¬ 
pelled the artisan to be content with his Apple in its uncooked state, or, 
as a luxury, roasted or boiled. 
There can be no question that as home-grown fruit becomes more 
plentiful a different mode of putting it into consumers’ hands must be 
adopted than is practised at present; but if it is to be successful there 
must be co-operation, and a system established that fruit will be always 
plentifully exposed for sale, but never in excess. A few years since two 
persons belonging to my native town established a system of retailing 
groceries at as low a price as was paid for the same goods wholesale. 
This system has proved successful, and is rapidly extending to most 
places and commodities, and is already being felt by the monopolising 
fruit merchant, who, notwithstanding the competition, clings tenaciously 
to his 100 or more per cent, system, and even the most wealthy will not 
fail to discover that Apples can be had at half the price at their grocers 
a few yards distant. 
Producers must agitate and teach the public to their mutual interest 
before it is too late. The present generation have not the experience or 
the knowledge of many really good things in domestic economy which 
our forefathers had. Then there are too few Fenns to experiment and 
lecture us. Many luxuries and comforts are denied us because of our 
obstinacy in following fashion and custom. The producer must use 
every legitimate means in his power to spread the knowledge of good 
and bad fruit; and how to secure the latter to the interest of all 
concerned.—W. T. 
|p WOKK.foiitheWEEK,. P 
. JU j 
HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
Apples and Pears—Pruning Espalier Tree3. —Proceed with 
this when the weather is mild enough. All remains of shoots that were 
cut off at the summer pruning may now be still further reduced to about 
1 inch in length, cutting them off just above a bud. All weak wood 
should be cut off close to the main branches, and the remainder thinned 
if they are not 3 inches or more apart. Cut all wood clean out 
that has a soft or greenish appearance, which shows that it is unripe and 
useless. Any spars that are more than 2 inches in length must be 
shortened bach to a bud or cut out altogether. The uppermost branches, 
being the most favourably situated as regards the supply of sap, are very 
apt to produce these long spurs, and also strong woody pieces, which 
never make an attempt at fruiting. If not over-abundant the latter 
should also be taken clean out, but if the tree produces many of them 
it is a sure sign that the supply of sap is in excess of the requirements of 
the tree at its present size, and some of the roots must be severed before 
this state of things can be remedied. Young shoots at the ends of the 
branches should be preserved if any extension in the size of the tree is 
desirable, but they must be shortened to about two-thirds of their 
length in order to make them produce fruit spurs. This form of tree 
will produce a large quantity of fruit in a small space for a number of 
years, and is particularly well adapted for small gardens where they 
may be trained near to the walks without shading the ground overmuch, 
or taking up room required for other things ; but when they get old 
the lower branches gradually lose their strength and die away, until only 
the two upper ones are left, when the trees become unsightly. Unfor¬ 
tunately there is no remedy for this state of things, although careful 
pruning in a young state will extend the period of usefulness for several 
years, but when they become old the best plan is to cut them down and 
plant young ones instead. 
The above remarks on pruning apply equally to horizontally tiained 
trees on walls. 
Staking and Tying. —The best plan to support espalier trees is 
with iron uprights fixed in stone and fitted with fencing wires at one 
foot apart, on which the main branches are to be tied. Care must be 
taken that none of the iron uprights is placed against the main stems 
of the trees, as this would in time cause much inconvenience and 
damage to the trees. The old system of training them to stakes may be 
followed if the above is impossible. Ash stakes are very good, selecting 
them straight and clean and about 2 inches in diameter at the thickest 
end. Pull the old stakes out whole, if possible, as leaving the broken 
ends in the ground only encourages fungus among the roots. Stakeing 
and tying is warmer work than pruning, and may be done in frosty 
weather if the ground is not too hard. 
Cordons. —All kinds of these require similar treatment to the above 
as regards pruning. They are more inclined to run into wood than to 
form fruit spurs, and this is especially the case with low-trained 
horizontal cordons at the bend of the branches if they are on free-growing 
stocks. Root-pruning judiciously done is the only remedy. 
Cleansing the Trees. —Ail moss and lichen, wherever it is found, 
must be cleared away periodically from Apple and Pear trees, as it 
stops the pores of the skin and harbours insects which attack the fruit 
and foliage. Where only a few trees have to be attended to they may 
be scraped with a knife in the affected parts, but where large quantities 
are grown, and in the case of large standard trees this is impiacticable, 
and the next best remedy is to throw lime over the tops of the trees 
when they are moist enough for it to adhere to them, and to whitewash 
the main stems and large branches with hot limewash. American 
blight and canker are generally found together, although we do not, sug¬ 
gest that canker is caused by the insects. The worst places should be 
pared with a knife to get rid of all excrescences. Next wash the wounded 
