SEPTEMBER 1, 1902. 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
17 
PRUNING. 
The first year the tree should be pruned 
with the buds outwards, to form the tree 
as soon as possible, which should be ac- 
ccmplished in the first five years. The 
ideal tree in Tasmania should be formed 
on the lines of an inverted umbrella, and 
should the same, from whatever cause, be 
weakly, it is advisable to remove most of 
the spurs and fruit buds, the main object 
being to produce at the outset a vigorous 
tree, and not fruit, which will come later 
on. The reason for training the tree after 
th> fashion of an inverted umbrella is to 
secure the maximum amount of sunshine 
and atmospheric circulation, thus produc- 
ing large and well-colored apples. Root 
pruning is not sufficiently practised in Tas- 
mania. This can be done in winter with 
a sharp spade, and care should be taken 
not to bruise the roots in any way which 
weuld render them liable to become a 
nidus for blight or other disease. The 
object in this branch of an orchardist’s 
werk is to sever the main roots, thus pro- 
ducing lateral ones and small feeders. 
Severe pruning and bud pruning have, as 
yet, been little practised in this State, but 
in different parts of America the results 
have been most successful. The method 
is to disbud in the winter, pruning all 
lower buds to about two feet from the 
ground in dwarf trees, and thin all fruit 
buds to one or, at the most, two, with the 
result of a much finer class of fruit from 
less blossom and a marked resistance to 
late frosts. Bud pruning must not be 
done promiscuously, as certain varieties do 
not require it, notably the Cleopatra, the 
tendency being to drive them to wood ; but | 
in the case o1 the Scarlet Nonpariel, King 
of the Pippins, French Crab, and Sturmer 
Pippin, which are most prolific bearers, 
and inclined to bear small-sized fruit, you 
can, by this method, produce apples of 
large size and good color. ‘ 
CULTIVATION AND IRRIGATION. 
Most of .the ploughing and digging 
should be done in the autumn. The 
ground should be thoroughly moved to a 
depth of one foot, so that the sun and air 
can thoroughly pulverise the soil. Land 
with a large percentage of clay cannot be 
dug too roughly, as long as itis thoroughly 
moved, the winter frosts being powerful 
disintegrators. Light soil should be thor- 
oughly broken down, otherwise it will re- 
mainin hard clods. Throughout the sum- 
mer the land should be kept thoroughly 
stirred and all weeds destroyed, this being 
best accomplished with a light American 
scarifier and disc harrow; but on no ac- 
count should this operation take place 
when the soil is wet. 
Irrigation should begin in December, 
and great care taken not to let the water 
, 
>* THE ORCHARD. %& 
BR 
CULTIVATION OF THE APPLE.—(Continued.) 
en 
, 
By Mr. S. SHOOBRIDGE, 
liv “The great secret in irrigating is to 
keep the fruit growing, as then it will 
fiil out and thoroughly mature. If the 
fruit is allowed to stop growing and then 
watered it will not keep, hence the im- 
pression watered fruit will not keep. In 
parts of America winter irrigation is prac- 
tised. Ithas been tried in Tasmania, but 
the results are doubtful. 
MAnvrine. 
In manuring for a given object, it is ne- 
cessary to know the composition of the 
matured product for a guide as to what 
should be applied. The following repre- 
sents the mineral composition of the 
apple : — 
Potash +....2... -..2.. 35:66*per cent: 
Sodai ws se. +. 26,09 per cent. 
Magnesia... ... ... ... 8.75 per cent. 
(nim peep eee eer. cue! OS pergcent: 
ir orLesesees eet one ceemn ls OSpenecent: 
Phosphoric Acid ... 13.69 per cent. 
Sulphuric Acid ... ... 6.09 per cent. 
Silicic Acid 4.32 per cent. 
An analysis of the soil will reveal the 
presence of all or any f the above being 
in abundance or deficient, but too much 
cannot be taken tor granted if the former 
condition prevails, as it is more a ques 
tion of availability rather than actual 
quantity. Lime is one of the best 
materials that can be used, although not 
strictly a manure in its-action. It sets 
free the chemical constituents of the soil, 
and promotes a crumbly structure, making 
the land easy to work. It should be 
lightly worked into the soil in the autumn. 
Farmyard manure, when obtainable, will 
aid in the maintenance of the humus in 
the soil, as well as add to fertility. The 
ploughing-in of leguminous crops is 
another method of keeping up the supply 
of humus, as wellas nitrogen. The appli- 
cation of such fertilisers as phosphates and 
nitrates will, in great measure, depend for 
success upon the discrimination of the 
grower in regard to the condition of the 
soil and the trees. Potash is, of all 
manures, one of the most important for 
fruit growing. Its high percentage in the 
composition of the apple, as well as its ten- 
tency to render the foliage immune from 
insect depredations, have made this 
mineral very popular amongst  fruit- 
grcewers. The presence of lime in the soil 
for the best results when using potash for 
fruit trees is being better appreciated in 
this State. 
DiskAsEs oF THE APPLE AND TREATMENT. 
‘Apple growing, or, for the matter of 
that, any fruit culture, is not simply a 
matter of planting the trees and cultivat- 
ing the land. Were this the case under 
our existing favorable conditions, there 
would not be much profit in the business. 
Destructive agents, both insect and fun- 
goid, claim a large annual share of the 
orchardist’s product. _ At the same time, 
it must be recognised that if every apple 
which set matured, prices would be con- 
siderably reduced in seasons of heavy 
yields. The ideal orchard is one which 
produces annually a good average crop of 
the finest marketable apples. Fruit pests 
not only destroy a large quantity of fruit, 
but they largely reduce the value of what 
is marketed by an indirect influence on the 
vitality of the tree. The only course open 
to a grower is to endeavor to control the 
pests by artificial means, and thin out, the 
fruit when heavy yields occur. Whilst in 
this State we are still free from some of 
the worst pests to be met with, yet the 
following will be found of quite sufficient 
magnitude and destructive power to ab- 
sorb the orchardist’s attention when pre- 
sent. 
Tur Coprin Mors (Carpocapsa 
Pomonella.) , 
In favorable seasons the above is a very 
troublesome pest, and yet the adoption of 
the several metliods prompted by a know- 
ledge of its life history and recent. experi- 
ments will materially curtail its destruc- 
tiveness. Banding the trunks of the trees 
in the spring and picking the infected fruit 
—a, provision of the Legislature in this 
State—is an effective course of procedure, 
if concerted action could be secured ; but 
experience shows that too much cannot be 
relied on in this respect, owing to the 
apathy of small fruitgrowers. It, there- 
fore, devolves upon the progressive or- 
chardist to adopt the more advanced 
method of using arsenical sprays. Many 
will be found in works on horticulture, as 
also the method of application ; but some- 
little tenacity of purpose on the- part of 
the user must be cultivated to overcome 
the vagaries of climate, as rain, following. 
on spraying, iff in any quantity, necessitates 
a repetition of the operation. 
Black Spot (Fusicladium dendriticum) 
is, perhaps, the most formidable enemy 
to apple growers in those parts of the State 
where the climatic conditions favor its de- 
velopment. The writer, however, is glad 
to learn of the success attending the use 
of the Bordeaux mixture in the repression 
of this fungus. Several scale pests, notably 
the mussel scale (Mytilaspis pomorum). 
have to be reckoned with, but where re- 
medial measures have been attempted. 
satisfactory results have been secured. I 
regret that want of space forbids even a 
passing reference to several other minor 
pests. 
GATHERING AND STORAGE. 
Fruit should not be gathered until it is 
full grown, well colored, and the pips 
turning black. This is as it should be 
picked, not as is often the case in Tas- 
mania, when it is picked before properly 
matured, owing to the early shipment of 
apples to London. These early ship- 
ments, causing growers to fill allotted space 
with immature fruit, are the chief reason 
for the complaints that the fruit in the 
ecmmencement of the season at home is 
shrivelled, not colored, &, ,e cannot, 
