16 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
JANUARY I, 1903. 
Orchard Notes. 
er 
January is an exceedingly busy month 
with the fruitgrower. He is in most cases 
realising the biggest results of his year’s 
labors. It is a month replete with duties, 
opportunities, and possibilities. The soil 
must have increased attention in the mat- 
ter of hoeing and cultivating, as it is much 
trodden down during the harvesting of the 
fruit, and the general tendency is to allow 
it to become dirty and neglected. On 
large areas the disc around should be kept 
going, especially after the heavy tropical 
showers that frequently characterise the 
month. Peaches and apricots will now be 
yielding crops. Peaches must be ripe but 
firm before gathering. Apricots if full sized 
and well colored will ripen after leaving 
the tree. Both should be handled as little 
as possible. The canning and sun-drying 
of these fruits is a profitable way of dispos- 
ing of them, and tends considerably to ease 
the market when threatened with a glut. 
Fruit should be firm, fleshy, and sweet for 
this purpose. The art of preserving 
prunes, the drying of peaches and apricots, 
to say nothing of raisins, currants, and figs, 
is still in its infancy in this country, not- 
withstanding climates admirably suited 
exist in the northern portions of New 
South Wales, and Victoria and in South 
Australia generally. Until this industry 
is thoroughly developed growers will con- 
tinue at the mercy of a fluctuating market. 
There are many instructive publications 
for those who would be informed on the 
subject. 
Stone fruit intended for the fresh fruit 
market demand a pretty prompt disposal, 
as they do not stone well. They should be 
very carefully graded. Honesty is un- 
doubtedly the best policy, and uniformity 
of size and quality maintained. The lower 
erades will not thus detract from the value 
of the hich quality fruit, but can be packed 
separately and offered at a lower rate. Jam 
factories usually absorb a good deal of the 
inferior fruit. It may occur to the progres- 
sive grower at this season that with im- 
proved cultural methods all his fruit might 
be of the first grade. All stone fruits for 
transit must be carefully packed in boxes 
lined with soft paper and relieved of all 
possible pressure. For canning only fruit 
of the best quality must be used. The 
Moor Park apricot can scarcely be improv- 
ed upon. These come in towards the end of 
January, as also do the Williams’ Bon 
Chretian pears, excellent for this purpose. 
One of the best canning peaches is the 
Lady Palmerston. which will not be ready 
until March. Those who grow fruit for 
commercial purposes cannot be too parti- 
cular as to the details connected with the 
appearance of the fruit thev offer; appear- 
ance counts for so much. The pity is that 
the large quantity of inferior fruit is out of 
all proportion to the quantity of really first 
class fruits on offer, and all because there 
is a want of thoroughness in the cultural 
methods. People attempt more than they 
can conscientiously accomplish. 
supplies of water given at this period will 
help to swell the fruit of apples and pears. 
The destructive gales experienced in. No- 
vember will have thinned the fruit very 
considerably, and in some cases the spurs, 
too, but where this has not been done ruth- 
lessly by the wind the trees may be reliev- 
ed of some of the crops, especially the small 
unpromising fruit, which are very often the 
result of imperfect fertilization, and all 
that seem to be in excess and.-are interfer- 
ing with the development of those re- 
quired. 
Summer pruning to obtain light wood of 
a fruiting character may now be done. 
Apples, pears, apricots, and plums may 
have the shoots not required for extension 
pinched or broken beyond the fourth or 
fifth bud. This should lead to the deve- 
lopment of weak side shoots which will 
eventually become fruiting spurs. Thin 
cut crowding shoots and spurs and the 
leading wood to admit light and air to 
ensure the proper development and ripen- 
ing of the fruiting wood, and to keep the 
trees clean and free from insect pests and 
digease. Peaches do not require more than 
a little thinning of their laterals and lead- 
ing shoots. Gooseberries, red and white 
currants should be thinned, and have their 
side growths shortened. Black currants 
only require the old and crowding branches 
removed. They are not summer pruned. 
Remove weak and superfluous canes from 
raspberries, and take care not to injure 
the young canes when gathering the fruit, 
as they will be required to furnish future 
crovs. Cultivate all tliese bush fruits, and 
encourage them to make a free growth dur- 
ing the summer. Thin out strawberry run- 
ners. select the best for layering and have 
beds or borders deeply trenched for their 
reception. Keen all strawberry plants well 
watered and give liquid manurét€o those 
that have recently borne. Continue to treat 
citrus as advised in the last issue. The 
budding of peach, apricot, cherry. and 
citrus trees can be proceeded with, although 
in earlier districts it can be delayed with 
advantage unfil February. 
Bandage traps for codlin moth can still 
be placed on apple trees, while those on the 
trees should be examined from time to 
time to destroy the insects concealed in 
them. Continue to remove all superfluous 
growth, and see to the fastenings of trellis- 
ed vines. In anticipation of a heavy crop, 
the supports should be of sufficient 
strength. Do not allow more than two or 
three bunches on a branch to remain, and 
nip the shoots a joint or so beyond the 
fruit. Allow the grapes a free current of 
air and light and warmth without unduly 
exposing them to the fierce heat. Allow 
them to be slightly screened by their own 
leaves without a heavy mass of foliage 
choking them. Tf the season should turn 
cold and wet thin the foliage severely, so 
that the fruit may benefit by all ‘the 
Liberal »’ 
normal size. 
warmth available. Keep the soil round 
vines clean and well weeded. Prune and 
cultivate to maintain a steady, even temr 
perature. A warm, moist atmosphere and 
warmth and moisture and sweetness in the 
soil are ideal conditions for the vine. 
PFOSGOCOCO6S—-. 
Vegetable =< Garden 
OPERATIONS. 
=e6oe= 
The present month is exceedingly trying 
both to the vegetable and its grower. 
The principal operation is watering, con- 
tinual and regular watering to sustain a 
free, quick growth in the plants, and not 
to allow them to flag or droop for a single 
moment. The advantage of well enriched, 
well mulched beds will be very obvious, 
considerably lightening the labor of cul- 
tivation and materially affecting the 
results. Weeds must be kept in check, 
all exhausted crops and remains of plants 
should be removed to the rubbish heap, and 
beds lately occupied kept lightly hoed or 
the soil renewed and well enriched ready 
for another planting. Seeds of vegetables . 
for autumn planting can now be sown, 
among these cabbages (early and late varie- 
ties), celery, turnips, carrots, French beans, 
salads, and cauliflowers, spinach, and silver 
beet may also be sown for autumn use. 
Continue to sow radishes where they will 
be afforded shade and abundant moisture. 
Celery trenches must have copious supplies 
of water and liquid manure. Additional 
trenches can be prepared either for a fresh 
sowing or the reception of young plants. 
The seedlings from recent sowings should 
be carefully thinned to allow each little 
plant ample room to develop itself. Car- 
rots, turnips, parsnips, and lettuce should 
all be thus dealt with. Water before thin- 
ning, and again after, to prevent disturb- 
ance of the roots. Onions can still be pulled 
when they are dry, and stored in a cool, 
airy shed. 
Give plenty of water and liquid manure 
to melons while the fruit is growing and 
swelling, but lessen the supplies as they 
begin to show signs of ripening. Melons 
require to be artificially fertilised when in 
flower. Cucumbers, marrows, and pump- 
kins want even more abundant supplies of 
water. All this family is benefited by 
having their growth regulated, stopped, 
and thinned. Pinch the fruit-bearing 
shoots a joint or so beyond the fruit, and 
in the case of a heavy crop of melons thin 
out the fruit. Cut marrows and cucumbers 
when they have attained about half their 
The flavor is incomparably 
sunerior at this stage. 
Keep the soil moist round tomatoes, 
never allowing it to entirely dry out. See 
that the plants are firmly secured to the 
supports, and pinch out the laterals as they 
