Marcu 2, 1963. 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
17 
phospate of lime), which, being more 
soluble, is quicker in its action than raw 
bones. Should there be any lumps in. the 
superphosphate these must be broken and 
well mixed with the compost. Should the 
soil be dry wet it well while mixing, the 
whole to be mixed from three to five days 
before using, to allow the bones to dissolve. 
When the winter rains set in remove the 
plants from the shadehouse to the glass 
frame or greenhouse, to prevent excessive 
wet. For growers who have not a frame 
or greenhouse a light verandah is the next 
best place. While the plants are in the 
frame give air freely, and on all favorable 
occasions remove the lights. From the first 
appearance of the buds manure-water can 
be given with advantage once or twice a 
week until the flowers show color, then it 
should be discontinued. Pure water only 
should be given during the display. 
PEESESESECCOO = 
Orchard Operations for 
March. 
PSB CEOESO Se 
All fruit that is being stored must be 
gone over frequently, so that any showing 
signs of decay may ve promptly removed. 
As thd fruits ripen the atmosphere requires ° 
to be slightly drier. Apples and pears 
should not be allowed to ripen on the 
trees where they are at the mercy of every 
gale, but should be gathered when. perfect- 
ly dry, and stored until ripe. The fuller 
the fruit room the better it must be ven- 
tilated. The various fruits soon exhaust 
tho essential properties of the atmosphere, 
and cannot come to perfection unlesg. a 
constant supply is kept up. 
Summer Pruning.—Continue to thin out 
the shoots of fruit trees where they are 
still too crowded to admit the sun, light, 
and air to perfect next year’s growth. 
Enable late peaches to ripen quickly by 
a judicious thinning of crowded shoots and 
such growth as is unduly screening the 
fruit. 
Water must only be given the trees in, 
sufficient measure to perfect the root and 
wood growth for next year, and to sustain 
the leaves until the fall. Excessive dry- 
ness is injurious to the trees, as it causes 
the leaves to sere and fall prematurely. 
On the other hand, an abundance of water 
would tend to promote rank, useless 
growth. 
Clear away all fallen fruit to the 
rubbish heaps, and on no account allow 
if to rot in the orchard. 
All land intended for planting should 
now be got into readiness for the autumn 
cultivating. A large stock of manure 
should be already in reserve for the pur 
pose, and it should be collected at once 
and got into the right condition for dig- 
gingin. Land hitherto unreclaimed must 
be cleared of trees, stumps, bushes, and’ 
Noxious weeds. Burning is the safest 
way of getting rid of these nuisances. The 
ashes are always valuable, and the hot 
embers sprinkled about will further help 
to cleanse the area. By all means take 
this opportunity of making a clean, sweep 
of all impurities ; never again will such en 
excellent one offer itself. A poor, shallow 
soil should not be chosen for fruit trees, 
but if it is not a matter of choice it must 
be enriched and deepened. _ If a good soil 
is provided to a depth of from 18 in. to 
2 ft. it may be regarded as practically per- 
manent, very considerably simplifying 
future operations. Grade the land and get 
it as uniform as possible. The subsoil 
should be thoroughly broken up, so that 
it will not remain an inert mass, forming 
a barrier to the roots, and preventing 
these from benefiting from the permanent 
moisture which exists below. Where it 
is broken up in the first instance the roots 
when once established will keep it open 
aud provide ai free passage for this moisture 
to pass upwards through the soil. Every- 
thing should be done at the outset to en- 
courage a deep root system in this climate. 
Plough the soil lightly, so that it may 
benefit by exposure to the weather until 
the time arrives for it to have a thorough 
werking in the autumn prior to planting. 
Trench deeply all ground intended for 
strawberry beds, taking care not to bring 
the clay or heavy subsoil to the top. En- 
rich the soil with heavy dressings of de- 
composed manure. Select well-rooted 
runners. Choose cool, dull weather for this 
planting, and always endeavor to lift ?he 
plants with a good ball of soil. Give the 
beds a good soaking of water. 
Table grapes are plentiful in March, and 
will ibe jin degnand as long as tihe hot 
weather continues. All cultural operations 
should be directed towards hastening the 
ripening of the fruit, in order that the 
grower may be able to put them on the 
market before they pall on the public 
palate. Keep the soil free from weeds, 
sweet, warm, and just sufficiently moist 
to sustain growth. The grapes do not want 
the fierce rays of the sun to fall directly 
on them, nor a blistering nor harsh wind 
to play upon them, toughening the skins. 
These should be tempered by the surround- 
ing foliage, a mere film, as it were, screen- 
ing the fruit. Thin the shoots and leaves 
with this object. Continue to pinch out 
unnecessary laterals, and firmly secure all 
growing shoots required for next year. 
Gather the grapes when perfectly dry, 
handling them as little as possible, so as to 
preserve the bloom. Take care that the 
appearance of each bunch is not marred by 
faulty. berries. 
r6oSSStbSbSe-> 
In a few years white oranges may grace 
-the American dinner table or the Italian 
fruit wagon. The New York “ Tribune” 
states that one of the explorers of the 
Agricultural Department discovered. this 
freak of nature on the shores of the 
Mediterranean, and took some cuttings to 
the United States. These were carefully 
grafted on an ordinary stock at the depart- 
ment grounds, and are now 3 feet high. 
A couple of years will see the first fruit, 
If it proves of fine flavour, cuttings will be 
widely scattered. 
MOUNT LOFTY GARDENERS’ 
ASSOCIATION, S A. 
=oe6e= 
The principal interest of the members of 
this Association, is in floriculture, judging 
by their annual shows. It may appear a 
bold remark to make, and the judgment 
may be at fault in some respect, but 
travellers who have had the pleasure of 
visiting these shows, have unreservedly 
expressed the opinion that no better flowers 
are grown in the world. The secret of this 
reputation lies in the perfection of climatic 
conditions plus the care and knowledge of 
the gardeners. But these conditions of 
success are not peculiar to Mt. Lofty, be- 
cause all over Australia where flowers 
are grown the same favour is bestowed. 
Such places in Australia may really be des- 
cribed as the Paradise of the florist. In these 
localities there are no extremes of heat and 
cold, wet or drought, so that everything is in 
favour of the grower to attain perfection. 
The attention of the members of this 
Association is, however,. not confined to 
flowers. Fruit of most varieties, but par- 
ticularly apples, is largely grown, and the 
markets are supplied from the ranges with 
splendid vegetables: Since the introduction 
of the codlin moth, apple orchards have be- 
come a byword, and are either allowed to be- 
come a wilderness or rooted out. In spite 
of all that has been done by private enter- 
prise and edicts of the law, the codlin moth 
has infested the hills to such an extent that 
apples were written down a failure. That 
no really combined effort has been made 
by growers is probably due to the fact that 
they have other resources that stood them 
in well from a commercial point of view, 
Here and there, however, a grower is 
found who has treated the pest seriously and 
persisted in combating the evil of the moth 
pest. Sucha one is Mr. Sandow, of Grun- 
thal, who two years ago determined upon 
arsenical spraying. It would appear that a 
sound case of apples from his orchard was 
becoming a difficulty to procure, but on this, 
his second year of work, he has publicly 
announced it a perfect success. Not that 
he has entirely banished his orchard of the 
codlin moth, for it is still there, but that 
his trees are now practically free from it and 
the fruit clean. This announcement was 
received with incredulity by many growers 
who had good reason to be sceptical upon 
the results of their own efforts to combat the 
evil. 
In order to prove to demonstration the 
results of arsenical spraying the members 
of the Association journeyed to Mr. Sandow’s 
orchard, and after a careful inspection of the 
trees, they were abundantly satisfied upon 
the matter. Only on one variety of Bis- 
marck apple was it noticed that the spraying 
affected the tree itself. All the Others, 
numbering a great variety, were in no way 
affected. The object to be attained is to 
keep the fruit covered with the spray from 
its first setting as the flower petals fall. 
The theory is simple enough. It is that the 
mixture kills the grubs as soon as they are 
hatched on the fruit. A pear tree was 
pointed out as an undeniable demonstration 
of the efficacy of the spray. Last year the tree 
