June 1. 1904 
The Ox¢hastd. 
OPERATIONS FOR JUNE. 
The orchardist has been busy picking and 
marketing his fruit, aud cleaning up the 
garden, and now must prepare for planting 
and cultivating. He must plant with a 
specific object in’ view, and Mr. CO. Bouge 
Luffmann ha3 some very instructive re- 
marks to make upon the business. He 
says :— 
‘‘Hvyeryone dealing with trees for profit 
-should know the functions, instinctive 
habits, and value of all their members. A 
tree above ground is composed of five more 
or less permanent parts; that is, excepting 
‘its leaves, flowers, and fruit. It bas— 
1. A trunk; from which proceed 
2. Main branches ; from the mains spring 
8. Secondary branches; from the secon- 
daries grow 
4, Laterals ; and from these 
5. Spurs or shoots. 
Fruit is borne on the latter types only, 
though they do not spring solely from the 
laterals, but may be produced direct from 
the secondaries, and, to an unimportant 
-extent, on the main branches of some 
trees. 
No matter what the variety, age, or type 
of a standard tree, these five kinds of wood 
-compose its head, and the orchardist should 
know the suitable position and proportionate 
size of each part. Al! fruit is borne on 
light wood only, therefore this must be 
generally distributed throughout the entire 
head (saving the main branches). The spur, 
or shoot, is dependent on a certain amount 
of light and air to develop its buds, their 
subsequent blossoming and perfecting of 
‘fruit. 
The following is a select list of leading 
fruits for local and export markets :— 
Goop PEaxs. 
Beure Clairgeau, May and June. 
Doyenne de Comice, June and July. 
Vicar of Winkfield, June and July. 
Eyewood, June to August. 
-Josephine de Mnulines, July and August. 
Winter Nells, July and August. 
Easter Beurre, August and September. 
L’Inconnue, August to October. 
Goop ArpiEs (June to August). 
- Jonathan. Rymer. 
Rome Beauty. Reinette de Canada. 
London Pippin Stone Pippin. 
Prince Bismarck. Scarlet Nonpareil. 
Munro’s Favorite. Cleopatra. 
Esopus Spitzenberg. Shepherd’s Perfection 
Goop Apricots (in order of ripening). 
Oullin’s Karly. Hemskirke. 
Kaisha. Mansfield Seedling. 
- Alsace. Moorpark. 
soft) ALMOonDs. 
Paper Shell. IX.L, 
Brandis Jordan. Nonpareil. 
Goop PeEaouHEs (in order of ripening). 
Alexander’s Eariy. Merchant Campbell. « 
Briggs’ Red May. Lady Palmerston. 
Downing. Salway (or Mixon 
Early Rivers. Free 
Hales’ Early. Susquehanna 
Royal George. Whatmough’s March. 
Duke of Edinburgh. | 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
VALUE OF SEAWEED FOR FRUIT- 
TREES. 
Seaweed for various garden crops ts sel- 
dom, used so freely as it might be, espe- 
cially by those whose gardens are situated 
near to the coast. Many no doubt in: the 
midlands would be only too pleased to lay 
in a store for asparagus and seakale plan- 
tations, but the distance entails too much, 
-outlay for seaweed to be used generally for 
such purposes, while others who can ob- 
tain larga quantities for the mere cost 
of carting appear to ignore its value. Those 
who have not tried seaweed in their or- 
chards or fruit gardens would be surprised. 
at the beneficial effect it has on the trees, 
especially apples and pears, when, of 
course, it is used with care and modera- 
tion. This is particularly the case during 
dry seasons. My first impression—and it 
was not a slight one—was gained at Bem- 
bridge, Isle of Wight, on land reclaimed. 
from. the sea. The soil is undoubtedly to 
a great extent composed of thoroughly de- 
cayed seaweed and sand, and the way: all 
vegetation appears to thrive in it is mar- 
vellous; and it occurred to me that for 
light soils and for use during a very dry 
season seaweed would undoubtedly prove 
more valuable as a mulch than any other 
material generally used for the purpose. 
Apart from any manurial properties it con- 
tains, it is, like salt, moisture-holding as 
well as feeding, the value and importance 
of which should not be ignored by those 
whose fruit-trees are growing in too porous 
soils and where the rainfall is light. IT 
certainly never saw more healthy trees, or 
better samples of apples, though, of course, 
the climate and situation are also very 
favorable for their production. I should not 
advise burying fresh seaweed, near to the 
roots of established trees or incorporating 
it with the soil in forming a new orchard 
or fruit garden, but frequent mulchings of 
the surface ground are, I am sure, a safe 
means of stimulating growth and sustain- 
ing the trees under the trying influence of 
a long drought. By this means it would 
gradually find its way into the lower stra- 
tum, and undoubtedly improve its staple. 
Seaweed varies considerably, some being 
far too coarse and heavy for the different 
purposes mentioned above, unless it has 
first had sufficient time for partial decom- 
position. Preference is given to that of 
a finer and lighter character, which when 
collected generally contains a fair amount 
of sand, making it more suitable in every 
way for use in the garden —P. 
COLD STORAGE, 
Wirth SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE PEACH 
AND PEAR. 
G. H. Powrert and S. H. Furton, US. 
Dept. Agr., Bureau of Plant Industry 
Bul. 40, pp. 28, pls. 7. 
hh 
Besides a general discussion of the sub- 
~ ject of cold storage, particularly as applied 
to fruit, an account is given of some experi- 
ments to determine the influence of degree 
of maturity,delayed storage, storing at dif 
li 
ferent temperatures, types of packages, 
wrapping, &c., on. the keeping quality of 
pears and peaches; also the influence of 
cold storage on the flavor and aroma of 
fruit, and. the behaviour of fruit when re- 
moved from storage. Considering the 
whole country, it is estimated that about 
300,000 bushels of pears are stored. annu- 
ally, mostly in the larger Eastern, cities. 
In the experimental work reported Bart- 
lett and Keiffer pears were the varieties 
principally used. The Bartlett is a tender 
variety of good quality, ripening in hot, 
weather. It is withdrawn, from storage 
before cool weather. The Keiffer is # 
coarse, long keeping, hard pear, ripening ie 
the fall and withdrwn from storage in cook 
weather. Work with Bartlett pears was 
carried out in western New York. Fulk 
grown but still green fruit was picked early 
in September and packed in tight and ver 
tilated barrels, in 40-lb. closed boxes, and 
in slat bushel crates. Part of the fruit im 
each lot was wrapped in unprinted news 
paper and part left unwrapped. Some of 
the fruit was put in storage within. L@ 
hours after packing, and an equal amoun& 
held 4 days before placing in storage! fre 
the storage room part of the fruit was kept 
at a temperature of 32 deg. F. and part ats 
36 deg. F. 
It was found that Bartlett pee packed 
in-a closed 40-lb. box or a sl- crate 
could be kept in cold storage i. 4 weeks 
in prime condition when stored within 4% 
hours after picking and placed in a tem- 
perature of 32 deg. F. When the fruit was 
not placed in storage until 4 days after 
picking there was a loss of 20 to 30 per 
cent. from softening and decay. Bartletts 
stored at a temperature of 32 deg. F. were 
in prime commercial condition 4 to 5 weeks 
longer than when stored at 36 deg. FL 
When packed in barrels and stored in a 
temperature of 32 deg. F. soon after pick- 
ing, the fruit at the centre became yellow 
within 3 weeks, although the outside layers 
were firm and green. ‘After 5 weeks the 
fruit at the centre of the barrels was softs 
and of no commercial value, while the ouf- 
side layers were still in good condition. 
There was practically no difference in the 
keeping capacity of the fruit in the tight. 
and the ventilated barrels. The fruit ie 
both the closed 40-lb. box and slatted crate 
kept uniformly firm and green through the 
package. The chief advantage derived 
from wrapping Bartlett pears seemed to 
lie in the mechanical protection to the 
fruit rather than in its efficiency in pro- 
longing its season. Wrapping is advised 
for superior fruit designed for first-class, 
trade. 
The Keiffer pears used were selected. 
from orchards in Maryland and Delaware. 
They were picked at 3 degrees of maturity, 
beginning when the fruit was two-thirds: 
grown and continuing until it was fully 
grown and showing a yellowish tinge 
around the calyx. Part of it was placed 
in cold storage within 48 hours after pick-- 
ing and part left 10 days in common stor- 
age before being placed im cold storage, 
Duplicate lots were stored at 32 and 36 
deg. F. respectively. Some of the fruit atk, 
