August 1. 1904 
The Orchard. 
- OPERATIONS FOR AUGUST. 
Finish planting all kinds of deciduous 
fruit trees at once. - Manure and trench 
land intended for orange and lemon trees, 
the planting of which should take: place to- 
wards the end of August. It is adyisable 
to break up the soil at once to admit as 
much of the winter rains as possible, so as to 
make sure that the subsoil is well soaked. 
Finish pruning all deciduous trees. Early 
varieties of apples and. pears may be graft- 
ed. Manure and dig orange and lemon 
trees, taking care noti to work the manure 
into the soil near the trunks, as this often 
-causes stem decay, besides harboring insects 
which injure the bark. 
PRUNING. _ 
“One of the first things for the beginner 
to undertake, as he approaches the practice 
of pruning trees and vines, is to form some 
conception of the purposes to be served. 
Jmitation is not the foundation of intelli- 
gent; pruning, though it yields many valu- 
able suggestions. Satisfactory work rests 
upon a correct understanding of the reasons 
for each act, and to the attainment of this 
all study, observation, and experience 
should tend. Possessing this, one can pro- 
ceed capably, modifying method to meet 
condition. and producing desirable results. 
“Receive all suggestions, and then go quietly 
to the tree and study your problem in its 
shade. The tree ig the best revelator of 
its needs. Some of our best pruners are 
men who were untrained to: horticulture 
before they entered upon their orchard 
work. Reading, discussion, systematic in- 
struction, are all valuable. They save 
much time and many errors; but recourse 
to the trees affords the sovereign test of 
attainment. These may be counted among 
the practical purposes to be attained by 
pruning—(a) Convenience of the growepx ; 
(b) health and strength of the tree; (c) 
regulation of heat and light; (d) attain- 
ment of strong bearing wood; (e) attain- 
ment of size in fruit; and (f£) promotion of 
regular bearing.” On examining the tree, 
it will be found to be composed above: 
ground of a trunk from which the main 
‘branches spring, which, in their turn, pro- 
duce the laterals, on which the shoots and 
spurs which bear the fruit are to be found. 
Taking these points into consideration, one 
can hardly fail to secure rays of light upon 
the subject of pruning which seem dark to 
so many. Convenience.—Trees which 
branch near the ground are most quickly 
and cheaply handled in all the operations 
of pruning, spraying, fruit-thinning, and 
picking. Low trees, with obliquely-rising 
branches, are more easily cultivated than 
any form with horizontal branches, unless 
the head is carried so high that the teams 
pass easily under the tree. To do this 
sacrifices al] the other conveniences and 
‘economies which actually determine profit, 
and is really out of the question from a 
~ the day. 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
commercial point of view. Health and 
Strength —It is imperative in most parts 
of this State that the sunshine be not al- 
lowed to touch the bark during the heat of 
This protection is secured even 
for young trees by low branching. The low 
tree, with properly spaced branches attains 
superior strength by virtue of thick, 
sticnely knit, short growth between bran- 
ches, and by its strong, staff, obliquely-rising 
growth sustains weight which brings hort- 
zontat branches to the ground, and thus 
even high-headed trees are liable to con- 
tirually increasing interference with cul- 
tivation, and the desperate grower has to 
raise the head of his tree higher into the 
ai and farther above the profit line, while 
at the same time he renders its more liable 
to sunburn, to bark-binding, and to un- 
thrift by forcing the sap to flow an unneces- 
sary distance, and through wood and bark 
which impede its movement. Besides, a 
low tree escapes stress by strong winds 
which a high tree invites, and at the same 
tine is less able to withstand. Pruning for 
liealth and strength of the tree also in- 
cludes the removal of unthrifty or diseased 
parts, which are not only an. encumbrance 
to the tree, but may communicate to other 
parts the oauses of their ill condition. Heat 
and Light—The maintenance of strong- 
hearing wood in the lower part of the tree 
is canditioned upon the proper pruning of 
the top of the tree. How far the upper 
levels or the shade layer of the tree can 
be safely opened depends upon the local 
climate in each fruit region. The rule must 
be the higher the summer heat the denser 
the tree—the lower the heat the thinner 
the tree; but everywhere the proper con- 
dition of openness must be constantly in 
view in pruning. Not alone must this 
be done to maintain thrifty growth. below, 
but it is also essential to the best growth 
and ripening of the fruit in the lower and 
interior parts of the tree. Fruit inferior 
in size, color, and quality results in part 
from lack of pruning to regulate the admis- 
sion of light and heat, sometimes one, 
sometimes both, to the shaded portion of 
the tree. Bearing Wood.—Good fruit de- 
veicps on good bearing wood, and good 
bearing wood is the product of proper de- 
grees of light and heat as has just been 
urged; but bearing wood in, the case of 
some fruits is new wood, and the reduction 
of old wood for the purpose of forcing the 
growth of new wooed must be constantly 1 
mind. Renewal is more or less a considera- 
tion with. all trees, and especially in secur- 
ing of strong new wood. This is a point 
upon which close study of the bearing tree 
will yield most satisfactory suggestions, 
Size of Fruit—The size of fruit, providing 
the tree is healthy and vigorous, depends 
upon the character and amount of bearing 
wood which the tree is allowed to carry, 
Removal of part of the fruit burden is done 
by thinning after it is well set, but this 
labor should always be minimised by ante- 
cedent pruning, wh.ch adjusts the retention 
of bearing wood, according to the vigor, 
size, and bearing habit of the tree. Thin- 
ning out of bearing shoots and spurs, when 
1k. 
either are clearly seen to be im excess, 
should be the constant study of the pruner- 
Regular Bearing—This point is largely in- 
volved in the preceding, and affords an ad- 
ditional incentive. Regulating the 
amount of fruit borne in one year involves 
the profit of two years, because a tree can- 
not produce an excessive amount of good 
fruit and perfect buds for the following: 
year. It may generally make buds whiels 
will bloom, but not always that. If tt 
does make the bloom, it is no guarantee 
that the bloom will be strong and effective 
for bearing. Consequently pruning fer 
reasonable amount of bearing should ak- 
ways be borne in view, and should be prac- 
tised at the close of the year of non-bear- 
ing with particular diligence, if the alter— 
nate year bearing habit is to be broken up.” 
The foregoing are among the practical 
purposes to be served in pruning, and it& 
will be seen that there are various ends te 
attain; therefore have an ideal towards 
which to work, and always have an objects 
in view when severing branches, shoots, or 
spurs from any portion of the tree; never 
by any chance losing an opportunity of 
picking up any points from your neighbor. 
The form of tree which in New South 
Wales has been found to give the greatest: 
satisfaction is the low vase form (sometimes 
called the goblet form), and which shelters 
the fruit as well as the trunk, and also the 
ground in the immediate Vicinity of the 
tree from the hot summer winds and sun, 
and minimises their effects. In prui- 
ing for this form the central branch is cué 
out, and the tree is so formed as to jeave 
the centre of the tree quite open, and 
the fruiting wood is so guided that the 
centre, as well as the outside and the bot- 
fom as well as the top, has plenty of reom 
and. light to develop good fruiting wood im 
every portion of the tree. In, confining the 
tree to this form it may, to a certain ex- 
tent, tend to give it a dwarfed appearance ; 
but this is of little moment in comparisor 
with the many advantages which trees so 
trained possess over the high-stemmed 
open-centred, long-limbed shape in our very 
hot districts. The weight of the fruit is 
borne by strong, sturdy branches, which. 
will not bend and swing with every breeze. 
that blows, and while the fruit may tend 
to spread the main branches a hittle, 
even, this has no ill-effect, as the young 
growth found shooting out of the 
branches and laterals is sufficient to shade 
the interior of the tree to such an extent: 
that no harm befalls it. It is well to: Se 
that the main branches do not start from 
the trunk too close to each other. Tt 
is best to start them from different points, 
radiating around the tree and at equal dis 
tancos apart from each other. 
GRAFTING. 
The time for grafting deciduous fruit= 
trees is approaching. Grafting was referred 
to in the writings of Pliny and other an- 
clent authors. It would appear, however. 
from their writings that the principles 
were very imperfectly understood, or they 
would not have entertained the belief that: 
the vine could he grafted on the walnut er 
