8 THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
The removal of the corolla balks the 
bees and other honey-seeking insects, 
either by the loss of color or by the absence 
of an alighting place, or both. The buz- 
zing Archimedes finds no place for his lever 
and goes his way, the honey unsipped and 
the pistil free from contact with pollen- 
dusted body. Mr: Burbank finds it, in 
most cases, unnecessary to cover the emas- 
culated bloom to avoid instruction of un- 
desirable pollen by insect agency. 
He chooses for pollination the time when 
the first hum of the bees is heard in the 
trees. 
time most favorable, and believes the pis 
til is then in its most receptive state. The 
instrument of pollination is the finger tip. 
Applied to the dusted surface of the plate, 
either by a mere touch or a slight rubbing, 
enough pollen adheres. The finger tip is 
then quickly touched to the pistils of the 
prepared blossom one after another. They 
welcome the pollen and the fructifying 
agency begins at once its Journey to the 
ovule. No matter what comes now, on 
the wind or otherwise, the opportunity for 
outside pollen has passed. The touch of 
the finger has covered the stigma with the 
chosen elements and sealed it safe from 
further instructions. 
In his ‘choice of the unaided hand as the 
instrument of pollination, Mr. Burbank has 
not only vastly simplified and made more 
expeditious the act of pollination, but 
there is also involved a profound tribute to 
the superiority of the trained hand in di- 
rectness and delicacy for what lies within 
its unaided scope. Recourse to instru- 
ments and appliances is often essential, 
but, in many lines of human effort, the 
direct contact of the finger tip works won- 
ders impossible with intermediaries. It 
is an interesting reflection that when Na- 
ture’s direct agencies, the bustling bees, 
are put to flight the human hand enters 
directly for man’s specifilc purpose. Natu- 
rally, particular skill is acquired by long 
practice, and some of Mr. Burbank’s most 
trusted employees have done much of this 
work for years. 
The seed resulting from: cross-pollinated 
bloom is, of course, gathered with great 
care; seedlings are grown, and the closest 
watch is kept upon their characters and 
habits from germination onwards. The 
little seedlings may disclose its combined 
parentage or give sign that it has drawn 
up something from’ the profound depths of 
the converging streams of its remote ances- 
try, long before it reaches blooming or 
fruiting stage. Tokens which would escape 
the ordinary observer become clear as mile- 
stones indicating the life courses of the 
‘new plant to the skilful propagator. The 
art of selection begins, then, early in the 
development of the crossbred plants. In- 
calculable numbers of them may be de- 
stroyed. fox their too evident adherence to 
the old types, and only one or, perhaps, 
thousands, be retained because they give 
promise of breaking away from such bon- 
dage. Whenever su'ch selected seedlings 
are capable of budding or grafting they 
are thus introduced to the forcing influence 
of old plants of the same class and hurried. 
to flower or fruit in this well-known way. 
He finds all ‘conditions at that 
A single old plant or tree may thus force 
iis sap into the cells of hundreds of buds 
ox grafts of new varieties, and can, be con- 
vinced. to be as surprised at the multitude 
of strange forms and colors appearing on 
its old branches as a mother hen would 
be at hatiching a brood of blue jays. 
The Orchard. 
OPERATIONS FOR SEPTEMBER. 
During the month of August the ground 
of orchards will have been properly culti- 
vated. We have always recommended per- 
sistent cultivation and drainage of the soil. 
Slovenly work is of no use whatever. Do 
everything thoroughly. Continuous aerating 
of the soil by turning it up to receive the 
alternations of sunshine and rain to keep it 
sweet, and the addition of manure to keep 
it in good heart are the necessary require- 
ments of water, care being taken to use the 
cultivator or plough in the direction that 
will carry off surplus water. We have re- 
peatedly seen the cultivation of orchards 
left in such a fashion that the water cannot 
possibly get away. This isa mistake. A 
little common sense should obviate this. 
Winter pruning will have been com- 
pleted. The later kinds of trees may still 
be planted for a while as the season is later 
than usual. 
The next business to engage attention is 
the preparation for spraying. The sun will 
soon be gathering strength, and as the 
trees put forth their vigor in bursting buds 
the worst pests are released from their 
winter hybernating quarters. To kill them 
off before they get a chance to spread and 
deposit eggs is the best prevention, and the 
sprayer must be got to work without much 
delay. We are great believers in Kedzie’s 
Arsenite of Soda, and give the process of 
making it as published before, and as given 
in the ‘Journal of Agriculture’:—The 
solution of Kedzie’s arsenite of soda sup- 
plied is to be used at the rate of 1 pint in 
40 gallons of lime water. 
The following method of compounding 
the spray wash is recommended :—Take not 
less than 4 1b.—a little more is desirable on 
account of waste—of lumpy quicklime, 
quite fresh, and newly burat, and slake it 
slowly by adding small quantities of water 
from time to time until the lime crumbles 
to powder and yields up its heat. Then 
thin down with clean water and straiu out 
the sediment by passing the liquid through 
a bag or other close strainer. The pint of 
arsenite of soda should then be stirred into 
this strong milk of lime. After a short 
time the lime and arsenic mixture may be 
_ poured into the body of clean water which 
is required to make up the 40 gallons of 
spray wash. 
Where it is desirable to combine Bor- 
deaux mixture with this spray the arsenite 
of soda should be prepared in milk of lime 
as outlined above, and then mixed with the 
diluted Bordeaux instead of clean water to 
“make up the required volume of spray 
wash, as follows:—Suspend 4 lb. of blue- 
stone just beneath the surface of 10 gallon 
of water in a wooden tub or barrel over- 
night, and in the morning it will be in solu- 
Eeptember 1, 1904 
t8on. Slake 4 lb. of fresh lime, ‘thin and 
strain as described above, and then dilute it 
to 10 gallons with clean water. Into 
another lot of strong lime water, made by 
slaking and straining 4 lb. of fresh lime, 
pour | pint of the arsenite of soda. The 
10 gallons of lime water and the 10 gallons 
of bluestone water are now mixed toge- 
ther, and the lime water containing the 
pint of arsenite is poured into this in turn- 
Enough clean water to make up the 40 gal- 
lons of spray is then added. This wash 
would then contain equal to 8 Ib. of lime, € 
lb. of bluestone, 1 pint of arsenite, and 46 
gallons of water. Freshly burnt lumpy 
quicklime is absolutely essential to avoid 
burning the foliage and fruits, and a little 
excess of fresh lime will dono harm, while 
a much larger quantity of stale lime will 
not act as a substitute for the quantities of 
fresh lime given herein. The arsenite of 
soda, as supplied in the ‘tins, will destroy 
vegetation, and to change it into arsenite of 
lime, which will not injure the trees, fresh 
lime is essential. 
The first spraying should be given ag 
soon as the young fruits are formed, and 
the second about nine days later. In these 
two operations the spray should be driven 
into the calyx cup of each fruit. The third 
spraying should be applied 14 days later 
than the second. The fourth should follow 
21 days later, and the fifth at a similar in- 
terval after the fourth. The object of the 
operator should be to keep the fruits coated 
all over with the spray. 
TREE PLANTING. 
By Mr. W. Rogers. 
As the result of bad planting hundreds of 
trees that are put in the ground never 
grow; hundreds more drag out a misex- 
able existence for a short time and them 
die. The few hints I now offer will be a 
humble attempt to remedy this, because it 
is very unsatisfactory for any one, after 
going to the trouble and expense of procax— 
ing and planting trees, to have them die- 
Hard and fast rules for planting, cannot 
be set down any more than for any other 
branch of gardening, and the best rules and 
experience must yield in some measure te 
circumstances, soil, and situation. How- 
ever, the few hints I shall offer may lead to 
a discussion that may in some degree re— 
medy this evil. 
PREPARING THE SOIL. 
As much depends on this, I would. advise 
wide each way, the soil thrown out so as 
that some attention be given to ti.. »repa— 
ration of the soil. This may be. . any 
time in the summer, but the eam: he 
better. A hole should be dug 4 or tt 
to be well pulverised by the sun, and, if. « 
soil is very stiff, it might be turned over 
or pulled about with the cultivator once or 
twice, so that the sun may get to every part 
ofit. This may seem a great deal of Jabor, 
but I think it will be repaid by the result 
that will follow. ere: 
Time FOR PLANTING. . 
The best time for planting orange trees 
and evergreen shrubs 1s, I think, the month 
of May, or the latter part of April if there 
has been. ai sufficient rainfall but if it can- 
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