1 May, 1899.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 415 
Orchard Notes for May. 
By ALBERT H. BENSON. 
Tux hints given in last month’s notes on the gathering, handling, and marketing 
of citrus fruits apply equally to the present month, with this difference, how- 
ever, that even more care is required, as the riper,citrus fruits become, the more 
readily are they bruised and injured. May being usually a more or less dry 
month on the coast, the opportunity should be taken of cleaning up all weeds 
and rubbish that may have accumulated during the summer and autumn, and 
getting the surface of the land into a good state of cultivation, so that the 
comparatively small rainfall of the winter months may be conserved in the soil 
for the trees’ growth. Unless this is done, fruit trees, especially citrus, are 
apt to suffer, especially if growing on shallow or badly drained soil with a 
retentive subsoil. Where not already done, all dead or worthless trees should 
be dug out; and if fresh trees are to be planted in the same place, then the 
holes from which the trees have been taken should be allowed to remain open, 
and the soil should be well exposed to the action of the atmosphere and be well 
sweetened. ‘Land intended for planting during the winter should be got ready, 
more especially if it is new land, asit is a mistake to delay the preparation of 
the land too much, or to plant the trees in raw, unsweetened, and improperly 
prepared land. What planting has to be done, see that it is done well, as an 
acre of land properly prepared will pay better than twice or three times that 
quantity treated anyhow. 
_ Towards.the end of the month slowly soluble manures, such as boiling- 
down refuse or coarse bones, may be applied to the land, as they will become 
slowly available; and when the spring growth starts, they trees will get the 
benefit. Quickly soluble manure should not be applied now, but should only 
be used during a a period of active plant growth, otherwise they are apt to be 
lost. Where possible, don’t destroy the weeds and refuse of an orchard unless 
the same is diseased, or is likely to form a bad harbour for injurious insects, 
but rather form it into a compost heap, preferably with lime, and allow it to 
become well rotten, when it will be found to be a valuable mulch for citrus 
and other trees in many soils; as though our soils, as a rule, are great pro- 
ducers of weeds, many are actually deficient in vegetable matter, so that it is a 
mistake to burn off all weeds, grass, or other rubbish. This deficiency of 
organic matter in the soil is a serious consideration, as soils deficient in organic 
matter are usually deficient in nitrogen, and also they are deficient in the power 
to retain moisture—a matter of extreme importance in a country like this, where 
we are subject to such long spells of dry weather. 
In the colder districts the pruning of deciduous trees may be commenced 
towards the end of the month, but in other parts of the colony it is better to 
wait longer, as the leaves are not off and the sap is not down. In the case of 
grapes, carly pruning is always to be advocated where possible, as it is best to 
rune as soon aseyver the sapisdown. Pineapples, where at all subject to frost, 
should receive a light covering of grass or other similar material as a protection 
or, where practicable, asin the case of scrub lands subject to slight frosts, 
they should be covered with a light framework covered with palm leaves or 
similar material. 
Palm stems or saplings resting on forked posts, placed on either side of the 
bed to be protected, make a good framework; and with palm-leaves, tea-tree 
bush, or other similar material laid across from sapling to sapling, a very cheap 
and efficient protection against frost is obtained. 
