1 Jan., 1898.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 21 
The Orchard. 
FRUIT CULTURE IN QUEENSLAND. 
By ALBERT H. BENSON, 
MULCHING. 
Tur object of mulching fruit trees is to keep the soil cool and moist; to 
prevent the excessive radiation of heat from the soil, which so often tends to 
scald, blister, or otherwise injure the trunk or main branches of many fruit 
trees, and to prevent in some measure the growth of weeds, thus saving expense 
in the working of the orcbard. ; 
Mulching, when carefully applied and properly attended to, is of great 
value to all fruit trees, citrus in particular, in warm climates, especially in 
districts where there are long, hot, and dry spells. Mulching consists either in 
spreading a layer of decomposing organic matter on the surface of the land 
immediately surrounding the tree and extending as far ag the spread of the 
branches, or it may consist of a layer of fine earth produced by keeping the soil 
in a high state of cultivation, free and open, which is in fact the best all-round 
mulch. 
Various materials may be used as a mulch, such as rotting ‘straw, corn- 
stalks, decaying weeds or vegetables, leaf mould, fine top-soil, bush scrapings 
of leaves, small twigs, decaying branches, &c., cane trash, or any other waste 
vegetable matter; or, if desired, the material used may be valuable as a manure 
as well as a mulch, such as fresh stable or farmyard manure—manure from 
the compost heap, or plants grown for their value as green manure, such as 
green corn, cow peas, or other pulses. 
Before applying the mulch, the ground should be forked up or cultivated 
round the trees, a fine tilth being thereby obtained, and on the top of this the 
material to be used as a mulch should be spread to a depth of from 8 to 6 inches 
according to the mulch used. The ground not covered by the mulch should be 
kept in a good state of tilth as described under the heading of “Cultivation.” 
~ When the trees occupy the whole of and completely shade the ground, 
mulching to prevent radiation is not so necessary; still even in this case it 
tends to keep the soil cool and moist and to prevent surface evaporation. 
Mulching has, however, one ereat disadvantage in this colony, in that the’ 
mulch tends to form a harbour for many of our most troublesome insect pests, 
so that, unless especial care is taken to keep these pests in check, the mulch 
may turn out to be of doubtful value, the good it does being counterbalanced 
by the injury caused by the insects 16 1s the means of harbouring. 
This drawback can, however, be overcome to a great extent if the mulch is 
removed from around the trees twice a year, the ground thus uncovered being 
forked over lightly and left exposed for a few days, when the mulch can either 
be replaced, or, if same is full of injurious insects, a fresh mulch altogether 
may be applied. When the mulch becomes infested with insects, it is best to 
destroy it, but when not infested and nearly rotten it is a good plan to fork 
it in round the trees, especially if the soil is more or less deficient in organie 
matter, as the addition of vegetable matter to such soils always increases 
their power of absorbing nitrogen and of retaining moisture. 
From these few remarks it will be seen that mulching properly carried 
out and carefully attended to is undoubtedly of great value in fruit culture; 
but at the same time it may, if not carefully looked after, prove of very doubtful 
value; hence unless a fruitgrower intends to carry out mulching systematically 
and thoroughly, he had better leave it alone, especially in our tropical and 
semi-tropical districts. 
