March 1, 190% 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
The Orchard. 
THE APPLE CROP. 
Alternation of Fruiting 
Seasons. 
By Geo. Quinn, Korticultural Instructor. 
In many districts of South Australia 
the crop of apples is so light this year 
that one has to search carefully on some 
ofthe trees to find a single fruit. In 
some districts of the Hills scarcely an 
apple is untouched by codlin moth, the 
pest having concentrated on the few fruits 
available, in addition to which the trees 
in the early part of the season had .an- 
absolutely barren appearance, so that 
repressive measures were considered, 
unnecessary. The Mount Lofty district 
carried.a very good ercp last year, while 
the Angaston district, which had a very 
light yield last year, has this season an 
exceptionally fine lot of fruit. 
The subject of the irregular fruiting of 
apple-trees from year to year is Tea 
the attention of horticulturists in al 
parts of the world where apple-growing 
has risen to be a distinct industry. In 
Europe and the eastern States of North 
America, where the climatic conditions 
are much more severe, it is only reason_ 
able to assume that this factor has a great. 
deal to do with the irregular cropping, as 
distinguished from the cropping 
alternate years, which usually occurs in 
Australia. It isgenerally accepted tha; 
certain varieties of apples only fruit in 
alternate seasons, and although no 
-absoluie evidence is yet available, minor 
in 
tests have been made with a view ot 
ascertaining whether this habit is a fixed 
characteristic or only due to the physio- 
logical effects of carrying a heavy crop of 
fruit. 
forming pip-fruits, such as apple and 
pear, it is a well-known fact that usually 
the energies of the spur are so concen- 
trated in the development of the fruit 
that the extensions, unless the spur is 
In connection with the spur- 
exceptionally strong, rarely terminate in 
another flowerbud; but on those spurs 
which do not bear fruits there is a greater 
chance for the extension to develop a 
matured flowerbud for the next season’s 
crop. 
Under South Austalian conditions there 
appears to be ‘some evidence that more 
even production of apple crops may be 
attained by the following means:—Suit- 
able tillage and feeding of the trees, sys- 
tematic repression of diseases, regular 
pruning of not too drastic a character and 
adapted to the needs of each variety, 
thinning out of fruits when very heavily 
set upon certain kinds, which is done with 
the object of producing a better sample, 
and, finally, the mixing together, in a 
plantation, of a fair number of varieties 
which blossom approximatcly at the same 
period, 
order to carry out, but it embodies 
nothing more than what is being done in 
a number of our best-kept orchards of this 
State the careful manipulation of the 
branches and spurs of the apple-trees has 
not been carried on for any great number 
of years, and, in fact, the generally 
accepted idea is that after an apple-tree 
reaches the bearing stage, there is practi- 
cally no further need to prune it, excapt- 
ing to occasionally thin out a limb here 
and there; but Professor L. H. Bailey’s 
reference to the peach and the grape-vine 
opens up room for thought in the direction 
that pruning operations should be carried 
along lines which imply that, while 
certain operations are devoted to repa‘ring 
waste an! producing ripened fruitbeds, 
others should be devoted at the same tim 3 
to the production of fruit for’ 
season, 
apple grower, their plants would not only 
This would appear a fairly large 
that 
It is very obvious that if the 
grape-grower and the peach-grower wer’ 
to act upon the lines adopted by the 
35 
resort to a system of alternate bearing, 
Lut very soon would come to a condition 
when even this result could not be 
depended on. Personally, I am of opinion 
that to remedy this irregular fruit-bearing 
habit cur trees must be more systemati- 
cally treated, but to what extent this 
must be done will depend very much upon 
the conditions which prevail in the locality 
and the 
upon 
varieties which are 
grown. 
S.A. ‘Journal of Agriculture? 
ssnesnsneetsienteneseneeeeenee? 
Fumigation of Nursery Stoel. 
Dipping nursery stock in lime-sulphur 
wash or other insecticides has recently 
been much advocated as a substitute for 
fumigation with dydrocyanic acid gas. 
The N. Y. Agri. Exp. Station at Geneva 
finds, however, that this treatment, if used 
at all, must be handled wth care to 
secure scale destruction without injuring 
the trees, With the sulphur wash, ex- 
posure of the trees for too long a time or 
at too high temperature resulted in 
injury; while with any of the materials 
used, exposure of the roots to the mixture 
resulted in injury to the 
stock. For nurserymen, the station still 
recommends fumigation as most effective 
and least liable to injury: and would 
advise orchardists to use the lime-sulphur 
as a spray after the trees are set, rather 
than as a dip when they are received. 
a serious 
—‘Florists’ Exchange, 
Secret of Canning Fruits. 
An exchange says the secrot of canning 
fruits is in the fact that fermentation is 
caused by ‘microbes’ or ferment germs 
which are killed when subjected to boiling 
temperature. If the fruits are placed in 
cans or glass jars, filled with either pure 
water or weak syrup, then subjected to 
boiling, and finally closed down so that 
no air and fresh germs can gain an 
entrance, the fruit will keep good for a 
couple of years. 
