February 1910 
The Ox¢hard. 
Notes for the Month. 
— Trees Relieved of Crops, — 
In the rush of work attending the fruit 
harvest, let it not be forgotten that the 
trees that have recently been relieved of 
their crops are more or less exhausted 
after the effort of fruiting. They shoald 
be fed and watered, and the soil about 
‘them cultivated to sustain and vitalise 
We do not want to water 
them to the extent of promoting a lot of 
rank aud superfluous growth, but a 
moderate amount of water given at this 
the roots. 
period will tend to perfect existing root 
‘and wood growth, and help the trees very 
materially in their efforts to prepare for 
If the soil is :llowed 
to remain trodden down and compressed, 
‘the trees wil! not benefit by the summer 
showers which, being frequently fast and 
theavy downpours, run quickly off the 
surface and do no good whatever. Culti- 
‘vate, therefore, to enable every drop of 
moisture to permeate the soil about the 
next year’s crop. 
‘roots of the trees. 
— Thinning. — 
Pruning to obtain light fruiting wood 
‘should have been accomplished during 
the early part of January, for as autumn 
‘approaches there is the risk of the growth 
produced in this manner not ripening 
‘before the cold weather sets in. There still 
‘remains some thinning to be done; all 
old useless wood should be removed. 
‘This is important because, where it 
Temains, it necessarily hinders the devel- 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
opment of the new fruiting wood and 
growth of a useful character that we are 
so anxious to obtain. Thin out also all 
crowding shoots so that the sunlight and 
air may gain free admittance to every 
part of the tree to quicken buds and 
ripen immature growth. 
— Peach Trees. — 
Continue to give water to late peaches 
chat are still swelling, and pinch off any 
leaves that are overlapping and unduly 
screening the fruit. Remove exhausted 
shoots and any other superfluous light 
wood. 
— Pears and Apples. — 
Give water to pears and apples where 
the fruit has attained its full size. Thin 
the crops freely of trees that are too 
heavily Jaden Make a point of reducing 
the fruit equally all over the tree. 
Apples and pears can be gathered and 
stored when they are well colored, full- 
sixed, and the pips brown and quite free 
of the core. Careful handling when 
gathering is all es:ential to their perfect 
preservation. They should be carefully 
placed on some soft material in the 
baskets in which they are to be conveyed 
to the store-room. The 
where they are to be stored should be 
very slightly moist and well ventilated. 
All fruit-rooms should have been very 
well cleaned and aired previous to this 
season, and the woodwork thoroughly 
scoured with soap and hot water and 
soda. Pack apples and pears for export 
in paper-lined boxes of compact size and 
form, and wrap them in cork dust, 
shavings, paper, or something equally 
well adapted that is available. 
atmosphere 
— Prepare for Citrus-planting. —- 
As the season approaches for citrus- 
planting, all land’ destined for that 
purpose should be thoroughly trenched 
and prepared. Perfect drainage is an 
imperative necessity. 
composite character, with, if possible, an 
admixture of ironstone gravel, should be 
Soil of a free, 
provided, and should be kept sweet, 
warm, and mellow by careful cultivation. 
Citrus trees are extremely sensitive to 
any sourness in the soil, and manifest 
their disapproval by a sickly appearance 
water-logged soils. 
19 
aud. a liability to pests and disease. 
Where new land is to be prepared, it 
should be crossed and re-croszed by the 
plough and deeply subsoiled, A clayey 
subsoil is eminently suited, being cool 
and sufficiently retentive of moisture in 
summer. 
“— Budding. — 
The present is a favorable month in 
which to bud frnit trees. To obtain the 
best results one must not only be familiar 
with minor points in connection with the 
technical branch of the subject, but must 
have a comprehensive knowledge of the 
whole in order to be able to apply to the 
best advantage to one’s own immediate 
circumstances. 4 
With nearly all the subjects ;that are 
budded, the stock is selected: that will 
best adapt itself to real conditions of 
climate and svil. It is a reconciling 
medium. : 
Peaches favorably situated in a rich, 
warm, mellow soil, subject ta neither 
excess nor dearth of water can be budded 
on to their own seedling stock. In 
damper and more ungenial positions, the 
plum stock shouli be employed, and the 
same applies equally to the apricot. 
Plum trees have the reputation of 
being exceedingly hardy, but they have 
their liking 
neither droughty -positions 
In the case of the 
prejudices nevertheless, 
nor cold 
former condition, bud them on to the 
Myrobolan stock, and in the latter case 
use the Mussel stock. 
Cherries can be worked on the 
Mazzard, Mahalet and Kentish cherry 
stocks. , Strong healthy seedlings of 
sweet orange gives satisfactory results as 
stocks for lemons, while the bitter orange 
stock can be employed for oranzes. 
Amateurs and tyros should do a little, 
practice budding before exp rimnenting 
on-their orchard trees, as it requires a 
certain «mount of skill in manipulation 
in order to bring about a perfect union. 
The wood into which the bud is to be 
inserted should be healthy, and not more 
than two or three seasous old, 
Trees that were budded last month will 
require examining occasionally to ascortain 
whether they have taken, and that. 
