September 1, 1909 
Operations for September. 
— Citrus Trees. — 
Orange, lemon and other trees cf the 
‘citrus family may be planted. Although 
‘the early autumn is the best time in 
which to plant them, where a plentiful 
supply of water is at command through 
the summer September is a suitable 
month. As soon as the trees are in place 
they should be mulched with new stable 
litter, as this keeps the soil at a cool 
temperature through the hot weather. The 
soil cannot be too carefully prepared for 
the orange tree; deep soil with good 
‘drainage is the chief essential to success 
Whether the ground selected for planting 
be river alluvial or ordinary paddock 
land, it is necessary to break up the whole 
to a depth of 18 or more inches, and as 
the trenching proceeds to evenly incor- 
porate as much decayed stable manure as 
is available. Failing a good quantity of 
this, bone ianure would answer for 
mixing with the subsoil, coarse bonedust 
being far better for the purpose than fine 
‘stuff. So far as the surface is concerned 
it is necessary to provide well decayed 
stable manure to fork in close to the trees 
to give them a start. 
— Fruning. — 
Pruning should be carried on with 
dispatch, and asa thorough system of 
Spraying is the only hope of the orchardist 
against the codlin moth pest a system of 
pruning must be adopted to suit the use 
of the spraying machine. This means an 
Open-headed tree, with ample space- be- 
_ THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
‘tween the . branches — a rather low 
spreading habit, which will make it easy 
for fruit gathering as well as for spraying 
and pruning. The height of such a tree 
should not exceed 10 ft., and it would be 
better a little lower if the nature of the 
tree will allow of such a habit. 
— Scraping. — 
All pruning being finished, attention 
should be paid to the stems and main 
branches of deciduous trees. The rough 
bark that forms shelter for the larve of 
insect pests should be carefully scraped 
off and the whole surface afterwards 
washed with lime. This acts beneficially 
in several ways: it keeps the sap of the 
trees cool in hot weather, prevents the 
lodgment of insects, aud also the growth 
of moss and lichen. It is important to 
keep the hose busy curing the month, and 
in large orchards the horsehoe should be 
used at least twice, as then the ground 
will be kept quite free from weeds, as they 
are easily destroyed when youny. 
— Grafting. — 
Grafting may be carried on through the 
In the case of old, healthy trees 
of inferior varieties of apples and pears, it 
month. 
is the best plan to cut back the branches, 
new branches to form in the 
summer, and then put the grafts on the 
best placed shoots the following spring. In 
this way the graft and stock will be the 
same size and fit perfectly, and the stock 
will not receive so severe a shock us when 
denuded of its youny growth, except that 
which finds its 
grafts. The lopping off of branches 
checks the stock but little, but when the 
new shoots that form are kept rubbed 
allow 
way 
off, as is usually done with newly-grafted 
This 
method of grafting is well-known and is 
as follows:—Putting the grafts in the 
ends of the stumped branches; shaving 
the lower end of the scion intoa triangular 
shape and inserting it between the bark 
and the wood. The grafts unite readily 
in this way, but the stock does not 
recover so well as when the first method 
mentioned is practised. 
old stocks, the check is very severe. 
Inferior varieties 
of grape vines may be grafted with 
approved sorts through the month. The 
work is done thus—the soil is taken 
through ,- the | 
21 
away from the stems to a depth of about 
10 inches, the vine is cut off 4 to 6 inches 
below the surface, and the grafts either 
_ wedged into the top or slipped into a cut 
on the side of the stem. The scion or 
graft should be tightly tied in position, 
one eye projecting above the surface, and 
the excavation refilled with soil. 
— Strawberries. — 
Where strawberries are grown it is 
important to weed the beds and to spread 
mulch around them. The best material 
for this purpose is stable litter from 
which the short stuff’ has been shaken. 
This acts also as‘a manure, as the rains 
clean the straw and carry the manurial 
elements into the soil. 
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The pees for 
All Leaf-eating INSECTS. 
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er FREE BOOK on Insect Pests and Insecticides ts of great practical value. Send tor @ 
HENRY W. PEABODY & CO., 
9 Bridge Street, SYDNEY. 
The Melbourne 
Tailoring Depot, 
No. 10 ARCADE, Adelaide. 
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