548 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Dec., 1901. 
The Orchard. 
FRUIT CULTURE AT OUR STATE FARMS. 
By 8S. C. VOLLER. 
The opportunity is lways open for growers residing within reach of the 
State farms to come in from time to time and see for themselves what is being 
done in the way of fruit culture, and if they like, by a repetition of visits, to 
note the progress made under our methods of treatment, the style of growth 
of the various trees, and their capabilities in the way of production. In the 
important pruning season, such visits are likely to be of particular value to the 
grower, as he can then witness the work in actual progress, ask all manner of 
questions, and get all the information it is possible for us to give. Buta vast 
number of people interested in fruitwork cannot possibly visit our State farms, 
and, with the hope of affording something of both interest and benefit to them, 
Inow desire to present through the Journal a few illustrations taken at the 
time of pruning, and showing certain trees unpruned and pruned, and also 
conveying to the reader a fair idea of the growth made by these trees, and 
their general development under our methtés of t:eatment. 
These photographs were taken at Westbrook, and it may be stated for the 
reader’s information that most of thege trees were planted in 1897, some in 1898. 
I think very good growth has mca made in the time, especially when it is 
remembered that the seasons have, on the whole, not been by any means 
conducive to this result. 
The shaping and making up of these trees has been very carefully followed 
from the start, and to Mr. A. H. Benson is due the chief credit for what has 
been done, as he had charge of the whole thing for a long time in addition to 
haying laid out the orchard in the first place. 
Summer pruning, in addition to a lot of finger-and-thumb work in the 
spring, has been a strong point with us, and the reader may accept my assurance 
that the summer work is as important as the winter pruning- With the younger 
trees it as an absolute necessity, as by it you regulate your growth so as to make 
the future frame of your tree just what you want it to be. 
Useless buds taken off here, good ones in proper positions left there to 
come up and form the tree, and, later on, these topped to regulate growth, get 
the proper grades of forks and length of limb, and also to develop buds for future 
fruiting. This is the process of spring and summer pruning. 
The principle followed by both Mr. Benson and myself is to cut back hard 
on young trees in winter pruning ; this provokes a strong growth (although many 
growers do not recognise the fact), and out of the number of strong shoots 
those wanted are left on, all others removed. After this comes the value of the 
summer pruning, in this way: Suppose a tree cut hard back in winter were 
allowed to grow at will through the following season, in most cases you would get 
a rank, lengthy growth which would try to go to the sky almost, and as the sap is 
always pushing its way to the highest point, and ina sense neglecting the lower 
wood after its formation, your best buds would be at the top of limbs like 
young fishing-rods, and the lower buds would be weakest. 
But now, what are you going to do with such a growth when you pune 
next winter? If you prune lightly by taking off the tops, as many people do, 
your next season’s growth will be all up above, and little or no development 
will occur lower down ; whilst, if you cut,back well, you take off the best buds, 
and reduce yourself to the weaker and undeveloped ones below. What is 
wanted is summer pruning—cutting back of the strong growths when they 
have reached a certain length so as to give a nice grade of limb and fork, and 
when this is done a double good result ensues. Where the topping is done, 
