November  21,  1901.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
463 
Unsatisfactory  Fruit  Trees. 
How  to  Improve  Them. 
I  have  long  held  the  opinion  that  lack  of  moisture  at  the 
roots  of  fruit  trees  has  in  innumerable  instances  been  the 
chief  cause  of  non-success  in  regard  to  the  production  of 
regular  crops,  and  as  the  years  roll  on  new  facts  come  to  my 
notice  which  strengthen  that  opinion.  As  a  rule  fruit¬ 
growers  seem  to  consider  that  it  is  only  trees  grown  against 
walls  or  buildings  that  are  likely  to  suffer  in  this  respect ; 
but  bushes  and  standards  grown  in  the  open  suffer  almost 
as  much,  even  when  the  soil  is  of  good  depth,  and,  in  all 
respects,  suitable  for  fruit  growing.  Under  ordinary  con¬ 
ditions  it  is,  of  course,  not 
practicable  to  water  trees  in 
extensive  plantations ;  but 
much  can  be  done  to  prevent 
dryness  at  the  root  by  mulch¬ 
ing  with  manure,  or  by 
hoeing  frequently  during  the 
summer  months. 
In  the  case  of  some  un¬ 
satisfactory  trees,  it  ia,  how¬ 
ever,  necessary  to  adopt  other 
methods  to  improve  them. 
During  the  present  year  I 
have  been  considerably 
puzzled  at  the  behaviour 
of  several  very  fine  bush 
Apple  and  Pear  trees, 
which,  judging  by  their  ap¬ 
pearance,  are  in  splendid  con¬ 
dition  for  bearing  good  crops. 
The  branches  are  thinly  dis¬ 
posed,  the  wood  firm  and  well 
ripened,  and  last  spring  they 
blossomed  abundantly  at  a 
time  when  no  frosts  occurred 
to  injure  them.  Yet  the  blos¬ 
soms  failed  to  set,  and  the 
crop  has  been  almost  nil. 
These  trees  have  recently 
been  examined  at  the  roots, 
and,  as  I  expected,  the  soil  a 
few  inches  below  the  surface 
was  found  to  be — to  use  a 
common  expression — as  dry 
as  dust.  It  is  not  a  case  in 
which  root-pruning  is  needed, 
as  the  soil  is  permeated  with 
a  network  of  fibres,  and  I  am 
convinced  that  the  sole  cause 
of  failure  is  dryness  at  the 
the 
.1S 
roots,  which  prevented 
blossoms  from  setting. 
The  rainfall  in  most  dis¬ 
tricts  during  the  last  few 
years  has  been  below  the 
average,  and  I  fancy  this  to 
a  great  extent  accounts  for 
the  irregularity  of  the  Apple 
crop.  In  moist  districts  and 
situations  the  crops  have 
been  heavy,  in  dry  ones  very 
light.  In  the  case  of  the  trees 
already  described,  the  surface  soil  has  been  removed  for  a 
distance  of  3  feet  from  the  main  stem,  the  dry  soil 
beneath — which  was  as  hard  as  the  proverbial  brick — has 
been  loosened  with  a  fork,  and  a  thorough  soaking  of  water 
was  given  before  the  holes  were  filled  in.  I  shall  be  much 
surprised  if  this  treatment  does  not  lead  to  better  results 
next  season,  if  the  weather  at  blossoming  time  is  as  favour¬ 
able  as  it  was  last  year. 
In  gardens  and  fruit  plantations  there  are,  at  this  season 
of  the  year,  many  matters  which  need  attention  in  order  to 
improve  some  trees  and  maintain  others  in  a  satisfactory 
condition.  Owing  to  the  wide  influence  of  the  horticultural 
Press,  sensible  methods  of  pruning  are  more  largely 
practised  than  formerly,  and  attention  is  paid  to  root- 
pruning  where  the  trees  have  grown  too  strongly,  but 
methods  of  remedying  dryness  at  the  roots  need  more  atten¬ 
tion.  .  In  large  plantations  watering  cannot,  of  course,  be 
practised,  but  the  surface  soil  can  be  removed  as  far  as  the 
branches  extend,  that  beneath  it  loosened  with  a  fork,  and 
then,  if  it  is  left  exposed  to  the  weather  for  a  couple  of 
weeks,  the  rains  may  thoroughly  moisten  it.  In  some 
instances  it  is  also  wise  to  replace  the  surface  soil  with 
fresh  soil  taken  from  between  the  rows  where  it  is  usually 
moister.  Trees  which  have  made  but  little  growth,  or  have 
borne  heavy  crops,  are  greatly  benefited  by  the  application 
of  a  coating  of  well-decayed  manure,  this  to  be  just  covered 
with  a  little  soil  from  between  the  rows.  On  heavy  soils,  a 
dressing  of  basic  slag,  at  the  rate  of  6oz  per  square  yard,  if 
given  after  the  leaves  have  fallen,  and  the  soil  is  forked 
up,  helps  to  ensure  high  colour  in  the  fruits  the  following 
season.  On  lighter  soils  superphosphate  and  kainit,  each 
applied  early  in  spring,  at  the  rate  of  4oz  per  yard,  help 
to  give  improved  results. 
Large  trees  with  a  wide . 
spread  of  branches  are  some¬ 
times  unsatisfactory,  because 
their  main  roots  have  been 
sent  deep  down  into  the  soil, 
and  very  few  active  roots  are 
to  be  found  near  the  surface. 
One  of  the  best  methods  I 
know  of  for  improving  such 
trees  is  to  remove  a  few  inches 
of  soil,  dress  with  basic  slag, 
give  a  coating  of  manure,  and 
cover  with  fresh  soil  from  be¬ 
tween  the  rows,  using  the  old 
surface  soil  to  fill  in  the  holes 
thus  made.  The  present  is 
also  an  excellent  time  to 
empty  the  contents  of  cess¬ 
pools  around  old  orchard  trees 
as  far  as  the  branches  extend, 
always  taking  the  precaution 
to  dilute  it  with  from  two  to 
times  its  bulk  of  clear 
six 
water.  I  have  so  often  proved 
the  advantage  of  such  a  prac¬ 
tice,  that  I  often  wonder  why 
owners  or  tenants  of  orchards 
do  not  follow  up  the  plan 
systematically.  Many  varieties 
which  grow  weakly,  or  canker 
badly,  may  be  brought  into 
splendid  condition  solely  by 
the  use  of  liquid  manure.  On 
fairly  good  soils  resting  on 
rocks  of  a  “  scaly  ”  nature, 
Ribston  Pippin  and  Cox’s 
Orange  Pippin  Apples  suc¬ 
ceed  wonderfully  well  if  given 
liquid  manure.  When  without 
it  they  canker  badly,  and  are 
altogether  unsatisfactory.  — 
Warwick. 
Figs  under  Glass. 
ELLIPTICA  ECEMINA, 
Earliest  Forced  Trees  in 
Pots. — To  have  fruit  ripe  at 
the  end  of  April,  or  early  in 
May,  when  it  is  very  acceptable  for  dessert,  the  trees  should 
be  started  in  December,  and  they  must  be  of  the  early 
varieties  that  usually  retain  the  first  crop  Figs.  After 
trying  most  varieties,  I  find  Early  Violet  and  St.  John’s, 
with  Brown  Turkey  to  succeed  them,  unequalled  from  all 
points  of  view.  Dress  the  trees  with  an  insecticide,  adher¬ 
ing  closely  to  the  instructions,  and  being,  careful  not  to 
injure  the  points  of  the  shoots  and  their  incipient  Fig-buds. 
Place  the  pots  in  loose  brickwork  pillars,  so  that  they  may 
not  settle  with  the  fermenting  material,  which,  being 
placed  in  the  pit  and  brought  up  about  the  pots,  will  afford 
a  genial  warmth  and  moisture  ;  but  the  heat  about  the  pots 
must  not  exceed  65  degrees  until  the  trees  are  fairly  in 
growth.  The  top  heat  may  be  50  degrees  to  55  degrees  at 
night  and  65  degrees  by  day,  the  trees  and  house  being 
damped  in  the  morning  of  fine  days  and  again  in  the  after¬ 
noon,  but  it  must  be  done  sufficiently  early  to  allow  of  the 
trees  getting  fairly  dry  before  night. 
