September  17,  1903.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
275 
^  WOKK-Foii' 
THE  WEEK..  O 
Hardy  Fruit  Garden. 
RIPE  FRUIT  ON  WALL  TREES. — Pi’otection  in  various 
ways  is  essential  for  the  well-being  of  trees  carrying  ripe  fruit. 
Enemies  abound,  and  will  soon  destroy,  or  at  least  injure  and 
disfigure  the  choicest  specimens.  A  constant  look-out  must  be 
kept  to  thwart  the  depredations  of  earwigs,  woodlice,  and  other 
creeping  insects.  The  earwigs  may  be  trapped  in  hollow  Bean¬ 
stalks,  folded  strips  of  brown  paper,  small  match-boxes,  and 
similar  contrivances,  examining  them  every  morning  and  destroy¬ 
ing  the  pests.  Birds  are  troublesome  to  Peaches,  Nectarines, 
and  Plums  as  soon  as  they  begin  to  develop  colour  and  flavour. 
Protection  should  be  afforded  by  a  covering  of  small  mesh  netting. 
Wasps,  though  not  so  numerous  this  season,  may  in  some  places 
prove  annoying.  Grapes,  Peaches,  Nectarines,  and  Plums  may 
be  enclosed  in  muslin  bags  to  exclude  them,  also  employing  a  few 
traps  in  the  form  of  wide  mouthed  bottles,  three  parts  filled  with 
sweetened  beer  and  hung  about  the  trees.  When  sufficiently 
ripe  gather  all  the  fruit.  If  in  perfect  condition  it  will  keep 
some  time  in  a  cool  fruit  room,  laying  all  the  soft  fruits  on  a 
base  of  wood  wool,  and  covering  with  tissue  paper.  Some  of  the 
choice  late  Plums  possess  good  keeping  qualities  and  remain 
excellent  even  until  they  slightly  shrivel.  Ripe  Red  Currants 
on  north  walls  must  be  netted  over  as  protection,  and  wet  ex¬ 
cluded  with  mats.  Choice  Apples  and  Pears  must  have  all  the 
light  po.ssible  to  attain  colour,  but  protected  with  nets.  Gather 
and  store  the  various  varieties  as  they  can  be  readily  detached 
from  the  spurs. 
WALL  TREES  CLEARED  OF  CROPS.— More  facilities  are 
offered  in  the  disposing  of  branches  and  shoots  when  the  trees 
have  been  cleared  of  fruit.  Superfluous  branches  ought  to  be 
removed,  and  it  may  happen  that  a  number  of  the  principal  ones 
are  too  crowded,  thus  spoiling  many  others.  This,  then,  is  a  suit¬ 
able  time  to  thin  out,  so  disposing  them  that  the  main  branches 
of  trained  trees  on  walls  are  not  closer  together  than  a  foot.  The 
presence  of  the  foliage  on  the  trees  is  a  good  guide  as  to  distance. 
Peaches  and  Nectarines,  which  bear  principality  upon  young 
wood,  have  no  use  for  the  shoots  after  the  crop  has  been  cleared, 
Jience  these  shoots  maj^  be  cut  out,  which  will  give  room  for  the 
Kuccessionals  to  receive  the  benefit  of  abundant  light  and  air. 
Much  benefit  accrues  from  a  thorough  syringing  of  those  trees 
which  are  likely  to  be  infested  with  red  spider  or  aphis.  Water 
applied  with  the  force  of  a  garden  engine  dislodges  them,  and 
the  moisture  benefits  the  roots. 
WATERING  WALL  TREES. — Lack  of  moisture  is  a  common 
cause  of  poor  and  indifferent  crops,  and  means  should  be  taken  to 
remedy  the  matter  during  the  autumn  and  winter,  where  it  is 
ascertained  that  the  soil  about  the  roots  is  deficient  in  moisture. 
Dust  dry  soil  must  be  thoroughly  soaked  with  clear  water,  and 
after  this  apply  liquid  manure  copiously.  This  will  add  food  to 
the  soil,  ready  to  be  appropriated  by  the  fibrous  roots.  Weakly 
trees  will  be  improved  by  the  treatment,  and  those  partially 
exhausted  by  heavy  cropping  are  recuperated  to  a  great  extent. 
The  effects  of  adequate  moisture  will  be  in  all  cases  immediate. 
PREPARATION  OF  GROUND  FOR  PLANTING  FRUIT 
TREES. — This  is  an  important  operation,  and  should  not  be 
delayed  until  the  time  for  planting  arrives.  There  are  many 
reasons  for  this,  one  of  the  chief  being  the  necessity  for  freshly 
disturbed  soil  to  become  consolidated  to  some  extent  before  the 
trees  or  bushes  are  inserted.  The  question  of  working  in  manure 
depends  on  the  class  of  fruit  to  be  planted.  Apples  and  Pears 
and  stone  fruits  require  little  or  no  manure  adding  to  the  soil. 
It  will  cause  a  strong,  sappy,  and  fruitless  growth.  Manure 
when  required  may  be  given  on  the  surface.  Small  bush  fruit 
may,  however,  have  the  ground  liberally  treated  with  the  addi¬ 
tion  of  manure  and  no  unsatisfactory  results  will  follow.  The 
soil  should  in  all  cases  be  made  firm.  Trench  one  or  two  spits 
deep  below  the  surface  spit,  being  careful  not  to  bring  inert, 
poor  subsoil  to  the  surface  and  bury  the  comparatively  good  top 
soil.  The  work  may  be  carried  out  at  convenient  opportunities 
during  the  next  few  weeks.  It  will  then  have  become  firm 
enough  for  planting  the  trees  early  in  November. 
LIFTING  YOUNG  TREES. — While  the  leaves  still  remain  on 
the  trees  the  time  is  opportune  to  effect  the  removal  of  any  that 
are  growing  too  luxuriantly.  Preparations  should  be  made  to 
lift  and  replant  quickly,  securing  a  good  ball  of  roots  if  possible, 
but  shortening  back  any  strong  roots,  these  rooting  deeply  being 
the  cause  of  over-luxuriance.  Apricots,  Peaches,  Nectarines, 
Plums,  Cherries,  Apples,  and  Pears  may  all  be  dealt  with.  Firm 
the  ground  about  the  roots,  and  use  no  manure,  simply  good  soil 
of  a  loamy  character.  A  good  watering  afterwards  will  prove 
beneficial,  and  a  light  mulching  of  manure  of  a  strawy  character. 
In  the  case  of  dry,  sunny  weather  following  immediately  on  trans¬ 
planting  freshen  the  foliage  with  the  syringe,  and  this  will  greatly 
help  the  trees  to  retain  their  foliage  for  a  longer  time,  and  thu.s 
encourage  new'  roots  to  form.- — East  Kent. 
Fruit  Forcing. 
PEACHES  AND  NECTARINES :  TREES  RIPENING  THE 
FRUIT  IN  JULY. — Whenever  there  are  cases  of  bad  setting  and 
stoning  of  the  fruit,  lifting  the  trees  when  they  give  indications  of 
falling  is  desirable,  as  they  respond  to  it  and  root-pruning  in  a 
satisfactory  manner.  If  the  trees  are  young,  have  a  tendency  to 
late  growth,  and  do  not  ripen  the  wood  w'ell,  a  trench  may  be 
made  for  root-pruning  in  the  manner  indicated  a  fortnight  ago. 
Older  trees  that  make  strong  wmod  should  have  the  roots  wholly 
or  partially  lifted  and  pruned  before  the  leaves  have  all  fallen. 
Weakly  trees,  on  the  other  hand,  are  greatly  benefited  by  the 
removal  of  the  old  soil  from  over  and  amongst  the  roots.  Fresh 
loam,  rather  strong,  with  a  sixth  of  old  mortar  rubbish  and  a 
tw'entieth  of  wood  ashes,  answer  in  place  of  the  soil  removed, 
following  with  a  good  watering  of  weak  liquid  manure.  Where 
the  soil  is  calcareous,  and  wood  ashes  not  available,  employ 
steamed  bonemeal  and  sulphate  of  potash,  three  parts  of  the  for¬ 
mer  and  one  part  of  the  latter,  801b  of  the  mixture  to  each  cartload 
or  cubic  yard  of  the  loam,  incorporating  thoroughly  before  placing 
in  tlie  border.  Cleanse  all  the  foliage  of  red  spider  and  brown 
aphides  by  water  directed  with  force  from  a  syringe  or  garden 
engine,  and  repeat  occasionally.  Brown  scale,  however,  cannot 
be°so  dislodged,  and  the  other  pests,  especially  brown  aphis,  only 
partially  so  ;  therefore,  apply  an  insecticide. 
LATE  HOUSES. — The  grandest  Peaches,  as  regards  size, 
colour,  and  quality,  are  such  as  Gladstone,  Sea  Eagle,  Comet,  and 
Golden  Eagle,  Thomas  Rivers  being  a  very  promising  variety, 
large  round,  freestone,  with  a  bright  red  cheek,  firm,  juicy  and 
full-flavoured  flesh.  All  the  late  Peaches  and  Nectarines  require 
generous  treatment  and  liberal  supplies  of  water  through  the 
growing  season,  with  no  lack  of  nourishment  when  the  fruit  is 
taking  the  last  sAvelling,  then  there  is  no  deficiency  of  juice  and 
flavoui’.  If  the  trees  are  pinched  in  these  respects  the  fruit  will 
PERFECTIOX. 
OLD  SHAPE, 
QUEEN, 
Hyacinth  Glasses. 
lUuftralions  from  James  Veitch  Sone,  Ltd.,  Chelsea. 
