Fruit Growing.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 150, 26 April 1909, Page 4

Fruit Growing.

Yearling apple trees arc the best to begin an orchard with. Cut them back about a foot from the ground and then the branches will shoot low down, and you can keep the trees short, instead of having great big tops to catch the wind and get your apples blown off. There are trees like the Northern Spy, which are great croppers and grow excellent fruit, but which are impatient of forming and have just to be left alone to grow as they will, but taking care to cut out any cross branches. Nurserymen send out trees, naturally, as big as they can get them; but the knife should be freely used before the trees are planted. Shelter is, of course, absolutely necessary for fruit growing; but as everyone recognises this and usually has it provided, it as needless to offer any suggestions as to this point. Every boy and girl, when they leave school have a general knowledge of fruit growing, and the necessary treatment of trees, pruning and grafting. To have this at the beginning of life, instead of slowly and laboriously acquiring it during the spare time of our working days, is to add a new interest in life, and if children are properly trained, they will be sure to keep a ecord of each tree, and very soon be able, by observation, to note their idiosyncracies.