THE GARDEN.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 184, 25 December 1886, Page 1

THE GARDEN.

Thinning Overcrowded Fruit Trees. Often in New Zealand I have been asked to come and see extraordinary crops of fruit on some given tree. Sometimes I *aye thought it a pity that the owner did not understand that it was simply ruination to the tree and to the crop to allow such trees to ripen so much fruit. More than fcalf of the fruit when ripe i 3 unsuited for market ; the other portion of only an indifferent quality. In such caaea if about one-third of the fruit bad been taken off the *4ree in the early stages of ita growth, the remaining two-thirds would have been produced of good quality, and the constitution of the tree would not have been taxed to ripen more than it was able to. It sometimes takes over-loaded trees three or four years before they recover from the strain *nd get back into a good fruit-bearing «tate again. No>v, any grower with a tree showing at the present a large crop should thin auch crop at once. The fruit left will -swell to a much larger eize and produce in freight almost as much as if the whole fruit la left on the tree, and the produce will be much more valuable for consumption or market. At the same time the tree will not Be over-taxed in ripening it 3 crop this year. and will stand a good chance of producing another good crop next year. There are two actions of the sap of fruit-bearing trees : the cm© produces Avood, the Other fruit. It either action is allowed to predominate it must be to the injury of the other ; that is, trees producing: wood luxuriantly rarely produce much fruit, while trees producing extraordinary crops of fruit rarel3' make much Avood. " Both cf these conditions are unfavourable to regular cropping. There is a happy medium which every cultivator -should end^a\our to reach, and that is a fair quantity of new wood every season with a fair crop of fruit ; and it ia only by careful study and practice in pruning and thinning that a fair average can be struck. Apples and paars can be thinned with ad vantage. Some of the thinning* will be of use for culinary purposes. In the thinning of some fruits such as plum?, etc., caie should be taken not to thin till after they nave stoned, that is, the ,-tone should be Jully developed before any thinning takes place, a 5 * in this stage a large number drop off. Where extra fine fruit is required -Hquid manure applied to the root? w ill assist if continued up till the period that the fruit begins to swell and colour for ripening. Summer Pruning of Fruit Trees. The best of all times for pruning fruit trees is the summer. From time to time as the shoots are growing the trees should be gone over, and all supeifluoua shoots be pinched out or cut back, only leaving a nhort epur of about one t'j two inches in length, so as to make spurs, the dormant bud of which may ni'ike iruit bude. By the summer pruning of fruit trees we may also force a stronger growth where needed ; we can also weaken growth where it ie too strong. Most fruit tree*, if left entirely to their own devices, are inclined to make their growth from the extremity of their branches, and would produce most of their fruit there alt»o if allowed, and if left year after year without any pruning would «oon become unsiphtly objects with long naked branches. ~Sn\v, by going o\er the trees several time 3 during the summer or growing period and pinching judiciously the tree can be kept in hand. Not one uri necessary branch need be grown. In fact, the full fo-ce^ of the tree can be utili-ed just in the manntr wanted, and we\k places can be filled up The object in removing part of the shoots is not altogether to make tress more bu«-hy, but to stop the current of the sap and force it into the breaker parts of the tree, instead of letting it go to make long useless shoota, afc the -game time forcing the numerous buds around the baee of each shoot to become fruit buds. When ii is necessary to stop j all the ehoots on a plant, the weakest should be stopped first, as it will give the buds an opportunity to burst into growth, j and when the stray ehoots are pinched they will bo on nearly equal terms with the weak ones. BeSpr© the latter can break again the shoots on the weak ones aro grown, and able to draw on the aap more largely than those buds which are nearly breaking on the stronger shoots. If wo could stop the growth of a stray shoot until euch time as the weak had attained a similar strength, and then allow both to grow on similar terms, all would go on well. But we cannot in the growing season stop growth for one moment ; we can only in a measure direct the forces into certain channels, and the operator miaat keep this in view while pinching or cutting back any portion of a tree ; for as soon as we etop the current of sap from flowing in any given direction it mu»t and will find vent elsewhere. Tor instance, if a leading bud be pinched, or broken off, the next bud below will Immediately yield to the force of the rising sap and become in time a leading shoot if allowed. Another practice sometimes adopted when a ebont is wanted in a given direction is to try and procure a dormant bud on some branch, such bud if possible pointing in the direction you wiah the new .shoots to attain. If such be found, take a eharp knife and make an incision in the bark immediately above the bud, cutting clean into the wood across the branch, only maning one clean cut. Do not take out any bark or wood ; one cut will do. The instant the cut ie made the ascending sap at that portion of the tree is stopped, it must find a vent, and that at the dormant bud, which it will coon cause to shoot out, producing in time a good branch. The Taboro practice can be carried out any time during the growing seasons, but the best season for commencing the summer pinchIng back o£ shoots is during this month. This stopping and pinching promotes the productiun of blOHfiom and fro it bearing spurs for next eeason's crop. If done now the operation can easily be performed with the finger and thumb. Continue thiB finger-and-thumb pruning as long as there is any growth on the trees or up till May next, and if it has

been properly performed very little winter or rest pruning of the trees will be required — only an occasional shortening back of a spur, or perhaps a few shoota to come out altogether which were overlooked while the foliage was on the tree. The tree should in time also get furnished with a number of short spurs, which should give eood crops. From now on for the rest of the season a careful watch ehould be kept so as not to allow any tree to suffer from the dry weather. Mulching round the roots of each tree with any long litter- will prevent the sun's rays from doing so much damage. Keep a look-out for the annual appearance of the pear or plum elug, and at its first appearance dust the trees with lime or a mixture of helebore and water. Never allow the insect to get a hold, as it is sure to destroy the most of the foliage and thus promote autumn growth, and consequently less cropping powers for the following season. — Hortus.