Horticulture Commons^™

Chemical Thinning Of Apples, S E. Hardisty, N. H. Shorter

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

TWO important related problems of apple-growing in this State are biennial bearing and poor fruit size.

Early thinning by chemical means, is providing a valuable and practical means of tackling these problems.

With every prospect of heavy crops in most districts this year, many growers will be interested in the possibility of spray thinning.

The Fruit Industry In Other Lands. 5. The United States Of America (Continued), Frank Melville

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE United States grows in the vicinity of 64 million bushels of peaches, 83,000 tons of plums, 470,000 tons of prunes and 225,000 tons of apricots.

About half the peaches and the major portion of the plums, prunes and apricots are grown in California which is the centre of the canning industry.

There is also a large cherry industry concentrated mainly in the eastern side of the country. Production amounts to almost 100,000 tons of sweet cherries and 125,000 tons of sour varieties.

Hormone Sprays For Apricots, J E L Cripps

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

VARIOUS hormone sprays have been applied to apricots with the object of increasing fruit size and hastening maturity, and of these 245TA, the tri-ethanol amine salt of 245 trichlorophenoxyacetic acid, has in general, proved the most successful.

The increase in fruit diameter obtained with this spray in Western Australia has varied between 5 and 15 per cent, and is due to an increase in the size of the cells within the fruit, not to the production of a greater number of cells.

Seed Storage In Relation To Germination, G R W Meadly

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

WE are often asked how long seed can be stored and remain suitable for sowing.

There is no single answer as the period depends on a number of factors, including the type of seed, its condition at the time of storing and the nature of the storage.

Water Usage Trials With Bananas On The Gascoyne, W M. Nunn

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE banana industry at Carnarvon is an unusual one by most agricultural standards.

Normally a tropical plant liking relatively humid conditions in a high rainfall, the banana is cultivated at Carnarvon in an area of extremely low rainfall and with relatively low humidity throughout the year.

Water is pumped to irrigate the crop from the sands of the Gascoyne River bed or from bores adjacent to the river course.

Commercial Vegetable Growing In The Perth Metropolitan Region, L T. Jones

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

MARKET gardening with sprinkler irrigation on deep sandy soils around Perth is really a commercial application of hydroponics or sand culture principles.

Provision of a continuous and adequate supply of nitrogen is the major problem. Peat swamps scattered among the sandy areas have higher natural fertility. However, their common problems are drainage, acidity ("sourness"), salt and various special soil deficiencies. Over-liming of acid swamps can cause new problems.

Sclerotinia Rot Of Beans, S C. Chambers, M. Hardie

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

INVESTIGATIONS over the past three years suggest trenching is the most important practice for controlling Sclerotinia rot in market gardens.

None of the remaining measures under test gave satisfactory control of the disease, although some reduced its incidence significantly.

Bitter Pit : A Progress Report On The Use Of Calcium Nitrate Sprays For Its Control, Frank Melville, S. E. Hardisty

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

FREEDOM from serious pests and diseases such as Black Spot and Codling Moth and relative immunity from storage rots has greatly simplified apple growing in Western Australia.

However, what has been gained in this respect is often countered by pre-harvest and post-harvest physiological troubles which are rather common to apple growing in this State.

Bacterial Wilt Of Potatoes, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

EACH season, Bacterial Wilt causes heavy losses to individual growers in several of the potato districts throughout the South-West of the State.

The disease is incited by the bacterium Pseudomonas solanacearum E.F.Sm. and is most prevalent in the districts of Donnvbrook. Pemberton and Manjimup as well as in the area between Waroona and Dardanup.

It is a tuber-borne disease which is extremely difficult to eradicate, once it has been introduced on to a property.

The Budding Of Fruit Trees, T F. Herlihy

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A LTHOUGH the principles of budding and grafting are basically the same—that is, t h e success depends upon the close contact of the cambium layers of both stock and scion—the operations are performed at different times of the year.

The Fruit Industry In Other Lands. 1. The United Kingdom, Frank Melville

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE following report deals with the many aspects of fruit growing both technical and commercial covered during a tour of three overseas countries undertaken on behalf of the Department of Agriculture and the fruitgrowers of Western Australia.

In the course of the three and a half months spent on this work, 13 research establishments were visited and contacts were made with research personnel both within these organisations and elsewhere.

Visits to commercial fruit growing areas were made with extension officers and these included brief visits to packing houses.

Altogether I had discussions with 127 research and extension personnel and industry …

The Pruning Of Fruit Trees—Part 2. Framework Pruning Of Deciduous Trees, H R. Powell

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 3

The early prunings are very important for the reason that they determine the height of the trunk, and the number and spacing of the main and secondary arms and leaders. Mistakes made then are difficult to rectify later on.

The Preperation Of Rose Beds, C C. Hillary

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 3

Roses equal to the world's best can be produced almost anywhere in the south-western part of Western Australia with little more attention than is bestowed on most other flowers. It is essential, however, that suitable soil conditions should be provided for the plants.

The Glorious Gladiolus, F Jackson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 3

Possessing a wide colour range and striking beauty of form, the gladiolus is one of our most popular and spectacular annuals. When grown in large numbers, the mass formations of varied hues make beds of gladioli a sight to be remembered, but the flower is probably displayed at its best when used as a home decoration.

Daffodils For Everyone, C C. Hillary

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 3

For hundreds of years, poets and authors of renown in almost every country have extolled in verse and prose the loveliness of the daffodil. And well they might, since it is a floral gem of great beauty and one so widely grown that it might well be called everybody's flower.

The Winter Pruning Of Roses, C C. Hillary

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 3

Next to picking armfuls of blooms, I doubt whether any phase of rose growing gives the gardener greater pleasure than pruning. To cut off a misplaced branch, or to relieve the plant of worn-out wood which has already produced its share of flowers; to snip away the spindly growths and twiggy bits which overcrowd the centre of the bush; to stand off and visualise just how lovely the plant will look when covered with flowers in three months' time, only to return again and cut off an inward-growing shoot which threatens to upset the symmetry of the bush; all this …

Plant Your Roses Carefully, C C. Hillary

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 3

While the planting of roses is a comparatively simple business, there are certain rules which must be followed if losses are to be avoided. Most of the roses sold by nurserymen in this State are raised on what is known as Fortuniana stock. The origin of this stock is somewhat obscure, but it is thought to be the result of a cross between Rosa banksia and Rosa laevigata. Whatever its origin, however, it is certainly a very vigorous stock and one which thrives better in the soils and climate of this State than any other. A further advantage is its …

Shrubs For The Farm Home, C C. Hillary

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 3

Shrubs are of value in every garden and, when carefully chosen and properly planted in suitable positions, a collection can provide beauty and interest at all seasons of the year.

New Arrivals In The Rose World, C. C. Hillary

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 3

More new roses have been introduced since the war ended than in any similar period previously. In the past, however, new roses have not always meant better roses, and what is most pleasing about this latest batch of novelties is that quite a number show a distinct improvement over the older sorts. More especially is this improvement apparent in the newer hybrid polyantha roses which are now available in a range of colours undreamt of only a few years ago.

Leaflet No 256 - Climbing Cut-Worm Or Tomato Moth (Chlorodea Obsoleta), L. J. Newman

Bulletins 1 - 2999

During the past spring caterpillars of various kinds have been unusually prevalent. In some instances they have been so numerous as to constitute a plague.

The caterpillar most in evidence was the larva of the Climbing Cut-worm or Tomato Moth.

Bulletin 122 - Fruit-Fly: Description And Control, L. J. Newman

Bulletins 1 - 2999

IT is a fundamental principle of Economic Entomology that, in order to successfully combat an insect, the life history of that insect must be worked out. A feature common to all insects is a series of stages involving distinct changes of form which succeed each other in a definite order.

An insect like the fruit-fly affords no exception to this universal rule. Beginning with the fly, we have in regular succession—Egg, Larva, Pupa, and finally the fly again. These stages represent what is known as the life cycle of time insect. Each change—such as larva to pupa, pupa to fly—is …

Bulletin 106 - The Red-Legged Velvet Earth Mite, L. J. Newman

Bulletins 1 - 2999

This pest is sometimes called in error the "Red Spider" or the 'Earth Flea."

It is neither a spider nor a flea, being a species of mite.

It belongs to the family of mites known as the Eupodidae and to the Genus Notophallus. Many of the members of this family are predaceous, that is, they live upon other insects or animals, but the species we are dealing with appears to be wholly a plant feeder. A popular idea is that the mite lives and breeds in the earth. The rapidity with which newly planted vegetables become infested gives good excuse …

Bulletin No 84 - Tomatoes - Their Culture In Western Australia, H. D. Larwood

Bulletins 1 - 2999

The use of the tomato has become so general during recent years that it is now in great demand as one of the most popular and wholesome articles of diet.

The plant is heat-loving, but is easily destroyed by host. In temperate regions it is seasonable during the summer months. With suitable methods an early crop can be produced several weeks earlier than the main crop, and several months before stone fruits are available; because of this the "early' crop of tomatoes is usually a most profitable one. "Early" tomatoes placed oni the market during September and October often realise …

Bulletin No 80 - Cultivation Of Sugar Beet, Percy G. Wicken

Bulletins 1 - 2999

The beet belongs to the Chenopodiaceae or Salsolaceae, an order of plants which include among them many of the native saltbushes. The sugar beet (Beta vuigaris crassa) is supposed to have been developed from the wild beet (Beta vulgaris maritima), which is indigenous to the countries along the coast of Southern Europe. it is a biennial plant—that is, of two years' duration. The first year it produces a full-sized root, the second year it produces its seeds, and then dies off. Sometimes a few plants Produce seed the first year, but this is only on account of the seed being …