By Avery Brayden The wild pear is one of the species that have given rise to the many garden varieties cultivated for their sweet, succulent fruit. It is a native of southern, central and western Europe, but, since ancient times, has been cultivated in the vicinity of human habitations. A comparatively small tree, it grows to a height of 10 to 20 metres, and develops a dome-like crown with erect branches and thorny twigs. The bark is furrowed in squares. The alternate leaves have a stalk almost as long as the blade. The abundantly borne white flowers appear in April and early May. The rounded fruit is borne on long stalks, and is yellow-green when ripe. The wild pear has deep roots and favours light, deep soils. The mountain … Read entire article »

By Guy Morris To truly appreciate the beauty of Alaska, you have to spend some time in the great outdoors. This means renting a cabin, staying in a lodge, or camping. If you aren’t a fan of ‘roughing it’, then you can also stay in bed and breakfast establishments or hotels that have been built to cater to all different types of travelers. Before deciding on how to spend your Alaskan vacation, contact different places to learn more about their availability. You will be surprised by how many people travel to Alaska each year. If you want to avoid the crowds, then you may want to visit during the off-season. Once you have decided where to stay when you visit Alaska, you will have to find activities to do … Read entire article »

By Lorenz Hills The leaves of woody plants consist of the stalk or petiole and the lamina or blade. The petiole facilitates movement and positioning of the leaf. The blade is the part where photosynthesis, respiration and transpiration take place. It may also be limited by the curling or drooping of the leaves, and increased by the movement caused by wind. The evaporation of water during transpiration also serves to cool the leaf surface and prevents the leaf tissues from being damaged by high temperatures. Compound leaves are referred as trifoliate if they consist of three leaflets radiating from a single point. If there are five or more of these leaflets and if they radiate from the end of the petiole, the leaf is termed palmately compound. When the … Read entire article »

By Abraham Kiyoski The strong-growing varieties can be grown as cordons if the site is warm and the soil good. The rows have to be 6 feet apart and the cordons 10 feet apart in the rows. The cordons are trained horizontally and thus stakes and wiring must be provided. Under this system a stake with a minimum diameter of 3 inches, and preferably chestnut, should, when 2 feet of its base has been thoroughly treated with Cuprinol, be driven into the ground securely so that the top is 2 feet 3 inches above soil level. They could also be grown on the ‘Grow as you like’ system, being allowed to scramble over a trellis or cover a fence or wall. Under this system very little pruning is necessary, though … Read entire article »

By Ron House In 1958 tremendous publicity was given to climbing strawberries which appear to have remontant blood. The original climber is said to have been produced in Germany by Herr Hummel and called by him Sonjana. Georges Truffaut of Versailles, France, has the sole rights for that country, selling the variety under the name Truffaut-Prodige. The idea is to cultivate the blueberry in a similar manner to the blackcurrant: the rows should be 8 feet apart and the bushes 4 feet apart in the rows. The fruit is picked once a week during August and. September when other soft fruits are over. King’s acre berry is a hybrid raised by crossing the blackberry and raspberry. It is picked earlier than the loganberry and the fruit comes away from … Read entire article »

By Anthony Philip The pruning of gooseberries must be divided into two main groups. There is, first of all, the pruning of the varieties that have been grown entirely for dessert, and here it is a question of producing a fairly open-shaped bush where the laterals are cut hack to within 2 inches of their base and the leaders, or one-year-old end growths, back by about half to an upward pointing bud. As the bush gets older some of the spurs have to be thinned out so as to automatically reduce the number of fruit buds. The aim should be to produce compact bushes with the branches well off the ground. These not only make picking difficult but they are apt to blow off in the wind. Fortunately, gooseberries show potash … Read entire article »

By Mavis Batey Those who have been fascinated by the bowls of Alpine strawberries offered to them on the Continent may like to grow their own. Remontant strawberries need heavy organic manuring, plus plenty of water during the summer. They mature twice as quickly as ordinary kinds and they need moisture during the rapid build-up of crowns in summer. The planting of new rows is usually done in October and when the first blossoms appear in May these are removed. It helps if diluted Liquinure is given. About the third week of July it pays to mulch the ground with sedge peat so as to keep the heavy crop of berries off the ground. There seems to be no clearcut end to a truss of flowers which may continue to grow … Read entire article »

By David Uriah Each year, in February, hoof and horn meal should be applied at the rate of about 3 oz. to the sq. yard. This is distributed over the straw and is allowed to wash in. On very light land, likely to be low in potash, wood ashes may be applied at lb. to the sq. yard, or a natural form of sulphate of potash at 2 oz. to the sq. yard. The potash dressing would only be necessary once every three or four years. Not only do blackcurrants revel in this no-digging method of cultivation but, in addition, it proves to be a far cheaper method of cultivation than the shallow digging and hoeing. Anyway, the blackcurrants can send their roots right up to the surface of the soil, … Read entire article »

By Michael Wright It is useful if the sawdust can be soaked with water as the layers go into position. To do this it is advisable to use a square area sprinkler and a hose so that artificial rain can be given to each layer for at least ten minutes. Cultivated chemically-fed soils deteriorate slowly to semi-desert conditions. The mistake however that many people made in the past was that they didn’t realize that their grass must be kept cut. When turf is continually mow it returns more nitrogen to the soil than it takes up, but if it grows long the reverse is the case. Grass is not surface rooting. It may send down fibers 6 feet or more in search of water. A sward under fruit trees … Read entire article »