Scab, a fungus disease, causes black marks on the apples, which sometimes join to form black corky patches. It is usually worse on trees which have been excessively fed with nitrogenous fertilizers but is seldom bad where trees have been compost managed and have received sufficient potash. Spraying to kill the disease on the trees may be done with Fuclasin.

The trees are grafted on Mailing II or Mailing Merton 104 stocks and are planted close together in the rows, giving a neat uniformity which is so desirable in carrying out many of the routine operations in the orchard. Once they have reached their predetermined height they never alter in shape or size throughout the whole life of the orchard.

The canker spore having entered a wound, or a spur, usually spreads concentrically, causing sunken ‘shredded’ wood to appear. Paint over the cankers the moment they are seen with Medo, which is made by Pearson’s Antiseptic Co., Buckingham Palace Road, London.

The system involves a planting density of 600-750 trees to the acre, the optimum planting distance being 5 feet between the trees in the rows and 12 feet between the rows. The trees are usually allowed to grow to a height of 12 feet. The individual ‘pillar’ tree consists of an upright central stem forming the framework from which radiate the various lateral growths (there are no side branches whatever). The framework is built up to form an upright, rigid and permanent support for the fruit without requiring any additional support, at any time in its life.

Bitter pit is a physiological trouble which affects apples by producing sunken circular areas in the skin of the fruits. Usually these are dark green, though they may be brownish green. If the skin at this point is cut off thinly, a brown spot will be found just underneath the affected area. These Bitter Pit spots are often found on one side of the apples only.

In addition, when the leaders of the side branches prove to be 18 inches away from the main stem, these should be cut back to within a inch of their base in May. The idea is to keep the trees compact and not too tall. When the orchard is three years of age it will be grassed down, and once the grass is grown it will be kept cut regularly once a fortnight from April to October.