WINTER MEETING. 139 



twigs cut off the main limbs for a distance of three to five feet from 

 the trunk, leavinj^ only a small fly-brubh at the end of the limbs. 

 Some of them will be well cultivated, and others neglected. 



The first orchard that came under our observation we will find 

 more live and thrifty trees 10 to 1 than in any other orchard. 



Of all the orchards that I have visited, I have yet to see the first 

 tree that has died from what we call root blight, after coming into 

 bearing age, that has had its head started very low, say six inclies to a 

 foot from the ground, and all the small limbs left untouched. I infer^ 

 then, that if we plant only such trees that have very low heads, and 

 leave our knives at home and do the main part of our pruning by pinch- 

 ing, our trees will be more healthy and live longer than if pruned in any 

 other way. 



I know that this method will not meet the approval of many fruit- 

 growers of the State, but I firmly believe that until something better 

 is found to prevent the death of our trees, it will be better to have 

 limbs and apples lying on the ground all over the orchard on the low 

 limbs than to have no trees. 



To be sure, the apples grown on the low limbs will be deficient in 

 color and flavor: but if hogs can be put in the orchard, they will eat 

 all the fruit on the lower limbs, and make the balance all the better by 

 having a head that will protect the body of the tree and the ground 

 under it from the hot rays of the sun. 



Orchard Trees and Tree Fruit, 



By Conrad Hartzell, St. Joseph, Mo. 



Profit in fruitgrowing is the great prompter. Beauty demands 

 some attention — perhaps too little. Ti-ees for value first ; secondarily 

 for beauty. Trees for the orchard is our theme. No disparaging 

 word is hereby offered to the term shrub, but it should never be 

 accorded the place of a tree in the orchard. A!l manner of trees bear- 

 ing fruit were planted in the first orchard in a selected place, " east- 

 ward in Eden." No account of shrubbery being planted there. Man's 

 business there was to dress and keep the orchard. Beauty and value 

 were the governing propositions. 



Trees for the orchard — not shrubs — claims the attention in pro- 

 gressive horticulture. Too great haste commonly spoils the orchard. 

 The desire for too many shrubs — not trees — has wonderfully misled 

 very many fruit-growers in Missouri and elsewhere. Misguided begin- 

 nings hinder all manner of enterprises, but more particularly hinder 



