CORNELL READING-COURSE 

 FOR FARMERS. 



Issued by the College of Agriculture, Cornell Unirersity , 

 Ithaca, N. T., in the months of November, December, 

 January, Febi'uary and March. 



Entered at the post office at Ithaca, N. F., as second-class 



matter. 



READING-LESSON 



NO. 14. 



FEBRUARY, 1901. 



BY JOHN CRAIG. 



Orcharding. 



CARE OF THE TREE. 



The fruit tree will not take care of itself even with the best of cul- 

 tivation ; tliere are certain things that the grower must do, and chief 



among these is pruning. 



I. Pruning. 



1. Fruit trees must he i^^'^unied. — If a tree in an open field is 

 allowed to grow unpruned, the crown soon becomes a dense mass of 



"w 



m 



ti^- 



•.i *<«<«' 



\ 1 -U' 



'•i. afc'at i^:n 



The sad story of the neglected orchard ; no tillage ; no 

 prxining ; no spraying ; no fruit ! 



twigs and interlacing brandies, the density depending somewhat on the 

 variety. Now such a tree may produce as large a number of apples 

 as a well pruned, open-headed tree, but will there be the same percent- 



403 



