322 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



on the ground. So I am now somewhat in favor of headind the apple trees 

 higher, because I have once or twice taken off very large limbs that I 

 might cultivate the orchard, and I have to do it again, if I cultivate it. I 

 am now trimming my trees higher than I did at first. 



President Hobbs: We will now pass on to the next topic on the 

 progi-am, which is, "Why Prune and Thin?" by Prof. E. S. GofiC. 



Professor Goff: Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen— When I noticed 

 the wording of the subject on the program, "Why Prune and Thin?" 

 I thought at first that there was very little to do, because you only asked 

 me to say why I would prune and thin, which could be told in a very 

 few words; but I have since changed my mind about it, because really 

 it involves the whole problem of pruning, for if we know why we prune, 

 then we will know how to prune. 



PRUNING AND THINNING. 



BY E. S. GOFF, WISCONSIN. 



[Abstract.! 



From specimens of apple twigs, the speaker showed that most of the 

 buds that form on the young wood fail to develop into branches. Many 

 never start at all; many that do start are crowded out by shade produced 

 by the growth from the terminal buds. Some develop into fruit spurs, 

 which may continue to bear fruit during several 3'ears if the growth be- 

 yond does not become so dense as to unduly shade them. 



Nature prunes trees by the most costly of all processes, i. e., by starv- 

 ing the superfluous branches to death. The fruit grow<^r may aid nature 

 by cutting off the superfluous branches while they are small, thus per- 

 mitting the nourishment that would otherwise go to them while they con- 

 tinue to live to be used by the other branches. 



Flower buds are mainly formed on fruit spurs, in the apple, but they 

 will not form without plenty of light. It is, therefore, necessary to keep 

 the outer ends of the branches sufficiently thinned out so that all of the 

 fruit spurs may have access to plenty of light. 



Certain varieties of the apple, plum, peach and some other fruits tend 

 to overbear in seasons favorable to the production of fruits. In this case 

 the fruits should be thinned, while small, by picking off those specimens 

 that have been injured by insects or that are undersized. Thinning en- 

 ables the rest of the fruit to grow larger, tends to keep certain insects in 

 subjection, reduces the draft upon the tree and relieves the necessity of 



