EXPERIxMENT STATION WORK WITH APPLES. 545 



PLANTING AND PRUNING TREES. 



A comparison was nuuU^ at the Nebraska Station" of the growth in 

 the orchard of 1-year wliips, 2-3'ear whips, 2-3^ear tops on 3-\'ear roots, 

 and 2-year linih trees. At the end of three 3'ears there was a slight 

 advantage in growth in favor of the 3-3'ear-ohl trees. The 2-year 

 limb trees stood second. The l-year trees were smallest, bnt had 

 made a much larger growth relatively than the older trees. The 

 results are believed to indicate that it is l)etter to plant 1-year trees, 

 if available, rather than wait another year in order to get older trees. 

 Cutting back apple trees aftei" ])laiiting to a mere whip is not believed 

 to be good practice. While such ti-ees ai"«> as likely to live, they lose in 

 growth. Shortening the bi'aiich l)ack about half seemed to give better 

 results than not heading it at all and Avas nmch better than pruning 

 to a whip. In a similar series of experiments at the Rhode Island 

 Station,'' covering a period of three 3'ears, Professor Card came to the 

 conclusion that, for practical pui'poses, the most rational method of 

 trans})lanting trees in the orchard is to leave on all sound roots and 

 shorten back the tops about half. Other experiments at the Nebraska 

 Station indicate that fall-planted trees do make some root growth late 

 in the fall and early in the spring before leaf growth starts. Notwith- 

 standing this fact, however, it is believed that fall planting will not 

 prove as satisfactory in that State as spring planting, })ecause of the 

 dr3'ing effects on the trees over winter. 



In Wvoming*" a test was made of eastern versus western grown 

 trees. At the end of the j^ear 38 per cent of the trees obtained from 

 New York had died, while onh^ 9 per cent of those obtained from 

 Colorado had died. In another experiment the figures were 32^ per 

 cent and 17 per cent, respectively, in favor of western trees. 



In experiments reported 1)3' the Woburn ExpcM'iment Fruit Farm in 

 England,'' where trees were not cut l)ack at planting nor subsecpiently 

 pruned, they were straggling in form and there was a general loss in 

 vigor of growth. Nevertheless, the amount of fruit borne by such 

 trees was in excess of the average. When the trees were cut back at 

 planting and not subsequenth' pruned the3' assumed the general 

 straggling form noted above, but sufl'ered no loss in vigor of growth. 

 Th<* experiments were slightly in favor of an inmi(>diate cutting back 

 on setting rathcM- than waiting until a year later. Tives root-pruned 

 every 3'ear for four years after ])lanting out made but little more than 

 half the growth of normal trees, and those root-pruned ever^- other 



« Nebraska Sta. Bui. 56. 



''Rhode Island Sta. Rpt. 1901, p. 2.38. 



cWyoiiiiii^'Sta. P.iil. :?4. 



'MVohurn Kxi-t. Kriiit Farm K|.t. I'HM), pp. 1(M>, 252. 



8. Doc. 148, 58-2 35 



