1 88 



Bulletin 307 



If trees are planted too close together, when they reach maturity they 

 become so crowded that light and air are excluded; the branches are 

 forced upward in their search for sunlight, producing a high head and 

 reducing the bearing surface to a small inaccessible area in the tops of 

 shade trees (see Fig. 18). The dense shade results in fruit of poor quality, 

 so that a low income per acre occurs at a time when the trees should be 

 at their best. 



Until trees grow large enough to begin to crowd, the yield per acre will 

 be larger when the trees are planted closely, because there are more trees 

 per acre. But if large crops from mature trees are to be expected, the trees 

 must be planted farther apart. In such planting, until the period of full 

 bearing is reached the yield per acre will not be so great, owing to the 

 few trees per acre. 



PRUNING 



The general practice in Ontario county is to prune every year, 58 per 

 cent of the orchards being treated in that way. (See Table 15.) Sixteen 

 per cent are pruned occasionall3^ The fact that pruning in 53 per cent 

 of the orchards is only fair, and in over 23 per cent is poor, does not speak 

 well for the production of first-class apples. Less than 24 per cent of 

 the orchards are well pruned. The chief method of pruning is to cut 

 out the suckers and deadwood, and perhaps to thin a little. Some 

 growers trim the trees a Httle more. Only about 2 per cent make an 

 attempt to keep the trees open headed. 



TABLE 15. General Practice in Pruning 



Orchards 



Frequency 



Every year. . . . 



Once in 2 years 



Once in 3 years 



Occasionally. . . 

 Character 



Good 



Fair 



Poor 



Method 



Thinned 



Trimmed 



Open headed . . 



Headed back . . 



