362 STATE BOAED OF AGEICULTUKE. 



is the time v.lien most people arc likely to uttend to it. A Avonnd mads by 

 sawing a large limb atHI heal quickest if cut in June, but rapid healing is not 

 the only thing to be considered. It is a serious objection to heavy pruning, — 

 that it checks the growth if done while growing rapidly. *'•' "Water sprouts" 

 and suckers should be rubbed off, while tender, two or three times during the 

 season. In fact, if all pruning were done in this way, it vrould bo better for 

 the tree. But few men will attend to it. The present price of fruit may not 

 warrant it. If a tree has been improperly pruned or neglected while young (and 

 nearly all of them have) the crotches, which are in danger of splitting down, 

 may bo tied together by grafting two limbs, which may serve as a mutual tie. 

 My rule is, even with trees in bad shape, not to cut off a limb over an inch in 

 diameter. If those larger are dead, or if you think they must come off, saw 

 them close and paint the wood as soon as dry. Avoid leaving stubs vdiich 

 will die and make an ugly weak spot in the tree. A smooth draw cut with a 

 sharj) knife is best. To direct several hands in prunning, give them all a talk 

 before beginning, and then go ahead and show them how. After a little start, 

 you can mark -with a crayon some of the largest limbs just where you Avant them 

 taken off. Tiiis is not the time and place to give any directions about pruning to 

 a wall, as it is often done in Great Britain. That is desirable in their climate 

 with mild winters and cool summers, but in our country of great extremes, such 

 pruniiig is never desirable. Trees so pruned in Michigan would bo worse off 

 summer and winter, than when pruned in the usual ways. 



Eoot pruning is sometimes resorted to, to promote fruitfulnes.s, but unless 

 done in a careful manner, it is better not attempted. 



HOW TOO OFTEISr DOKE. 



Perhaps once or twice in the life of an orchard, the owner goes in, or more 

 often he employs aprofcssionalprwwr to attack his orchard. He uses ladders, 

 and axes, and hand saws, and sometimes a paint dish and perhaps a jack-knife. 

 He often cuts out half the top by taking off large limbs and trimming all the 

 small ones on the lower part of the main branches. He chops and saws with- 

 out mercy or judgment. He prunes up and out, leaving a lot of bushes at the 

 ends of the remaining limbs. In this way he makes a great show with a little 

 labor. He lets in the light, and thinks he has made a great improvement. 



Sometimes the soil is not very good, the orchard becomes closely covered with 

 turf ; the trees do not grow nor bear much ; they are covered with moss and 

 infested with insects. The owner instead of going at the root of the matter and 

 working a reform in the soil, cuts off half the tops of his trees to make tJie other 

 half bear. Some young wood grows to take the place of the old, and on this 

 grow a few apples, but the trees soon succumb to the hard fare they have received. 

 I show here (in the lecture) an illustration of one of those three stor}^ trees, 

 trimmed almost to death. It is an old veteran, bushy at the to]! and covered 

 with scars. I saw the orchard in the Genesee Valley from which I presume Mr. 

 J. J. Thomas took the cut for his Fruit Culturist. Similar trees are not hard 

 to find in any of the older parts of our State. I have seen them in Monroe, in 

 Lenawee, and I know of some not over half a mile away from Lansing (the 

 Agricultural College is three). 



SUMMARY. 



There are advocates of all kinds of pruning and at all seasons of the 3'ear. 

 It is important that the boys have a good example. 



