238 ANNUAL, REPORT. OF THK Off. I>OC. 



the age of 3 and 6 years comes under the hands of the farmer or 

 fruit raiser, and the success of that orchard depends upon the prac- 

 tical Icnowledge and skill which he possesses. If he has no knowl- 

 edge of the habits of growth of the dilterent trees and gives them 

 improper pruning in early life all the skill he may attain in future 

 years can never fully overcome the evils of early mistakes. 



Very few trees coming from a nursery suit every one planting an 

 orchard. Some want their trees with high tops, others want low- 

 headed trees and both may be right as great success has been at- 

 tained under both systems. The man who wishes to keep his or- 

 chard under cultivation, when in bearing, must have his trees trained 

 higher, while the man who cultivates a few years then adopts the 

 mulch system wants lower headed trees. How shall this difficulty 

 be overcome? By buying one-year old trees. I am frequently asked 

 what aged trees to buy. I invariably recommend one-year old trees. 

 My reasons are first, getting a good, strong one-year old 4 to 6 feet 

 from the bud you get the very cream of the nursery. Anyone fami- 

 liar with nursery stock knows that only a small percentage gets that 

 size in one year. It must have strong individuality, a strong root 

 system, full of vigor and stored-up vitality. Such stock makes the 

 very best foundation upon which to build. This is not the only ad- 

 vantage with such stock. You have, when cut back, a top and root 

 properly balanced. You can form the head high or low as you de- 

 sire. Your first step in pruning is the shortening of the roots, cut- 

 ting off all mutilated roots. Hold the tree with the top farthest 

 from you and the roots facing you. Then with a sharp knife cut off 

 all the roots to 3 to 5 inch stubs with the cut from below outward. 



The reason for this is w^hen the tree is set in the hole the plane 

 of the cut surface will be flat on the ground. In a very short time 

 granulations will be thrown out and rootlets will be thrown out- 

 ward and downward and in a few weeks the young tree will be se- 

 curely anchored. After the trees are all planted, then prune the 

 tops. The reason for deferring this until the tree is planted^ you can 

 start all your tops at a uniform height. If the trees are two years 

 old with tops formed, then cut back from one-half to two-thirds of 

 last season's growth and always, unless the tree is very spreading, 

 cut above an outside bud. If the tree is a one-year old, cut to a uni- 

 form height of 2 to 3 feet from the ground. Every one familiar with 

 a young tree knows it is full of dormant buds from the crown to the 

 top; not in straight lines, but ascending spirally around the tree. 

 In a short time after the tree is planted and pruned, if the weather 

 be warm, these buds swell and send forth young, tender shoots mak- 

 ing the stem quite green. Now is the time to form the top. Seize 

 the top of tree with one hand count five buds from above down, then 

 g-rasp the tree at this point with the other hand and with a down- 



