1/4 State Horticultural Society. 



be required to carry the load without too great strain. The limbs 

 must come from the trunk on its various sides, at proper distances, 

 with no two of them coming from the trunk directly opposite each 

 other as such a growth tends to weaken the tree, besides there is danger 

 of water collecting in the crotches and freezing, thereby causing a 

 split. By allowing the leader to continue other limbs can be grown 

 which would give a greater surface for fruit bearing, a larger capacity 

 for carrying the load and make the danger of splitting crotches much 

 less. While varieties of irregular habits can not easily be extended be- 

 yond a certp.in leader and lower limbs, kinds of more regular and upright 

 growth can be successfully grown on the two story plan. I have now 

 given a partial description of the foundation for a well-formed top, but 

 to dispose of the difficulties that will be encoimtered in bringing out the 

 desired result is quite another thing. Young trees are not always pro- 

 vided with a center leader, and do not always have limbs just where you 

 want them, but they should be grown with a center leader and properly 

 branched for limbs. When such trees can not be procured a good sub- 

 stitute is a strong two-year-old tree in the whip form. There may be 

 those who are opposed to pruning but certainly the young tree should 

 have a well formed top. ISTature does not always have its own w^ay in the 

 growth of a young tree, for it has many enemies to contend with. 

 Worms and insects often destroy the buds of the young twig and change 

 its course, making the young tree ill shaped, so to get the tree into more 

 shapely proportions we have to resort to pruning. While much has 

 been said about giving the tree a longer life by budding or grafting on 

 whole roots, the well formed top which is of equal importance, has re- 

 ceived much less attention. It is evident whether it be a whole root or 

 a piece root, that the tree should have a good root system, but if the 

 top is formed with forks, and has but three or four limbs, it certainly 

 is in a very poor condition to carry a load and resist the fury of the storms 

 that play such havoc with our orchards. Besides when we plant the 

 young tree, its roots are buried out of sight, but the tree with its well 

 formed top will stand in after years as a monument to the skill and care- 

 ful training of the orchardist. 



