Summer Meeting, 93 



fire, in place of trimming up his trees with an axe, six or seven 

 feet from the ground, so as to drive under them. A number of 

 other questions come before us. On the subject of pruning, will 

 say that the average apple tree understands its own business almost 

 as well as you or I. Keep out the water sprouts is about all we 

 need to do in our orchards. As the trees get older and some of the 

 lower limbs become overlapped, it is best to cut off the lower 

 branches. This allows the fruit to color better. We start the 

 head about two and one-half feet high, then take off these low 

 hanging limbs as necessary. Don't expect to cultivate the body of 

 the tree. Do not favor high-headed trees in this part of the 

 country. 



Question — What experience with the spading or cutaway har- 

 row, 



Seni.tor Dunlap — I have 16 or 18 at work, and prefer it to the 

 solid disc. The ground is left less ridged and it does not tear the 

 roots so badly. It don't turn the ground quite so well as the solid 

 disc on very solid ground. I use the extension disc, and find in 

 cultivating orchards, especially in a dry time, we can go zig-zag 

 around the trees, coming back on the other side, so we find we can 

 swing round the trees this way with less difficulty and get closer to 

 the trees with less injury than by going straight. 



Question was asked if we would not prune apple trees more in 

 South Illinois than at Champaign. 



. Senator Dunlap — To prune a tree rightly, we must begin when 

 young, as we do with a boy's character. Retain the center limb and 

 avoid letting too^ many limbs come out where the crotch forms. If 

 two start there, cut one off to prevent the tree splitting. Then 

 space the limbs of this center branch, not allowing two limbs at the 

 same place. If we adhere to this principle closely, very little prun- 

 ing is necessary, except in the most closely growing trees. These 

 are pruned out by cutting back" to the center limb. This thins out 

 the center of the tree. If I were going to prune specially for the 

 good of the orchard, I would remove all hedges and timber belts 

 around it. In Illinois we used to think that shelter belts were 

 necessary, and planted belts of evergreens. The orchard trees are 

 now dead, but the evergreens are still living. Shows that shelter 

 belts are a mistake. 



