204 State Horticultural Society. 



DISCUSSION ON CULTIVATION. 



Mr. Darsche — This is an excellent paper just read by Prof. 

 Gould. I want to ask what distance should we plant our apple 

 trees ? 



Prof. Gould — It depends somewhat on the variety and condi- 

 tion of the soil. Generally speaking, trees should not be closer 

 than 32 or 34 feet. In fifteen years you will find they are close 

 enough. I have been in orchards where trees were 25 feet apart, 

 and, if the soil was rich, they would be too close in ten or fifteen 

 years. Two rods is a good average distance. 



Mr. Darsche — When is the best season to prune? 



Prof. Gould — There are two things which we prune for. In 

 the dormant season it is done primarily to thin out. While prun- 

 ing through the growing season would have more tendency to 

 check growth and transfer food material to the fruit buds for gen- 

 eral growth, perhaps a short time before the growth starts in the 

 spring is the best. At such seat^on the wounds made by cutting 

 will grow over more quickly, while pruning in the winter allows 

 the wounds to remain open until growth starts in the spring. 



Col. Evans — Does not the soil cut some figure in the distance 

 for planting? 



Prof. Gould — I w^ant to make that point clear. The strength 

 of the soil has much to do with the vigor of the tree. 



Col. Evans — I find places in Missouri where all the fertility of 

 the soil is near the top. The roots spread out and soon meet other 

 roots. In different soil the roots will go down and the tree will 

 grow much better. 



Prof. Gould — You often hear it remarked that the roots spread 

 out only as far as the branches, but I have examined roots of a 

 peach tree some four or five years old, which had been cultivated 

 and had made a fairly vigorous growth, and the top had spread 18 

 feet, the roots on one side had spread 17 feet and on the other 19 

 feet. The whole spread of the roots was twice the spread of the 

 branches. 



Mr. Irvine — Do you think that the severe pruning done in the 

 west should be done here? 



Prof. Gould — I am not an extremist on pruning, and am not 

 sure I would advocate severe pruning in this country, but I would 

 in some. I have seen an orchard here that has been severely pruned 

 and given good results. In the northwest part of Arkansas there are 

 examples of severe pruning where the results were satisfactory. 



