328 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



pruned vigorously by shortening in branclies as well as thinning out, and 

 has had, even in this year of demoralized prices, a profitable season, sell- 

 ing his fruit readil}' at the highest prices on account of its superior 

 quality. 



President Morrill exhibits here today some wonderful specimens 

 and photographs of vigor of growth and perfection of wood that are 

 marvels, and the fruit the past season was of the highest grade. I 

 believe that in the discussions which shall follow this paper he will 

 concede that his March pruning and shortening in to relieve the trees 

 of pollen exhaustion has been one of the main causes leading to his phe- 

 nomenal success as a grower of fancy fruit. I understand he has 

 followed this system since the starting of the trees, and supplemented 

 this with vigorous thinning of fruit to relieve the trees of the great 

 strain of seed formation, so they were always in command of their full 

 powers, bearing only the fruit they could bring to the highest perfec- 

 tion. I think he will also concede that this thinning and pruning caused 

 the fruit to take on a much richer flavor and firmer texture. 



Then, again, this early pruning concentrates the growth upon a few 

 buds, which, under the influence of the early summer rains, make the 

 principal growth before the great strain of seed formation begins. As 

 a rule, very little growth is made after seeds begin to form, but, the size 

 having been attained, the whole latter part of the summer and fall are 

 utilized in maturing the wood and preparing for winter. All danger of 

 late growth is largely avoided. A growth thus perfected will stand many 

 more degrees of cold than an unrestricted tree. 



We may now consider what are the limitations of pruning. We must 

 again note the habits of the tree. There must be a perfect balance main- 

 tained between the root and branch. In the normal condition the amount 

 of top corresponds to the amount of roots. If you find a large limb and 

 dig directly under it, you will find a correspondingly large root. If we 

 cut away the top and remove the foliage we destroy the means of diges- 

 tion and bring the tree to the same condition of the dyspeptic. The 

 roots gather the food and force it up for digestion, and it remains in that 

 condition and greatly weakens the tree. How are we, then, to cut away 

 the unnecessary branches? Nature has provided for this. During the 

 fall months the tree stores up an immense amount of plant food in its 

 wood, as a resource for early spring, for use before the ground is warm 

 enough for the roots to act. In mid-wiuter, when the ground is frozen, 

 if we train a branch of the grapevine in a warm, light room, it will at 

 once proceed to leave out and make considerable growth, exhausting the 

 resources in its wood cells before growth is suspended. I have mulched 

 currants and gooseberries heavily in winter, and in the spring the leaves 

 would attain full size while the roots were all frozen solid. The tem- 

 perature of the air, and not of the ground, governed in starting the 

 growth. I am satisfied roots do not gather food to any extent until the 

 ground is quite warm. Now, we may take advantage of this and remove 

 as much of the top as will equal this early growth. The draining of the 

 stored supplies, and the growth already made, compensates for the parts 

 cut away, and the whole action of the tree proceeds with entire harmony. 

 I believe we may with safety and profit remove fully half of the previous 



