66 State Horticultural Society. 



a doubtful tree I never plant it. I would rather throw away than plant 

 a poor tree. If you find a tree not up to the .standard, do not plant it. 

 We do our sorting at the first, before planting, and if I think the chances 

 are against a tree, that trees goes out in the first place. The best apple 

 tree to plant, in my opinion, is a number one, two year old tree. This tree 

 ought to have the form of a pyramid. We want a straight center stem. 

 We want plenty of roots at the ground. About eighteen inches from the 

 ground you will find the branches coming out at right angles. This is the 

 model tree, in my opinion. If you get trees like this, you will have better 

 shaped trees than any other way. Too many of us think that we want 

 an apple tree and that we want to plant it ; that is all. We ought to have 

 an ideal. Our shade trees should be planted in the same way. It is a 

 great mistake to plant a straight switch with no branches. The model 

 tree is as pretty when young as when old. When I prune a tree, I first 

 look at the roots. I see how even these roots are, then take the shortest 

 root and cut the rest even, unless it is too short, so that the roots are 

 uniform. The top I take the same way. I cut the branches so that thev 

 will make a pyramid. Leave the center stem longer than the others. 

 Keep the ideal in mind; that you want the center stem to keep the lead. 

 You can then grow the apple tree as near the ideal as it is possible to do 

 it. If you find branches near the top, cut them shortest. We cut the 

 roots in the same way. I do not believe in cutting them too short, but 

 medium. If you find a branch is forked, cut one prong about six inches 

 long and leave one two or three feet long. The longer one will become 

 a branch. Sometimes the branches are too close together and some must 

 be taken out. If you have too many, take out every other one. Keep the 

 center stem in the lead all the time. I do not believe in pruning much 

 afterwards. Except in unusual cases, I do not prune. After the 

 first vear's growth, only, wc take ofi' nothing. After the second year's 

 grow th, we begin to form the tree symmetrically. If you do this, you will 

 get better trees than in the haphazard way some do. 



The first cost of the tree is not anything. The idea has been to get 

 them cheap without regard to quality. Some have been trying to get 

 ten cent trees for two and a half, three, four or five cents. A nursery- 

 man ought to grow' trees in this way and get better prices. It is better 

 for us to get trees grown in this way. If you have an ideal in mind, 

 you will have better trees. We usually head our trees about eighteen 

 inches. As this tree grows, if headed according to this, the lower branches 

 will smother themselves out and will grow very little as the tree gets 

 older. You can take these off, it necessary, and will not make a great 

 scar, r always put the heaviest roots to the southwest, also the heaviest 

 branches. 



