inORTIETH ANNUAL REPORT. 133 



the business end. The fruit growers simply grow the fruit. When it 

 is about time to pick the association tells them what to pick, how much 

 and when. The men go ahead and pick, and sort the fruit. Then the 

 association sends around five men in a gang to pack the apples. These 

 men are specialists in their line, and they know how to pack and they do 

 it right. If the grower has not sorted it properly, they sort it over again 

 at the grower's expense. But if the grower has sorted it right, then they 

 simply pack it and each man as he packs a box of fruit puts his name or 

 his number in that box, thereby laying himself responsible to the associa- 

 tion for the quality of sorting and of packing of that box of fruit. I 

 think this is the best feature, perhaps, of the Hood River association's 

 methods and it is the thing we need most here. Besides this they adver- 

 tise more and get a broader range of markets than we do. And that is 

 another thing that we should strive for. 



The third thing is that they bring the railroads to time. They get 

 rates from the northwest which are comparable to our rates in Michigan, 

 \vhich should not be. So I appeal to the horticulturists of Michigan 

 to adopt a system of co-operation, to pull together instead of pulling 

 against each other. Thank you. (Applause.) 



PRUNING. 



BY CHARLES TUBBRGEN. 



Every owner of fruit trees exi^ects to prune, at least he considers 

 the advisability of the operation. There is the greatest difference of 

 opinion as to the merits of particular styles and methods of pruning and 

 perhaps equal difference as to the effect of the operation on the life and 

 health of the tree. Some have okseiwed the evil effect in pruning-, and 

 have reasoned that it is injurious, but v,^e must not cite the individual 

 instances and condemn the practice. We should he far enough advanced 

 by this day to pass on the merits of the practice as a whole but some still 

 doubt us. 



Pruning is not devitalizing from three sources : Philosophy, plant 

 physiology and common experience. By devitalizing I mean does it in- 

 jure a plant to remove part of it, is the entire growth of a plant nec- 

 essary to its health and longevity? 



There is an intense struggle for existence among all organisms. If 

 one species increases another decreases. They not only compete with 

 other species but individuals of the same species rival each other for 

 standing room. The suiwival of the fittest is continually showing itself. 

 A tree is a collection of individual plants, there are no two limbs alike 

 but are what their condition or position make them to be. The limbs 

 of an animal are copartners as they each have a certain definite function 

 to perform. The limbs of a tree rival each other in performing the same 

 function, the production of leaves, flowers, and buds. All have noticed 

 the young trees as their struggle to have all their buds produce. It 

 can never hope to have as many limbs as are buds. During the struggle 



