134 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



some pensli and the rem a in in ii; are benefited, therefore all the limbs are 

 n<»t necessary and some may be a detriment to it. 



Man wants the fleshy portion of fruit and not the seeds. He must 

 Ihin vigorously in order that size and quality may come before number. 

 l*eople should look into a neglected orchard and see what goes on in 

 llie tree tops. 



Plant physiology, it is the common assertion that pruning exhausts 

 as the cutting off of limbs destroy a given amount of tissue in the 

 l>roduction of Avliich the i)lant has expended etfort. Vitality of a. plant 

 is not fixed but determined by conditions under Avhich it grows, char- 

 i!<ter of soil and treatment it receives. If a plant is what its environ- 

 r.H nt makes it, the removal of a portion of it can't destroy its vitality 

 unless it is so great as to interfere Avith the nutrition of the remaining 

 parts. There is an exact balance between the feeding capacity of the 

 ])lant, that k its root system and food supply and the superfiicial growth 

 of the plant. The> more active and efficient the root the larger the to]). 

 If part of the top is removed there is an <mdeavor to supply the de- 

 ficiency by an exceedingly rapid gi-owth. Pruned plants are always 

 more active than unpruned ones because of the concentration of a some- 

 what constant food sui)ply into a smaller nuud)er of branches. Now, 

 some will say if it increases growth, why not cut oft" larger branches? 

 The vitality will not be touched, but they ex])ose dangerous wounds. Apt 

 to open the tree so I'emaining parts scald and borers get in. Spoils the 

 symmetry and convenience of the tree also. 



Common ex|)erience is the strongest proof. What if jtruning was 

 devitalizing, advise a grape grower not to ])rune. We could not afford 

 to discontinue it. Gains in size, quality of fruit, ease of cultivation and 

 spraying are the benefits obtained if pruned as it should be done. It 

 is useless to si)eak of ])runiug as it should not be done. Anything done 

 wrong is worse than is not done. We should know when, why, and 

 how to do things before trying them. There is abundant opportunity 

 for improvement in methods but ]»runing as it should be performed is 

 indispensable to successful horticulture. 



VALUE OF rRACTtOAL KNOWLEDGE OF PLANT DISEASES. 



BY B. w. KErrH. 



Mr. Chairman, Friends and Members of Horticultural Society: 



If the modern fruit grower of today could have existed thirty years 

 ago Avith all his modern ideas, improvement and methods, he could 

 liave cared for and liarvested his crop at a cost of one-third of what 

 it costs him at the i)resent stage of fruit gTowing. Then the protection 

 of fruit against plant diseases was not so essential as it is today; ajjples, 

 I)ears, })eaches and otlier fruits blossomed, grew and ripened almost 

 unmolested. Today, such is not the case. Thousands of dollars are lost 

 annually in Michigan by the ravages of i)lant diseases and, as much 

 if not more, is s])ent yearly in the prevention of these much dreaded 

 pests. 



