Vermont Agricultural Report. 51 



cultivated. If they do not some kind of a cover crop can be 

 sown. That will draw the current of moisture away from the 

 roots of the trees and the rest of the season can be used in 

 ripening the wood. 



If any crops are grown among the trees, fertilizers must 

 be used or the trees will suffer. If root crops are grown select 

 such as do not require digging until late fall, when there will 

 bo no danger of starting the trees growing by stirring the soil. 

 No special kind of plow or harrow is needed. Young orchards 

 should be plowed, as comparatively deep cultivation keeps the 

 roots down deeper and the trees are not so easily affected by 

 drought. 



PRUNING. 



Pruning should go hand in hand with cultivation. It is 

 difficult to determine which is the more important. Take a late 

 planted tree and a severe pruning will many times save its life. 

 The reason for this is not hard to see. The natural time to plant 

 trees is during their dormant period, but many times we wait 

 too long and the leaves start. Then when the tree is moved its 

 connection with the soil moisture is cut off and the leaves draw 

 directly from the tree and dry it out. Now if the top is nearly, 

 or quite, all cut away it gives the roots a chance to get hold 

 of the soil moisture before new buds have put out. Another 

 reason for a severe pruning at the time of planting is, that in 

 digging, two-thirds or more of the roots are left in the ground, 

 so we should prune off a corresponding amount of the top. This 

 directs the growth into a fewer number of buds and we get a 

 few good branches instead of a lot of poor ones. 



In succeeding years we prune to shape the tree to our ideal. 

 A low-headed tree with an open top is the best. To get this, 

 select three or four branches after the tree has grown one season, 

 head them back to fifteen or eighteen inches, leaving the ends 

 nearly on the same level ; then prune off all the other branches. 

 The next year leave two branches on each of these, heading 

 them back to twelve or fourteen inches. This method followed 

 up for three or four years gives a good framework, and by 

 shortening or heading back the main branches they grow thicker 

 and in later years are less liable to break down under a load of 

 fruit. 



The main branches of the first two years should be kept clean 

 from fruit spurs. As blight always starts in the blossom it will 

 avoid losing any of the main branches. In later years the 

 annual pruning is an easy way to thin the fruit. 



