88 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 



very little work to prune a tree tliree or four time a year, cutting surplus 

 limbs before they get large. 



Mr. Evans — Just here I would like Mr. Holman to tell about his 

 neighbor Hazeltine's orchard. 



Mr. Holman — We can see in that orchard the lack of size in the 

 fruits. The last season they sold a great many apples as cider stock. 

 The old man has a sou who gets better apples than his father, but he 

 Taries the treatment a little. He is taking a medium course, pruning 

 systematically and with judgment. AYe speak of training trees. I 

 believe we should both cultivate and prune judiciously, and then our 

 orchards will bear apples of good size and color. If orchards are to 

 make themselves why should we have horticulture at all! I think it 

 great foolishness to prune as another neighbor who prunes severely 

 and gets a vigorious upright growth, plenty of water sprouts and little 

 fruit. 



Mr. Burroics — I have known an orchard bearing twelve or fifteen 

 years without pruning in that time, and it produces good fruit. Kot a 

 branch was cut except broken ones. There is no harm in taking a limb- 

 oft" out toward the end away from the body of the tree ; that is not 

 pruning; it is cutting back. You don't want your trees so high you 

 can run a mowing machine under the branches. In gathering we could 

 use a platform wagon, putting the apples directly into the barrels. 



Mr. Holman — In a few years he would not even need the barrels^ 

 It is better to have a certain amount of wood if it is in the right place- 

 Trees left to themselves will not grow the wood all in the right place. 

 I have thought the cutting oft" of a broken limb back to the crotch was 

 pruning. We have to train in the nursery for the orchard and in the 

 orchard for fruit. I know not how to train a tree without using the 

 knife. 



Mr. Goodman — I would like to ask Mr. Bryant to tell us of Mr.. 

 Wier's twenty-five years non-piuning. 



Mr. Bryant — I don't know much about it, but there are some of us^ 

 who would not care to take Mr. Wier for a pattern in all horticultural 

 affairs. I do not believe in much i)runing, and many farmers have no 

 idea of what they wish to make it in the end. If we begin the young 

 tree right and follow it up we never need severe pruning. Many will 

 take an old tree and cut off large limbs, and that, I think, is a serious- 

 injury in time. 



Mr. Brown — I would prune by rubbing off" the buds just as they 

 start. I can do this on 800 young Ben Davis trees in half a day. 



Mr. Evans — I think there are extremes both wavs. I would not 



