January, 1920 



BETTER FRUIT 



Page 9 



quickly. Large wood screws that 

 will not reach quite through the 

 base of the tree can often be used 

 with better results than bolts. This 

 work must be done very soon after 

 the damage has occurred. If a top 

 is permitted to retain this broken 

 position long the wound will dry 

 badly and worse breakage will 

 occur when the repair is attempted. 

 If this repair work cannot be done 

 very soon, it is usually better to 

 remove entirely the broken parts. 

 Young trees badly split or broken 

 can best be renewed by trimming 

 away the broken parts and permit- 

 ting the trunk to develop a new top. 

 In extreme cases it is best to re- 

 move the tree entirely and replant 

 with a young tree. 



There are many forms of supports 

 used in trees to prevent breakage. 

 The best system is to prune and 

 train the tree so that the large limbs 

 will be evenly distributed and suffi- 

 ciently strong to support a large 

 crop when the fruit is properly 

 thinned. The special propping of 

 individual limbs will be required 

 occasionally in heavily bearing 

 orchards that have received the 

 best pruning and training possible 

 to give, but proper thinning of the 



Figure 12. A Wagener tree that has been in fruit pro- 

 duction three or more years. Note the distribution of 

 tlie fruit spurs alongside of the pole-like large limbs. 



the limbs is sometimes used to good ad- 

 vantage. Usually, however, such ties 

 are too rigid and do not completely 

 avoid breakage. 



The center prop system with guy 

 ■vMires running from the top of a pole 

 standing in the center of the tree to 

 each individual branch is used by many 

 with very satisfactory results. The 



fruit will usually enable the grower to 

 dispense with nearly all props. 



Live ties, formed by twisting to 

 gelher two young shoots from opposite 

 branches, have been used in a great 

 many orchards. The objection to this 

 is that it is sometimes a breeding and 

 lodging place for insects and that it is 

 not where the support is most definitely 

 needed. It is practically impossible to 

 use these at any other position than 

 low down in the framework and for 

 that reason they are unsatisfactory. It 

 is better to avoid so far as possible, 

 the formation of a tree that makes nec- 

 essary the use of such ties. 



Cross tying opposite limbs with wire 

 that is fastened to screw eyes placed in 



Figure 11. The fruiting branch of a Gano tree. 



Note the distribution both on long and short 



spurs or twigs of last year's fruit crop 



produced at points B. 



damage that is liable to occur with 

 this form of prop is that the point 

 of support is placed under the limb 

 too near the trunk, with the result 

 that the limb breaks near the point 

 of support. In order that this sys- 

 tem may be used to its best advan- 

 tage, it is necessary that the pole 

 should extend well above the high- 

 est branches of the tree. 



The individual pole prop has the 

 advantage of being susceptible of 

 adjustment in any way that the 

 situation may demand, and can be 

 removed easily as soon as its need 

 has ceased to exist. All forms of 

 props should be considered as a 

 temporary relief from the unsatis- 

 factory situation that has developed 

 and no form can be devised that 

 will be of any more than temporary 

 value. The growth of the tree and 

 its development from year 

 to year will change the posi- 

 tion and amount of assistance 

 needed to carry the load of 

 fruit. 



Pears. 

 Young pear trees are pruned 

 very much the same as young 

 apple trees. A greater effort 

 is usually made to cause the 

 young trees to assume a 

 spreading form. A little summer 

 pruning may be of much help 

 in accomplishing this. The top 

 branches, if cut back to 

 an inside bud, will throw 

 out several branches and 

 the following year the 

 two-year-old branch can 

 be cut back to the one- 

 year-old outside branch. 

 This process will usually 

 secure a greater spread 

 of framework than cut- 

 ting to an outside bud. 

 Heavy cutting back is 

 often carried to excess 

 in an endeavor to cause 

 the young tree to de- 

 velop more side branches 

 and to cease its strong 

 upward tendency. Bet- 

 ter results will often be 

 attained if the trees are 

 brought to bearing age 

 with no more pruning 

 than is necessary to 

 secure a good, well bal- 

 anced framework. After 

 the habit of fruit bear- 

 ing is well established 

 heavy pruning is most 

 successful. The trees, 

 while bearing heavy 

 crops of fruit, develop 

 more lateral wood and 

 assume a more spread- 

 ing form. 



Th e fruit may be 

 thinned by pruning, but 

 hand work in removing 

 the fruits is much more 

 successful. The most 

 important work in prun- 

 ing is to head back the 

 few longest and strong- 

 est growing branches 



i" 



Figure 13. The 

 fruiting branch 

 of a VVagener 

 tree, showing 

 the short fruit 

 spurs and the 

 tendency of the 

 variety to pro- 

 duce exten- 

 tlonal branches 

 when headed 

 back. 



