March, 1922 



BETTER FRUIT 



Page Twenty-three 



Pruning Studies in 

 California 



(Continued from fuge 6) 

 is a well known physical fact that the 

 higher the concentration of a solution the 

 lower is its freezing point. Therefore, 

 the higher the concentration of the cell 

 sap the more cold the tree is able to stand 

 both during the winter and the succeeding 

 spring. 



Whitten reports that "in Missouri one 

 plot of peach trees which had continued 

 rank length growth until frost in autumn, 

 had all the flowers killed at a temperature 

 of 27 degrees. The following night the 

 temperature dropped to 22 degrees. An 

 adjoining plot of trees, which ceased length 

 growth early, but which maintained healthy 

 mature leaves to store plant food until 

 autumn, endured the lower temperature 

 safely without injury to their blossoms." 

 Similar results have been obtained on 

 various kinds of deciduous trees in Cali- 

 fornia by using what the growers have 

 termed the "long system." 



ESSENTIALS of this new system are as 

 follows: 



After five or six satisfactory placed 

 main laterals are secured on the young 

 tree no more heading in general seems 

 desirable. Further pruning consists of thin- 

 ning-out or cutting back to laterals in case 

 the tree or any of its parts grow out of 

 reach. This thinning must be carried out 

 that the proper ration between wood and 

 fruit production is maintained. Under 

 most conditions the uniform production of 

 six to eight inches of new shoot growth over 

 the whole apple or pear tree will prove 

 sufficient to mamtain this balance. 



In the same way six to eight inches on 

 sweet cherries, eight to ten inches On plums, 

 prunes and almonds, ten to fifteen inches 

 on apricots, and fifteen to thirty inches on 

 peaches may be taken as an index of a 

 proper vegetative vigor in these respective 

 species. A comparatively light pruning is 

 conducive to the development of healthy 

 fruiting wood throughout the tree which, 

 in this case, is not shaded out by the dense 

 rank growth of new shoots which normally 

 follows a severe heading back. 



A thinning-out methods favors to the 

 fullest extent the maximum development 

 of tree and fruit. Young trees thus 

 handled are at the same age larger both 

 in top and growth ; shorter but more 

 numerous new laterals are formed and the 

 admission of more light to the interior of 

 the tree stimulates the production of .i 

 continuous fruit-spur system from the low- 

 est crotch upward; come into bearing from 

 one to three years earlier; are more pro- 

 lific, with fruit better distributed over the 

 tree; withstand drought and frost better, 

 and, in most instances, pruning expense is 

 less. 



Trees pruned by a heading back process 

 are smaller, less stocky, slow in corainng 

 into bearing, do not bear maximum crops, 



^i*» ^ 11 .^i^^^jMH— ^M 



I FERTILIZERS 



i IT PAYS TO USE THEM 



Yield and quality decide profit 



Yield decides how many bushels 

 or pounds you have to sell. 



Whether the yield be large or 

 small, it costs you about the 

 same to grow an acre of a certain 

 crop. The more that acre pro- 

 duces, the larger your profit. 



Quality decides the market 

 price of your crop — the better 



the quality, the better the price. 



A few extra cents per bushel 

 or pound amounts to several 

 dollars on the entire crop. 



Swift's Red Steer Fertilizers 

 are made to produce bigger yields 

 of better quality crops. 



Buy from our local dealer or 

 write us direct. 



Swift & Company 



Fertilizer Department, No. 532 



No. Portland, Oregon 



RUODES UOCBLJE CUT 

 , PBUNING SHI 



RHODES MFG. 



320 S. DIVISION AVE., GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. 



YHE only 

 pruner 

 made that cuts 

 from both sides of 

 the limb and does not 

 bruise the bark. Made in 

 all styles and sizes. All 

 shears delivered free 

 to your door. 



Write for 

 circular and 

 prices. 



are probably wasteful of water and are 

 more subject to v/inter-kill and frost 

 Injury. 



In conclusion it may be of interest to 

 note certain yields which have been 

 obtained on young trees in the University 

 orchards with no irrigation and an average 

 annual rainfall of sixteen inches, by using 

 the above outlined methods. Climax plum 

 trees which were lightly pruned, bore dur- 

 ing the third season in the orchard, ap- 

 proxim.ucly a crate, and during the fourth 

 season, two crates of fruit to the tree. At 

 the same time, the heavily pruned frees 

 produced no fruit the third and less than 

 a half a crate the fourth season. 



Likewise, lightly pruned apricot trees 



produced twenty pounds of fruit the third, 

 and sixty pounds the fourth season; and 

 prunes ten to twenty pounds of green fruit 

 the fourth season. Heavily pruned apricots 

 and prune trees of the san;e .age produced 

 pratically no crop. 



Certain California growers have, dur- 

 ing the past few seasons, by the so-called 

 long system or modifications of the same, 

 obtained most satisfactory yields, such, for 

 example, as two tons per acre on a ten-acre 

 orchard of two-year-old Lovell peach trees; 

 twenty tons per acre on a twenty-acre 

 orchard of four-year-old Tuscan Cling 

 peaches; an average of three packed boxes 

 per tree on a ten-acre orchard of five- 

 year-old Bartlett pears. 



