17 



plant food. An application once in twd or three years will usually give 

 excellent results, especially on light soils which are most lacking in pot- 

 ash. Muriate of potash is another economical form in which to obtain 

 potash. Phosphoric acid may be purchased in the form of superphos- 

 phate. Nitrogen may be procured in the form of sodium nitrate, but 

 leguminous cover crops furnish a much cheaper source of this essential 

 but costly element. 



Pruning. 



The object of pruning is to form a vigorous and evenly balanced 

 tree, which will produce annually a paying crop of good sized, well-color- 

 ed fruit. Unpruned trees produce many small-sized unsalable apples. 

 Pruning lessens the number of apples per tree, but at the same time in- 

 creases the size and improves the quality of those produced. A heavy 

 crop of good-si;zed fruit is not so serious a drain on the vitality of the 

 tree, nor the fertility of the soil, as the same weight of smaller apples 

 would be, for it is the production of the seed which makes the greatest 

 drain on the tree and soil. 



Pruning should be practised every year without fail from the time the 

 tree is planted. In this way the operation is never a severe one, and the 

 removal of the large limbs becomes unnecessary. Limbs growing too 

 strongly in any particular direction, which are liable to upset the balance 

 of the tree, should be headed back. Where two limbs cross, one of them 

 should be removed. Branches growing across, from one side to the 

 other, should be cut out. Care 'should be tiaken to leave sufficient twigs 

 in the centre to protect from sunscald. Much may be done in directing 

 growth by heading back to a bud pointing in the desired direction. It 

 is while the trees are young that the greatest care in training is required. 



A properly pruned apple tree should be open enough to admit sun- 

 light and permit of free circulation of air. Its lower branches should be 

 trained high enough to admit of easy cultivation, yet the top should not 

 be so high that spraying and harvesting are rendered difficult. Varieties 

 differ more or less in their habit of growth, and, while it may be advisable 

 to modify this to some extent, it is not well to attempt to change it un- 

 duly. Long bare branches should be avoided, and the formation of 

 fruit spurs should be encouraged on all parts of the tree. 



The best time for pruning is just before growth begins. Wounds 

 made at that season soon heal over. It is not well to prune when there 

 is frost in the wood. Pruning while the tree is dormant tends to in- 

 crease the growth of wood. Summer pruning encourages the forma- 

 tion of fruit buds, but it is not advisable to do much of it, as the removal 

 of any considerable amount of the leaf area tends to check the vigor 

 of the tree. Pruning by the removal of buds may be practised at any 

 season of the year. 



