572 ANNUAL REPORT OP THE Off. Doc. 



In i>i'imiiig', 1 believe Ave are still not restricting the plants suf- 

 ficienily. Feeding, restriction and protection are the thiee things 

 necessary to successful horticulture; and we will meet with greater 

 success when we adopt the same principles as the dairy men do, of 

 feeding heavily at the right time. 



But ''restriction" is also necessary. The reason why the Bald- 

 win does not bear every year is that it sets a large amount of fruit 

 and men allow their orchards to overload, and thini ask the trees to 

 do more than they can. 



Often such orchards bloom freely but set no fi-uit, from exhaus- 

 tion at blossoming time and want of sul'ticdent plant food. Over- 

 loading and under-feeding produces short lived trees. 



The principle I want to found my pruning on is to keep close 

 to nature. When you go contrary to that you are going wrong and 

 will be punished for it. 



Many want to bring their trees into bearing as quickly as they 

 can, but you take a small boy and build his constitution well and de- 

 velop his brain well ; and the time will come when he Avill have a 

 strong body and brain and will be equipped so that he can earn 

 large wages. 



Apply this principle to trees, for they are like babies, and it is 

 probably better to build up a strong healthy top before asking them 

 to do their best work. 



Good pruning of trees — especially apple trees — from the start, 

 is not a mistake. Nip the buds otf that you don't want and throw the 

 energy into those you do. 



Feeding is our prime need, then restriction by pruning, continued 

 by thinning. 



There are two periods of exhaustion. The blossoming time and 

 the time of seed production, and the less you can have of both the 

 better. 



The more blossoms the greater the strain and the more fruit the 

 greater the strain. The excess of fruit must be picked otf before the 

 seed is formed. 



Many of our growers are becoming wedded to thinning apples, 

 because they find that it pays excellently. Apples in clusters can 

 hardly be kept free of Codling moth. 



Trees are sometime picked where there are no imperfect apples. 



1 know of a grower in Michigan who picked 23 barrels from two 

 Hubbardston trees; 21 of these were No. 1, two were high grade No. 



2 and there were only three poor apples. 



These trees gave a return of 12 times Avhat the thinning cost and! 

 the man has gained a state-wide reputation. 



Our mistakes are based largely on want of feeding, of restriction 

 (pruning and thinning) and of protection (spraying, etc.) These 

 cover the whole process of fruit growing up to the time of picking 

 and packing. 



Tree roots should be pruned before heeling in, and the bruised 

 roots cut off smooth with a good sharp knife. This forms a callous 

 and starts the feeding roots of the new system. 



I do not care for fall planting, we lose too many trees. It is 

 better to heel them in at an angle and protect them. Trees heeled in 

 an upright position do not come through the winter well. Eidging 

 or banking high will help. 



