THE MINNESOTA 



HORTICULTURIST. 



VOL. 33. DECEMBER, 1905. No. 13 



TRIMMING THE ORCHARD. 



SETH H. KENNEY, WATERVILLE. 



I began trimming some Wealthy apple trees soon after the hard 

 winter of 1884 and 1885. I have those trees in good condition to 

 this day. One of these trees has borne three barrels in a single 

 year. 



Since that trimming, twenty years ago, I have cut only the small 

 sprouts each year. The limbs were far enough apart to let the 

 sunshine through the tree, and the color, size and flavor is increased. 



Since watching the good effect of this early trimming I have 

 followed it up on all my trees except Transcendent. Last spring I 

 went over all my Wealthy trees the last week in May and the 

 first week in June. At the time it looked as if I had trimmed 

 them too much, and last fall gave me a less number of apples, but 

 the size was very large, and they brought eighty cents per bushel 

 by the load. I am sure the severe trimming saved thinning the 

 fruit and made it larger and more attractive. There were 300 

 bushels that averaged very large, and it reduced the cost of har- 

 vesting the apples, as the fruit was so large the work was muc/ 

 more rapid in picking. 



My observations lead me to believe that a tree well trimmed 

 leaves more sap to mature fruit buds for the next season's crop 

 and that the tree will be much more liable to bear each year. I 

 do not think, as a rule, we trim our apple trees enough to get 

 the best results. I have in mind some large apple trees with 

 very large tops that I never have seen bear a good crop of fruit, 

 and my reasons for this are that so much top and leaves take 

 up so much of the saf) that there is not enough to ripen up the 

 fruit buds. 



I have found that the cuts where the limbs were taken of? 

 the last of May and first week in June heal over better than at 

 any other time. 



As far as my observation extends, not one-fifth of the apple 

 trees receive sufficient pruning to obtain best results and the 



