372 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



oxygen of the air and the earthly materials brought out of the 

 soil in the sap undergo chemical changes and are built up into 

 elaborated plant food that nourishes the tree. It is such material 

 only that the plant can digest and assimilate and make over 

 into plant tissue. 



We must then remember this principle, that if we are to get 

 the most out of the tree we must protect its foliage. Keep that 

 in good working order. How else can the plant make its food? 

 It needs abundant and vigorous foliage. Whenever as horticul- 

 turists we allow insects or diseases or anything else to injure 

 or destroy the foliage, in that way destroy the working power 

 of the plant, it is like taking the money out of our pockets, money 

 which we fail to get, because we do not have as much fruit to 

 sell or to use in the family, which practically amounts to the 

 same thing. 



It isn't necessary for me here to dwell upon the methods 

 of spraying for the protection of the foliage. That is a matter 

 which has been discussed frequently. Plenty of information 

 about it can be had from your experiment stations. The thing 

 I wish to do now is to emphasize again the importance of keep- 

 ing the foliage in good condition if you are going to expect re- 

 sults out of the tree. 



Pruning. We prune for two purposes. First, to give the 

 tree a framework upon which to load the fruit — try to grow 

 the tree in such shape that it can withstand the heavy storms 

 and winds and loads of ice and snow, as well as loads of fruit. 

 That isn't a matter of pruning for f ruitf ulness ; it is a mat- 

 ter of pruning for a good mechanical framework. Then, having 

 pruned to shape the tree from the standpoint of giving it ability 

 to hold heavy crops of fruit, we have another important thing 

 to consider, namely, pruning the tree so as to make easy the 

 operations of spraying and of gathering fruit. Take this as a 

 general rule: When a man has in mind the opening up of the 

 tree in such a way that he can spray all parts of it easily and 

 thoroughly, he has a pretty good rule for pruning, because, in 

 making the tree sufficiently open so he can reach it easily with 

 the spray he makes it sufficiently open so that the sunlight can 

 reach all parts of it. He accomplishes two things: Opening 

 the tree so he can spray it for protection against diseases and 

 insects and opening it so that the sunlight can get to all the leaves 

 and the tree can make the food it needs to grow fruit and fruit 

 buds. i 



