APPLE GROWING 



restate these, briefly pointing out their special 

 value and application to the old neglected or- 

 chard together with the few modifications of 

 practice necessary. The steps to be taken are 

 four: (i) pruning, (2) fertilizing, (3) culti- 

 vating, and (4) spraying. 



( I ) Pruning. — Old and long-neglected ap- 

 ple orchards usually have a large amount of 

 dead wood in them. This may be removed at 

 any time of the year, but fall and winter are 

 good times to begin the work. If the trees are 

 high and the limbs scattered and sprawling so 

 that the middle of the trees is not well filled out, 

 the trees should be headed back rather severely. 

 Such trees may safely have their highest limbs 

 cut back from five to ten feet. It is best not 

 to remove too many branches in one year, but 

 to spread severe cutting back over at least two 

 years, as so much pruning at one time weakens 

 the tree and causes an excessive growth of 

 '' suckers." Each limb should be cut back to 

 a rather strong and vigorous lateral branch 

 which may then take up the growth of the up- 

 right one. The effect of such heading back will 

 be to stimulate the branches lower down and 

 probably to bring In more or less " suckers." 

 The following year the best of these suckers 



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