28 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



February, 1910 



Pruning Apple Trees 



Wm. Rickird, Newcastle, Ont. 

 Pruning well and properly done is a 

 matter of great importance but one that 

 is very much neglected. In driving 



sidered I believe this to be the most 

 convenient and under some conditions (I 

 may say, quite general conditions) the 

 best time. 



Under some special conditions, I pre- 



!fi5^?|||K'tWiiw^' 



A Manitoba Orchard that Bean Good Cropa of Fmit and Showj What Can be Done in That Province 



The variety in foreground is Blushed Calvillo-Orchard of Mr. A. P. Stevenson, Dunston, Man. 



through the country how tnany orchards 

 the close observer will see that have nev- 

 er had a saw in them for many years until 

 the trees have become so thick and full 

 of limbs that it is quite impossible to get 

 up through them to get the fruit should 

 there be any worth picking! 



Pruning should be commenced and the 

 tree properly formed while it is young 

 and continued a little each and every 

 year according to requirements. A com- 

 mon fault and mistake is to leave too 

 many limbs in the beginning which be- 

 comes apparent when they have grown 

 somewhat large; then rather than re- 

 move some of them they are trimmed off 

 like poles all the way out from the trunk 

 to near the end. It would be better to 

 remove some of the limbs as soon as 

 the mistake was discovered, leaving 

 plenty of room for those left with fruit- 

 bearing wood all the way out. 



Another mistake I have made is to 

 keep the centre of the tree entirely clean 

 of all fruit-bearing limbs. I have come 

 t") the conclusion that there is room for 

 some good fruit in the centre of the tree 

 as well as all around on the outside. 



As to the proper time or the best time 

 to prune there is and always has been 

 a difference of opinion. There is an old 

 saying, "prune when your saw is sharp," 

 and I know very successful orchardists 

 who prune any time during the winter 

 months as they find time to do it. 



I have usually done the most of my 

 pruning in the latter part of February 

 or the first of March. All things con- 



fer the month of June. If the tree has 

 a vigorous growth of wood and is in- 

 clined to be barren of fruit prune well 

 in June. This will tend to check the 

 wood growth and help the fruit bearing. 

 I have had good results in this way 

 bringing trees that were inclined to be 

 barren into quite heavy bearing. 



The man who undertakes to prune 

 should use his brains as well as his 

 hands. He should first size up the tree 

 then go to work, aiming to have a well 

 balanced tree with fruit-bearing wood 

 evenly distributed throughout the centre 

 and circumference, thinned out sufficient- 

 ly to admit of a free and full circulation 

 of air and an abundance of sunshine. 



Growing Dwarf Pear Trees 



Wm. F. W. Fisher, Borlington, Ont. 



The average dwarf pear tree is short- 

 lived, due to the (act that this is a charac- 

 teristic of the quince root on which it is 

 propagated, coupled with the many dis- 

 asters common to all pear culture. In 

 planting, cultivation and pruning, the 

 attainment of rapid growth and early re- 

 turns should therefore be constantly kept 

 in mind. They require rich, dry soil, 

 vigorous cultivation and judicious prun- 

 ing. 



Nursery stock should be pruned root 

 and top before planting, removmg all 

 torn and bruised roots and occasionally 

 shortening a coarse tap root which might 

 prevent getting the tree sufficiently deep 

 in the ground. The top should then be 

 pruned to form a strong symmetrical 



tree and to restore the balance between 

 the top and roots, the latter having been 

 materially reduced in the process of dig- 

 ging and planting. Allow branches to 

 come from the trunk of dwarf trees near 

 the ground, thus protecting the trunk 

 from sun .scald and keeping the load of 

 fruit low which adds to the life and 

 strength of the tree. 



The annual pruning consists of remov- 

 ing all superfluous branches and head- 

 ing back vigorous growths, keeping the 

 trees uniform and pyramidal in form, not 

 allowing any dwarf tree in orchard 

 blocks to exceed fourteen feet in height, 

 and choosing desirable varieties. Follow- 

 ing the above system with thorough 

 spraying and heavy thinning of fruit 

 when the fruit is about one-third grown, 

 combine practices which have resulted 

 in pleasure and some profit to growers of 

 pears. 



Planting in Annapolis Valley 



R. J. Messenger, Bridfetown, N.S. 



I prepare my land two years before 

 planting at least. The first year I raise 

 grain and, if possible, roots the next. In 

 plowing for both grain and roots, I have 

 the dead furrows come where I intend 

 to put the rows of trees. These dead 

 furrows are really the subsoil after two 

 plowings, but the action of frost and cul- 

 tivation has enriched it and made it 

 available, so that in setting out the trees 

 in these dead furrows, I do not have to 

 set the trees deep or in poor subsoil as I 

 would under ordinary circumstances, 

 while the subsequent plowing-up against 

 the trees brings them gradually into 

 deeper rich soil. 



Planting the trees six inches deep in 

 this low valley between two ridges pre- 

 cludes the necessity of subsoiling the 

 whole piece and by the time I have 

 plowed twice toward the trees and thus 

 levelled the land again, the trees are in 

 ten or twelve inches of good soil. The 

 necessary cultivation for the previous 

 root crop has mellowed and fined the 

 soil, leaving it in best condition for 

 young tree growth. Of course, it is un- 

 derstood that land must be well drained 

 either artificially or naturally. 



In planting even in this way, I pud- 

 dle my trees in a porridge-like mixture 

 of rich soil and water just before plant- 

 ing and also .place next to and around 

 the roots the best soil in vicinity, leav- 

 the poor bottom soil for the top. 



One thing we learned from one year's 

 experience in spraying is that thorough- 

 ness is very essential if satisfactory re- 

 sults are to be expected. — M. B. Clark, 

 Wellington, Ont. 



Saskatchewan already has its apple 

 growers, and they do not need to stand 

 and hold the apples on the tree when the 

 prairie winds blow, because they have 

 provided shelter belts of hardy trees. 



