BS 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Floral Edition. 



Wealthy apple trees not pruned at planting 



time. This Is a good way to get trees with 



long barren arms. 



During tiie first two years of a tree 's 

 growth prune for wood. This adds to 

 the importance of this first cutting 

 back. To enable us to form a good, 

 strong, well-balanced head we must 

 have abundant wood growth and prun- 

 ing during the first four or five years 

 should be directed towards that end. 

 After that age our pruning practices 

 are radically changed. 



In heading back, head back the 

 strongest branches the most and the 

 weakest the least, in order to give a cor- 

 rect balance to the tree. This may be 

 contrary to the popular opinion, but 

 that is because popular opinion has con- 

 fused the results of heading back a 

 tree as a whole with the results from 

 heading back separate branches. 



This will probably be about all the 

 pruning required the first year, al- 

 though the tree should be looked at 

 during the latter part of June, and if 

 any branch is growing at the expense 

 of the rest, it should be nipped back, 

 bearing in mind the one aim, to get a 

 stocky and well-balanced growth to 

 select from. The first real pruning to 

 our newly^planted orchard comes in the 

 "ond spring. 



As the tree is to be the modified 

 leader type, it is pruned so that the 

 central branch will maintain the lead, 

 and five other branches at most will be 

 selected, as previously stated. All other 

 branches are removed and the five se- 

 lected branches are cut back a consid- 

 erable distance, cutting the weaker 

 ones the least. As these main branches 

 will probably have some laterals on 

 them, it is advisable to remove these at 

 this time. 



This second year much can generallj' 

 be gained by adopting a system of 

 summer pruning and continuing both 

 summer and spring pruning for a num- 

 ber of years. By spreading the prun- 

 ing over two periods like this, the shock 

 to the tree is at no time excessively 

 great, so that it is more easy to main- 

 tain a correct balance. Furthermore, a 

 whole season can often be gained by 



summer pruning. Early in summer th« 

 branches cut back in the spring will 

 have put forward considerable growth. 

 As soon as this growth has reached a 

 stage where laterals can be spaced on 

 it, pinch back the branches and you 

 will thus gain a season. 



It is a common practice to let the 

 terminal growths grew until the fol- 

 lowing spring, when it is found neces- 

 sary to remove, say, a foot or more of 

 new wood. This, means a waste of 

 energy, for you could have cut back 

 to that same point in summer and would 

 probably only have had to cut off six 

 inches or so of new wood. The idea is 

 to economize in the energy of the tree 

 and relegate as little of it as possible 

 to the brush pile, thus conserving it for 

 use by the tree itself and incidentally 

 gaining a seasoA in your pruning. By 

 the following spring each of the 

 branches pinched back in summer will 

 probably have a number of laterals at- 

 tached to them. All these laterals but 

 one for each main branch are removed, 



Wealthy apple trees cut baclc at planting time. 

 This induces laterals and a stocky growth. 



thus leaving twice as many branches as 

 there were the previous spring. Select, 

 of course, the best spaced and strongest 

 branches in every case. 



In selecting these laterals make sure 

 that the lateral is not cut the same 

 length as the main branch, or the re- 

 sult will be weakened crotches, for if 

 lateral and main branch both bear equal 

 quantities of fruit one will be pulling 

 against the other. On the other hand, 

 if one is large and stronger the weaker 

 will have to yield to its pull and no 

 strain at all be placed on the crotch. 



We now arrive at the summer of the 

 third year after planting, and as the 

 trees are well established and in good 

 condition, a considerable amount of 

 new wood should be put forth. This 

 new growth is again cut back, the same 

 as the previous year and new laterals 

 thus forced out. In this way another 

 season is gained by summer pruning 

 practices and we arrive at the fourth 

 spring after planting with a strong, 

 stockv tree containing well spaced and 

 well balanced lateral branches. This 



spring it will only be necessary to clip 

 back too long or rangy laterals and thin 

 out the undesirable and cross branches 

 from the trees. i 



During the summer little pruning 

 should be done, but attention must be 

 paid to too strong growing branches 

 and laterals, suppressing the strong U> 

 give the weaker an opportunity to de 

 velop. This practice of milder cutting 

 back and thinning out both spring and 

 summer is followed until the tret 

 reaches the age where it should come 

 into bearing. This age varies, of course, 

 with the variety and the locality. Our 

 idea up to the present has been to prune 

 for wood growth, now our procedure 

 changes and we prune for fruit. The 

 mistake is often made by growers ol 

 continuing the same practices during 

 the bearing age, as they did during the 

 frame forming peinod, thinking that th< 

 methods which have given them sucl- 

 fine and shapely trees should certainly 

 give them fruit, but such is not the 

 case. 



A variety like Duchess or Wagenei 

 can stand more cutting back at this 

 stage than a variety like Gravenstein 

 or King; the former being weak 

 growers, tend to heavy and early fruit 

 ing, and the latter being vigorou.'^ 

 growers tend more to wood production 

 Generally speaking, however, th( 

 spring pruning should merely consis 

 of removing cross branches, needless 

 branches and cutting back long, bar 

 ren, terminal growths, where laterab 

 are needed, but no regular system o1 

 unrestricted heading back should be| 

 adopted. This s'»^""i'1 be supplementec 

 by summer pruning to induce fruitful 

 ness, especially in the varieties whieV 

 are shy bearers and which take a lonj 

 time to come into bearing. 



Spraying Suggestions 



Don't think a week earlier or latei 

 than the date recommended is just ai 

 good. 



Don't think that spraying alone wil 

 insure good fruit ; pruning and cultiva 

 tion are equally important. 



Don't apply Bordeaux mixture u 

 wet weather, for it is liable to russe 

 the fruit. 



Don't overspray. An even coatini 

 should be l-^ft on the fruit and foliage 

 any material which runs off does ni 

 good. 



Don't expect results if the work i 

 not thoroughly done. 



Don't apply lime-sulphur and arsen 

 ate of lead in a spell of extremely hot 

 bright weather, for it is liable to ca 

 serious burning. 



Don't try to get along with a 

 chine which is worn out or too small 

 do good work ; if the work is worth dc 

 ing, it is worth doing well. 



