APPLE GROWING IN CALIFORNIA. 



49 



From three i<> five branches are plenty, when carefully selected in 

 regard t<> spacing ami balancing the head. 1'nr any apple tree. Many 

 prefer three because of the fact that just as larire a head can be formed 

 upon them as on live, and there will not lie so niueh chance for crowding, 

 Again, the lesser number is desirable because of the extra size they will 

 attain and the consequent ability to hold np greater loads of fruit. 

 Occasionally four or five are left rather than three because of the lia- 

 bility of breaking otf branches in cultivating, etc. If one out of three 

 scaffold branches is broken the head is very apt to be unbalanced 

 and difficulty may be experienced in getting it shaped up well after- 

 ward, where if there were four or five and one should get broken the 

 chances would be more favorable. 



jH. Did appl<- on-hard started with only th 



scaffold branches. (Original) 



FiL-:. '2^ shows one of the oldest orchards the writer has seen, which 

 \vas started with three scaffold branches. While the spacing of these 

 was faulty in this case, the trees are much better than they would have 

 been had more branches been left. Fiir. '-!<> shows an apple tree after 

 the second year's pruning, which has been well headed and which has 

 only three branches left to form the framework. Fig. 31 shows another 

 well-headed tree of the same age. in which five have been left instead 

 of three. Hither tree will make a good growth, but the former will 

 develop the stockiest branches and should be a little better tree at the 

 -nd of the iiTowinji- season. Tlie branches selected for the framework 

 should not be left in their entirety, but should be cut back as shown in 

 FJLTS. .'in and '.}] . If they are left without cutting back, slender willowy 

 irrowths will probably be the result. If cut back to lengths of twelve 

 to fourteen inches a heavier growth and a greater increase in the 



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