AN APPLE ORCHARD SURVEY OE WAYNE COUNTY, NEW YORK. 303 



figure shows the result. Suppose half of the trees had been cut out at 

 the proper time, they would then be 42.4 x 42.4 feet. This was done 

 by Mr. Albert Woods in the orchard shown in Fig. 61. These trees 

 average about 32 feet high and have a spread of about 40 feet. The area 

 of the surface of a well-rounded tree 32 feet high and having a spread 

 of 40 feet is about 4,000 square feet. Trees of this size still lack 2.4 feet 

 of meeting, and 30 

 per cent of the surface 

 of the ground is ex- 

 posed to light none 

 too much. In other 

 words they are a 

 reasonable distance 

 apart, but the one 

 tree has at least twice 

 as much bearing sur- 

 face as the two trees 

 in the former orchard. 

 This calculation as- 

 sumes the tree to 

 have a regular form 

 and is, of course, 

 hypothetical, but it 

 clearly indicates that 

 there are two reasons 

 why trees that are 

 planted too closely do 

 not bear as much as 

 do> those that have 

 more room : ( i ) They 

 are not as healthy. 

 (2) They do not have as much bearing surface. 



Trees that are too close together furnish favorable conditions for fungi 

 and insects ; they are hard to spray ; the apples are more difficult to pick 

 and are of poorer color and quality. Probably the most serious result is 

 an indirect effect of the death of the lower limbs. Trees are left until the 

 large lower limbs die for want of light. These are then removed and 

 the wounds are too large to heal. Tn time they cause the trunk to 

 decay. (See Fig. 62.) 



FIG. 60. A poor system of pruning. The best bearing 

 wood removed and the trees almost ruined rather than 

 cut out half of them. (Compare with Fig. 61.) 



