42 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



all Starting from the same point on the main stock, and in a majority 

 of cases there appears to be a very poor union of the limb to the 

 stock, allowing water to enter and reach the wood of the tree, and 

 decay rapidly sets in ; and in many cases before the tree has reached 

 the profitable stage of its life it will go to pieces, perhaps'one limb- 

 at a time, and quite often will follow each other in rapid succession. 

 When the head is formed the orchardist should have the outline of 

 his future tree distinctly in his mind. When a limb is allowed to- 

 grow think how it will look when it is six inches in diameter, and 

 give it room accordingly on the stock and if it starts properly it will 

 almost invariably make a perfect union with the trunk, and in that 

 case the life of the tree is greatly prolonged. The length of the 

 trunk, or in other words, a high head or a low one, is a subject for 

 careful study ; for ease of cultivation the high head is preferable,. 

 but for the less hardy varieties it will not do to get the body of the 

 tree too long as it is more liable to disease and winter killing. If 

 fairly hardy the head shouW be set from four to five feet ; this allows, 

 with a large number of varieties, of its being cultivated with com- 

 parative ease ; it is also much more convenient dressing and mulch^ 

 ing it after it has come into bearing. 



The pruning should be carefully attended to, ever having in mind' 

 that it costs just as much to grow a branch that is not required 

 as it does the most needed and useful ones. If possible do all the 

 cutting with the small blade of a pocket knife for the first ten years. 

 If every tree is made a subject of study, find out its habits and 

 peculiarities, and have the future tree clearly outlined in the mind,, 

 allowing no limb to grow that will not contribute to that end. By 

 faithfully carrying out such a policy what an incalculable amount of 

 wasted and worse than wasted energy would be saved, for where 

 large limbs that are not required are taken ofl[ it aflfects the vitality 

 of the tree ; decay will often set in and eventually ruin it. After 

 it comes into bearing it should be liberally dressed in order that 

 it may bring a full crop of fruit to perfection and make a thrifty 

 growth of new wood each year. 



Half the trees that the majority of our farmers possess to-day, if 

 properly dressed and pruned would produce twice the amount of 

 marketable fruit that they do now. The keeping of a tree that is 

 unproductive is in a degree just as much a tax on the resources of 

 the fruit grower as the keeping of an unproductive cow is upon the 

 dairyman. We should not expect a cow to go on producing rich. 



