NINETEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 45 



down? It is surprising- to see how quickly an orchard will 

 respond to a systematic method of treatment. 



In case of a severe infestation of San Jose scale I have 

 not hesitated to cut off practically the whole top of the tree 

 down to stubs six or seven feet from the main trunk, though 

 1 prefer to leave some branches if possible. Many water 

 sprouts will start but these should be judiciously thinned out 

 the following- summer, those left will ultimately form the new 

 head. It is practically impossible to destroy a severe infes- 

 tation of the scale when the branches are left high up, thirty 

 to forty feet in the air. Ordinarily I would not advise quite 

 such severe treatment, but would take two or three years to 

 accomplish this heading in. If considered best to accomplish 

 this in two years, I would cut one-half of the main limbs back 

 severely, say to within ten to fifteen feet of the main trunks, 

 according to conditions ; the rest of the top I would cut back 

 to a limited extent, say four to five feet. This treatment 

 will cause many water sprouts to come out, a little above 

 where the main branches fork. As in the former case, the 

 best should be allowed to grow, and the balance thinned out 

 the following summer. The next year those branches only 

 moderately pruned the year before should receive the severe 

 cutting back and so on until an entirely new top can be con- 

 structed and ready for business in from two to five years, 

 according to conditions of trees. Our aim is to get new, 

 clean, vigorous bearing wood. In many cases all that is 

 needed is to cut off the high center limbs, this throws the 

 growth to the side limbs. 



While I believe in a low down, spreading tree, I also 

 believe in having an open top, and the extremities properly 

 trimmed to aid a good free circulation of air and allow the 

 sunlight to get through. 



Make a rather slanting cut on big limbs in the top of 

 the tree rather than a perfectly horizontal cut to shed water. 

 Treat cavities to arrest decay. For the first two or three 



