244 



Effective Farming 



adjacent ones that is, nature prunes the trees. In growing 

 fruit, the orchardist must do this if he is to secure the full 

 benefits from his trees. 



Need for pruning. On trees that grow very tall, it is usually 

 good practice to cut back the main branches, thus giving the 



tree a more spreading 

 form in order that it 

 may be easily sprayed 

 and cared for and the 

 fruit easily gathered. 

 Often pruning is done 

 to lessen the ravages of 

 such diseases as blight 

 and canker. These dis- 

 eases spread rapidly 

 from branch to branch 

 and from tree to tree, 

 and the removal of dis- 

 eased branches may pre- 

 vent the spread. It 

 is always good practice 

 to remove and burn 

 any diseased portion of 

 a fruit-tree. Trees 

 planted at regular dis- 

 tances apart must be 

 pruned or their branches 

 will .grow together and 

 interfere with the or- 

 chard operations. Also, trees like the peach, which bear fruit 

 on the new wood at the outside of the tree, should be pruned 

 regularly in order that the weight of the fruit be kept near the 

 body and main branches. 



Winter and summer pruning. Pruning at different seasons 

 of the year has different effects on the tree. Pruning in winter 



FIG. 100. Same tree as shown in Fig. 99 

 after pruning. 



