THE FAKMER'S ORCHARD 



157 



5. 

 6. 



7. 



8. 



9. 

 tree. 

 10. 

 11. 

 12. 

 13. 



To reduce the struggle for existence in the tree top. 



To remove dead or interfering branches. 



To renew the vigor of the tree. 



To aid in stimulating the develoi^ment of fruit buds. 



To secure good distribution of fruit buds throughout the 



To thin the fruit. 



To induce uniformity in the ripening of the fruit. 



To make thorough spraying possible. 



To facilitate the harvesting of the fruit. 



Tliinmng. — If the fruit is to attain a commercial standard, be 

 of a good ciuality, attractive appearance, and to eliminate *'off" 

 years, thin to four to six inches between each fruit. Thin after 

 the "June drop" or about four to six weeks after the petals fall. 



If the leaves curl early in the season, you 

 may have the leaf curl disease among your 

 trees and they should be sprayed mth Bor- 

 deaux mixture or lime sulphur. 



If the leaves turn yellow early in the sum- 

 mer, dig out the tree or cut oif any affected 

 branch and burn it. There is no remedy for 

 the peach yellows. 



Quince. — The quince is seldom grown be- 

 cause it is slow to bear and very irregular 

 in groAvth. It requires a well-drained, clay 

 soil. Secure one- or two-year-old trees, prune 

 off all side shoots and form a standard on 

 which a low head may be formed. Prune 

 out all superfluous shoots each spring before 

 the sap flows and allow the air to circulate 

 freely among the branches. Sucker growth is common and 

 should be cut out. The same treatment of the soil in fertilizers 

 and cultivation which is suited to the culture of the peach is 

 demanded by the quince. 



Age of bearing". — Not infrequently amateur fruit growers 

 expect fruit from their trees much sooner after planting than 

 they should, and disappointment is inevitable. The statements 

 that follow concerning the age at which different fruits bear will 

 serve as a general guide. The age of a tree is usually reckoned 

 from the time it is planted in its permanent j^lace. 



Apple trees should begin to bear, as a rule, when they have 

 been planted six to eight years. Certain varieties, as the Yellow 

 Transparent and Wagener, may bear considerably younger, and 



76.— The flat- 

 headed borer, a, 

 the larva; 6, the 

 pupa; (/, the per- 

 fect beetle. It in- 

 jures many kinda 

 of trees. 



