STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 99 



ladder to pick the apples. With a tree like that the time can 

 be reduced one-half or more, as compared with one of the high 

 trees. 



Ques. Do you cut back those trees in the spring or fall? 



Ans. In the late winter or early spring. In fact, I do all 

 my pruning at that time, before the sap starts, or about the 

 time it does start, unless there is some special reason for not 

 doing so. I do not believe in summer pruning. You know 

 the best time to cut out brush in the pastures is in the summer, 

 because it devitalizes the roots in the plant. That is just the 

 idea. When we trim our apple trees in the summer it devital- 

 izes that plant, and unless there is some special reason for it, 

 unless it is a tree that is over vigorous, we should not do this. 

 And we all know the average New England apple tree isn't over 

 vigorous. Prune in the spring, or just before the sap starts, 

 and it will get over it much quicker than if pruned later. 



In regard to spraying: Some may think it isn't necessary 

 to spray a young tree, but it is certainly necessary to spray it 

 for one thing, or for one class of troubles. I suppose you 

 have all heard of the San Jose scale, although Prof. Hitchings 

 says there is but one case of it in Maine. Now this San Jose 

 scale is a hard proposition. In southern New England it has 

 increased more rapidly this year than any year I have known 

 If you are to keep it out of your state you must watch out, that 

 is all there is to it. We talk about climatic conditions and all 

 those things. I do not believe, personally, that climatic con- 

 ditions will keep it from your State. But you can do a great 

 deal to help control it. In the first place, I believe that when 

 you plant your trees or before you plant your trees you should 

 dip every one of them in a mixture that will be sufficient to 

 kill every scale on the tree, if there happens to be any. That is 

 my rule. I use Scalecide and sulphur of lime. The one is 

 what is called an oil solution ; the other is a lime and sulphur 

 spray which is advocated by our entomologists, and is used per- 

 haps more than any other form of mixture. Either one will be 

 effectual. Take a barrel of the mixture and treat your trees 

 before you set them. Dip the trees into the barrel away down 

 to the roots, and by so doing you give those trees the most 

 thorough spraying they can possibly have, and they start right, 

 and have received protection for that year. After that I advise 



