26 One Thousand Questions in Agriculture 



Because too much moisture was associated with too much shade. 

 More sunshine would have prevented mildew, and if they had enjoyed 

 it the seedlings could have made better use of the water probably. 



Pruning Apples. 



Young apple trees set tivo years ago zvere cut back to 14 to 18 inches 

 and cared for as to loiv branching, proper spacing, etc., but the desired 

 branches zvere allowed to make full groivth to the present time. They 

 have made great growth and if allozvcd to continue zvill make too tall 

 trees. 



We understand that your trees have made two summers' growth 

 since pruning. We should cut back to a good lateral wherever you 

 can find one running at the right direction at about three to four 

 feet from the last cut, and shorten the lateral more or less accord- 

 ing to the best judgment we could form on sight of the tree. In this 

 way you can take out the branches which are running too high and 

 make the framework for a lower growth. Do not remove the small 

 twigs and spurs unless you have too many such shoots. 



Cutting Back Apples and Pears. 



"California Fruits" says tlie "apple does not relish cutting back, nor 

 is it desirable to shorten in the branches." But zvhcn a three-year-old 

 tree gets above 12 feet high, as many of mine are doing, what are you 

 going to do? I cut these back some last year, but up they go again zvith 

 more branches than ever. The pears are getting too tall, also. Should not 

 both apple and pear trees be kept dozmi to about ten feet? 



The quotation you make refers to old bearing trees, and indicates 

 that their pruning is not like that of the peach, which is continually 

 shortened in to keep plenty of new wood low down. Of course, in 

 securing low and satisfactorv branching on young apples, pears, etc., 

 there must be cutting back, and this must be continued while you are 

 forming the tree. If you mean that these trees are to be permanently 

 kept at ten feet high, you should have planted trees worked on 

 dwarfing stocks. Such a height does not allow a standard tree free- 

 dom enough for thrift; as they become older they will require from 

 twice to thrice the altitude you assign to them, probably. Pears can 

 be more successfully kept down than apples, but not to ten feet ex- 

 cept as dwarfs. 



Pruning Old Apple Trees. 



How would you prune apple trees eight or nine years old that have 

 not been cut back? There are a great many that have run up 20 feet 

 high with twelve or fifteen main limbs and very fezv being more than 

 two or three inches in diameter. 



Remove cross branches which are interfering with others and 

 thin out branches which seem to be crowding each other at their at- 

 tachments to the trunk, by removing some of them at the starting 

 point. Having removed these carefully so as not to knock oflf spurs 

 from other branches, study the tree as it is thus somewhat opened up 



