■ ..I-.- , 



-3- 



Spurs arise from some of the lateral leaf buds on the one-year wood sc that by 

 the time a branch is 2 years old it has flowering spurs on it. Generally, if a 

 spur flowers one year it vdll not do so the next. However, spurs do not necessarily 

 flov/er every other year, How often they flower will depend largely on their 

 position on the tree. Naturally, as a spur or spur system (in case a spur has 

 branched) becomes older it tends to become more heavily shaded by new shoots and 

 spurs which are of more recent origin. Once a spur is formed its position is 

 pretty definitely fixed since they generally grow only a short distance each year 

 unless it is stimulated into becoming a shoot by such things as elimination of 

 branches around it» Consequentlj'', as spurs get older they tend to produce fruit 

 which is inferior in size and color to fruits on younger spurs that are nearer the 

 periphery of the tree and better exposed to light. It is the old vreak spurs that 

 should be among the first to go v\rhen a tree is pruned. ' " 



'-- F, W. Southwick 



TREE REI''OVAL FOR EFFICIENT PRODUCTION 



Much has been said about the removal of crowded trees from Massachusetts 

 orchards during the past few years, but we still have too many trees which are not 

 paying their way. With the prospects for a potentially heavy bloom and large crop 

 in 19^3^ it appears that consideration of the removal of crowded and unprofitable 

 trees is in order, ' 



The question immediately arises, when are trees crowded? The answer cannot 

 'pe given in terms of tree! gpacihg or age. of , tree, but must be considered on 

 performance of the tree and the quality of fruit it produces, Just as soon as any 

 -ree is shaded by its neighbors so that it produces small green apples, weak shoot 

 end spur growth, few fruit buds, and the top starts to reach for the sky, it is 

 crowded. The ideal practice is to i^emove trees before this condition develops, but 

 few of us have the courage to do so. 



The longer the tree has to tolerate shade and competition from its 

 nsighbors, the longer the period of recovery for the shaded portion of the tree 

 after the crowding trees are removed. A tree which has been shaded on two sides 

 for several years is for all practical purposes only half a tree and it may take 3 or 

 4 years before the shaded half can come back into full production. The temporary 

 ^oss in total production from removing crowded trees is largely compensated for 

 Tfhen consideration is given to the decrease in the volume of poor quality fruit and 

 ■;ihe increase in the volume of fancy fruit. 



The age at v^hich a tree should be removed because it is no longer profitable 

 cannot be determined by any fixed age group, A tree may be profitable at hS years 

 while another may be a total loss at 30 years. It is the condition of the tree 

 and kind of fruit' it produces which determine the age at which it ceases to be a 

 profitable investment, I'Yhen a tree is so tall that it cannot be lowered by pruning, 

 and is making weak growth which in turn produces small poorly colored apples of low 

 quality it is too old and should be removed, A tree Y>*iich cannot be pruned so it 

 can be sprayed with modern spray equipment is too old and should be pruned with a 

 chain saw or bulldozer. Trees which have l/3 or more of their branches killed or 

 weakened by mnter injury are of questionable value, -A vacant space in an orchard 

 is cheaper than a decrepit old tree which breeds disease and insects. 



Any program of tree removal will temporarily reduce total yield, but it will 

 also increase the yield and decrease the cost of growing fancy fruit. 



