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120 trees per acre on M.7 would do well to consider this statement. 

 These plantings require "tender loving care" and if a grower cannot 

 provide this care nor is willing to make acreage reductions in or-- 

 der to provide this care, it would be best to avoid such plantings. 



The Dutch are studying the effects of heading height at plant- 

 ing on tree training. This is particularly important on the *Bos- 

 koop* variety, which like most of our varieties, is not well branched 

 when planted as a 1-year-old. A year or more time can be lost be- 

 cause of corrective pruning of heading errors at planting. Thus, 

 considerable attention is given to heading height in the Netherlands 

 and we would do well to "follow suit." We must pay more attention 

 to training young trees. Perhaps by giving more attention to proper 

 heading heights at planting and by using slender-spindle training 

 techniques, there will be less need of limb spreading. This is true 

 in the Netherlands, 



Summer pruning has gained interest in the United States. How- 

 ever, in some instances we may have been pruning too early in the 

 season, particularly when it involved shortening of some current 

 season's shoots. Research in the Netherlands shows that summer 

 pruning should be done after completion of shoot growth. Earlier 

 shortening of shoots causes regrowth on the shortened shoots and 

 the breaking of bud rest on the adjacent 2-year-old wood, which 

 means less flower-bud initiation. 



Multi-rows . The Dutch have studied multi-rows extensively and have 

 concluded that, at present, the single-row is preferred. We would 

 do well to rely on their experiences. The double row was of no ad- 

 vantage whereas the even-numbered rows in a 3,5 or 7 multi-row sys- 

 tem can be only temporary because tree management and harvest is 

 difficult in multi-row orchards. However, this doesn't preclude 

 the need of continued research with multi-row or full-field plant- 

 ings because of the availability of M.27, chemical techniques, and 

 new planting techniques. 



Equipment . The trend toward smaller sprayers in the United States 

 has reduced the need for large tractors. The orchard tractor used 

 by the Dutch is approximately 48 inches wide and I was told that it 

 is capable of handling 2 bulk bins front and back (a bin full of 

 apples weighs about 650 pounds). Of course the land is flat in the 

 Netherlands! However, small tractors and other equipment that can 

 operate in a 4-foot alley may be feasible in some orchards and thus 

 would premit further intensification. 



Summary 



Increasing yields over the life-time of the orchard, especially 

 in early years, can be achieved by increasing tree density. Unfor- 

 tunately, at present, the single-row planting is most practical 

 which is disappointing when one considers land wastage. Multi-row 



