286 



ENCYCLOPEEIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



Fig 



The Cambium firowins Over a Properly 

 Made Wound. 



bium layer begins to grow over them than 

 those made in the spring just before the 

 tree starts to growing. While trees can 

 and may be pruned any time during their 

 dormant period — that is during the fall, 

 winter and spring — the preferable time is 

 in the spring, shortly before growth be- 

 gins. 



Fabian Garcia, 

 Santa Fe. N. M. 



A Vermont Viewpoint 



The successful growth of a vigorous and 

 well developed tree is largely dependent 

 upon rational methods of pruning. The 

 pruning a tree receives during its first 

 few years determines the shape of its ma- 

 ture head. The young tree at the time of 

 setting should be severely pruned. As a 

 rule the roots are cut back to six or eight 

 inches and the top either to a whip, or. 

 If it has been started at the right height 

 in the nursery, from three to five of the 

 best placed branches are selected for the 

 scaffold limbs or framework of the head 

 and these are cut back to correspond with 

 the roots. Fall planted trees should not 

 be pruned back as severely, since the wood 



is likely to suffer from drying out and 

 winter freezing. Frequently when the top 

 is light, pruning is deferred until spring, 

 when practically the same cutting back 

 is given as to the spring set trees. When 

 the trees are pruned to a whip it is for 

 the purpose of establishing a lower head 

 or for securing better placed scaffold 

 limbs. The limbs left for the framework 

 of the tree should not be located opposite 

 to each other as limbs thus placed w-ould 

 have a tendency to form a weak crotch. 



The advocates of the low headed apple 

 tree seem to be in the ascendancy over 

 those who prefer the high head. This 

 type of tree is called for because of the 

 necessity of fighting insect and fungus 

 pests. The lower and more compact tree 

 top makes spraying a much easier and 

 simpler process, reduces the number of 

 windfalls, and lessens the cost of harvest- 

 ing. A low head might be defined as from 

 1 "> to 24 inches, and a medium head from 

 24 to 42 inches, while anything above 42 

 inches should be termed a high head. 

 William Stuart. 



Burlinston. Vt. 



Experiments in Arkansas 



Experiments in pruning at the Arkansas 

 station from 1902 to 1906. on various va- 

 rieties, including Ben Davis, and its de- 

 scendants, at various seasons of the year, 

 as well as the work in the large orchard 

 last year, show that whether pruning is 

 injurious depends on the manner in which 

 it is done rather than upon the season or 

 size of the limb. 



The work was undertaken simpl.v on 

 account of the fear many have of serious 

 consequences following the removal of 

 limbs in this climate. One of the first 

 opinions the writer heard in Arkansas re- 

 specting the management of orchards was 

 from an old gentleman who said; "One 

 thing certain, make a note of it. you've 

 got to keep the knife away from trees 

 down here, esi)ecially Ben Davis. I have 

 seen more trouble down here from prun- 

 ing than from all the other bad orchard 

 practices combined. Trees won't stand 

 liruning down here. It is a different cli- 

 mate from up North; and I have seen more 

 than one northern man come down here 



