58 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Mr. Beadle found it tender in Canada. It winter-kills 

 badly. 



Mr. Smith said it has the same defect as the Fall Pip- 

 pin — never bears a crop. 



Mr. Lay said the Swaar had borne well with him. 



Dr. Silvester recommended Newtown Pippin, wher- 

 ever it can be grown without specks. 



Mr. Ellwanger said the Jonathan is an excellent des- 

 sert apple, and highly colored. The Canada Reinette is 

 also good. 



Mr. Caret considered the Bailey Sweet equal to any 

 sweet apple we have through January and February. 



Mr. Hoao said the Bailey Sweet is a good apple, but it 

 will not keep. 



The President said the Bailey Sweet, on the w T arm, 

 sandy land about Moscow, is a late fall apple, but on 

 heavy land, and in colder situations, it is a winter fruit. 



Mr. Beadle said the Yellow Bellflower was with him 

 a shy bearer, and has a very large core. He thought 

 little of the variety. 



W. P. Townsend, of Lockport, said the Yellow Bell- 

 flower needs severe pruning, and if the tree is in good 

 condition the fruit is good. 



Several gentlemen stated the Bellflower is tender about 

 handling. 



Mr. Moody thought this a little too far north for the 

 Yellow Bellflower, but with a little care it will succeed 

 well. For early winter the Wagener is one of the best. 

 He thought well of Peck's Pleasant. 



Mr. Barrt said the Yellow Bellflower was really a 

 Southern apple. In the Iforth it is doubtless degenerat- 

 ing, though it had never done well here, except in favor- 

 ed localities, but in the South it is as line as ever. 



Mr. Glen recommended the Belmont as an early win- 

 ter apple, both for the table and cooking. 



Mr. Barry believed it to be a seedling of the Yellow 

 Bellflower, and a good ipple very popular in northern Ohio. 



Mr. Cummings recommended the Northern Spy as a late 

 winter apple, exceedingly valuable for a northern climate. 

 Bears well when it commences, but is not an early bearer. 



Mr. Hooker inquired about the Spitzenburg — an old 

 favorite — valuable for cooking, a good keeper, and under 

 favorable circumstances, an abundant bearer. Would like 

 to hear what the members had to say on the last point. 



Mr. Moody said it was good in Niagara county. 



Mr. Barry said it is one of the most popular apples in 

 our state, but requires high culture, so that the trees may 

 be kept growing vigorously. It is useless to try to grow 

 it in grass. 



Mr. Townsend said that is the reason the Spitzenburg 

 is losing its popularity. Most of the bearing trees are 

 old and have been neglected. 



Dr. Sylvester could recollect when the Spitzenburg 

 was very popular with all who liked an acid apple. Most 

 people like its high, spicy flavor, and it is not excelled 

 for cooking. But the trees must be fed to get good fruit. 

 This is the case with all high flavored fruit. Did not call 

 it a first-rate bearer, but when trees are well cultivated 

 it will give a fair crop. Had picked five barrels from one 

 tree. 



Mr. Moody — Do you call that a large crop? Cyrus 

 Beach, of the town of Cambria, in Niagara county, had 

 grown twenty barrels on a tree. Ten to fifteen barrels 

 was not more than a good crop. They got ten barrels of 

 Baldwins to a tree. 



Mr. Smith said it does poorly at Syracuse. They think 

 it has had its day and must be abandoned. 



L. B. Lanoworthy said the Spitzenburg was a shy 

 bearer. He named the Red Canada as one of the bes't 

 apples in the world. In regard to the value of apples for 

 stock, he thought the-e was but little difference. It there 

 was more saccharine matter in sweet apples they would 

 be best, but he had made cider from sweet and from sour 

 apples, and could perceive no difference in the cider. 



President Bkooks thought very sour apples were not 

 good for stock. 



' BEST FORM FOR AN APPLE TREE. 



SUBJECT V. 



What is the best form of an apple tree, and which is the 

 time for pruning ? 



Mr. Sh*.rp, of Lockport, would head all fruit trees low. 

 Sprouts coming out near the ground are more vigorous 

 and stocky than those formed further up the main stem. 



They show a disposition to ascend instead of running out 

 horizontally, make a good spreading top, and can bear 

 more weight without injury. Trees trained in this way 

 are also less exposed to the winds. It was thought that 

 this low pruning would not allow the use of the horse- 

 hoe and cultivator among the trees, but it was not so. 

 When trees are trained high the branches are slender and 

 the fruit bends them down to the ground, but when 

 trained low the branches are strong and upright and you 

 could get among them with a team. 



President Brooks asked if shading the ground would 

 be an objection. 



Mr. Sharp thought that the ground would not be shad- 

 ed any more than when the trees were trained high, for 

 the reason that the branches were more upright. 



J. J. Thomas was opposed to pruning the heads of trees 

 high. In many orchards trees might be seen some three 

 stories high from successive grafting. 



Mr. Fise agreed with Mr. Sharp. Branches pruned 

 near the root are stronger than those formed six or seven 

 feet from the ground. 



Mr. Hooker considered the question a difficult one. 

 Trees grow naturally of all forms. The Northern Spy 

 has an upright growth, Greening crooked and drooping, 

 while the Baldwin makes a globular, handsome, round- 

 headed tree. Cut out the young wood from a Tompkins 

 County King, as is desirable for a Northern Spy, and soon 

 there would be no bearing wood left. This variety 

 requires shortening in, while the Northern Spy requires 

 thinning out. It is well to study the habits oftrees, for, 

 do the best we can, they will have their peculiar shape. 



Mr. Herende.v asked if we could not give some general 

 rules for pruning. 



Mr. Barry said there is a difference of opinion about 

 the height heads should be formed in orchard trees. He 

 believed in having the heads low. Many advantages 

 result from this course. The sap has not to travel so far: 

 branches near the ground are not exposed to so many 

 accidents, are less exposed to the weather, and protect 

 the trunks from effects of sun and freezing. All our 

 orchard trees are found leaning to the east, the effect of 

 our strong west winds. The higher the head is formed 

 from the ground, of course, the more they are exposed. 

 Low headed trees are more easily pruned, and the fruit is 

 gathered with much less difficulty and danger. The 

 advantages are numerous and obvious to every grower of 

 fruits. Some think that the head should be formed so 

 high that a horse with plow could work under the 

 branches. This is not necessary. The principal feeding 

 roots are at the extremities, and as far out a« the ends of 

 the limbs or further. Manure and culture are not needed 

 under branches. Plowing injures the roots by tearing 

 and breaking them. A slight forking under the tree is 

 all that is required. 



H. E. Hooker asked if an orchard could be kept for a 

 term of years without plowing. 



Mr. Barry thought it could. If shaded, weeds would 

 not grow. A light forking could be done very cheaply. 

 It is well to plow so long as the plow does not interfere 

 with the roots. He would head down at planting to four 

 or five feet for standard orchard trees. Upright growing 

 varieties might be headed down a foot lower than the 

 Greening and other spreading kinds. 



Mr. Moody said farmers could not afford to use the 

 fork. Had found no evil from plowing. Commence 

 plowing when the trees are young, and the roots will not 

 come near the surface. Would form heads four or five 

 feet from the ground. Some tender trees have the bark 

 injured by the sun in winter. This is prevented by grow- 

 ing branches low. 



Mr. Beadle said the climate in which trees are grown 

 may have a good deal to do in determining the form of a 

 tree. Mr. Moody spoke of the sun burning the truuks of 

 trees. Had seen the same frequently in Canada, the bark 

 injured for seven or eight feet up the trunk. Thought 

 it the effect of sun followed by hard frosts. By keeping 

 the head low the trunk is protected. Never saw any ill 

 effects from heading trees low. In Canada they have se- 

 vere south-west winds. Every tree leans. The main 

 crop is blown off high trees. "Mr. B. would not use a 

 plow under or near the trees in an orchard. The roots 

 like to come near the surface for light, and air, and dew. 



Mr. Hooker said the advocates oflow heads seemed de- 

 termined to drive those in favor of high heads into a 



