20 



REASONS FOR PRUNING. 



of the tree to a certain degree, for the number of apples is 

 diminished in proportion to the severity of the pruning and 

 consequently, with the same amount of food and root force that the 

 whole crop would have had, the remaining fruit is much increased 

 in size. Had the labor expended in pruning been directed to 

 thinning the fruit, or in the application of more plant food, there 

 would have been a much greater gain in the crop of fruit and no 

 loss in the vigor of the trees. But four good reasons can be given 

 for cutting oft' large branches from fruit trees: 



1. To Improve the Form. It sometimes is the case that a tree 

 becomes one-sided from the influence of prevailing winds, or other 

 causes, when a little judicious cutting of branches may be necessary 

 to rectify the trouble. 



2. To Enable Teams to Work under their Branches. The re- 

 moval of large branches for this reason is sometimes necessary, 

 but in most cases the desired end may be accomplished by cutting 



off the end at an upright branch, 

 as illustrated at a, Fig. lo. 



3. To Enable the Pickers to 

 Gather the Fruit Easily. As trees 

 become older, especially if they 

 have been subjected to the "annual 

 pruning," suckers come out in 

 large numbers upon the main 

 branches, and make it very dim- 

 cult to gather the fruit upon the 

 inside of the tree. These suckers 

 are the result of the effort of the 

 plant to overcome the injury 

 caused by the action of the sun 

 and cold upon the bare branches, 



and should be thinned out onlv enough to accomplish the desired 



end, and to allow some of th-. in >st vigorous branches to develop 



more fully, and thus renew 



the tree. 



4. To Remove such Branches 



as are Dead. The removal of 



dead branches is best accom- 

 plished in the summer when 



the foliage is upon the trees. 

 When large branches must 



be removed, the wound should jr\. 



be covered with linseed oil 



and lead paint, or grafting 



wax, to preserve the injured 



part from decay until it has 



healed over. This paint may 



be made the color of the bark 



of the tree by the addition of 



Fig. 15. 



Fig. 16. 



