234 



The Principles of Fruit-growing 



the standard dressing; on very large wounds, it should 

 be renewed from year to year. All wounds should be made 

 with clean, regular cute, without hacking or splintering. 



The kind of top. 



When the tree is planted, the grower must decide how 

 high the top is to be and also what form; and then all the 



subsequent pruning must 

 be directed consistently to 

 that end. In the old apple 

 orchards of the East and 

 North, the tops were often 

 too high, as much as 5 or 

 6 feet. It is just as easy to 

 make them too low, 1 to 

 2 feet (see pages 189, 190). 

 In general structure, the 

 tree may be open-centered 

 with no leader, which is a 

 favorite form for peach 

 trees; or it may be two- 

 storied, with the trunk con- 

 tinued beyond the first 

 scaffold of branches or at 

 least with a second tier 

 or scaffold, which is the preferable form for pears and 

 apples. 



The illustrations show different commendable ideas 

 in pruning. Fig. 77, from Stuart, shows an apple tree 

 unpruned and pruned, one year after planting. Figs. 78 

 and 79 (Erwin and Bliss, Iowa) show a neglected 

 young tree before and after pruning. Spreaders have 

 been inserted to encourage a more open top. Jarvis gives 



FIG. 77. An apple tree one year after 

 planting, unpruned and pruned. 



