PRUNING 95 



juiy, it is best to delay pruning until severe freezing weather 

 is past. In Oregon it was observed that whether apples 

 were pruned in November, i. e., just at leaf fall, December, 

 or March (when buds were sweUing), the results were iden- 

 tical. The amount and type of pruning was far more im- 

 ]iorta-nt than ihc tunc. 



82. Pruning at planting time. — Since the balance between 

 tlio root system and top is disturbed when trees are dug for 

 transplanting, it becomes desirable to prune the tree at 

 planthig time. Occasionally a block of trees is seen that was 

 not pruned when planted and the result is a number of 

 small growths on the long slender branches, making it al- 

 most impossible to prune with any satisfaction at a later 

 period. Unless the moisture conditions are very favorable, 

 many of such unpruned trees are likely to suffer perma- 

 nent damage. 



Dr. Warder once said that the hole for a tree should be 

 as big as the orchard. If his advice is taken, the soil well 

 prepared and the hole made large, it is possible to plant 

 without reducing the root system more than is done in dig- 

 ging the trees. There appears to be no virtue in reducing 

 the roots to mere stubs unless they are broken or mangled, 

 diseased, or seriously dried out. Long weak roots should, 

 of course, be made to conform to the others in length for 

 convenience in handling. The first new growth of the tree 

 is made from the reserve material within it, but as soon as 

 the leaves appear they require moisture for functioning. 

 Therefore, the reduction in leaf surface through pruning 

 gives the roots an opportunity to develop a new area of 

 root-hairs more nearly proportional to the leaf surfaces which 

 are instrumental in absorbing the soil-moisture. 



Some extensive tests were made at the Woburn Fruit 

 Fann to determine the effect of careless planting on the after 

 growth of the trees. The results were surprising in most 



