PRUNING THE APPLE 227 



several scale insects must be kept in check and the latest approved 

 means of reducing these troubles will be described in detail in later 

 chapters. 



PLANTING AND CARE OF THE APPLE ORCHARD 



The chapters on planting, and pruning contain suggestions to 

 which the reader is referred. Care should be taken to obtain trees 

 with clean, healthy roots, not knotted and scarred by woolly aphis. 



Distance in Planting. The distance between the trees is of the 

 highest importance. All the old apple orchards are overcrowded. 

 More recently trees have been set at greater distances, and such 

 planting is now generally advised. There is some difference of 

 opinion as to proper distance, but certainly twenty-five to thirty 

 feet is near enough, and some of the best new orchards have been 

 planted at forty feet, the ground being used for a time with other 

 crops or planted with early bearing trees, for which the soil is 

 suited, between them. 



Pruning the Apple. The manner of shaping fruit trees 

 described in the chapter on pruning succeeds admirably with the 

 apple. Yearling trees are usually planted, and they are regularly 

 pruned until proper form is secured. 



Mr. C. H. Rodgers, a leading apple grower of the Watsonville 

 district, near the coast in central California, gives the following 

 excellent outline of a simple and economical, yet successful, method 

 for apple tree building under ordinary conditions : 



First Year: On planting cut the stem from 30 to 36 inches in 

 height, with the terminal bud toward the southwest. In the 

 spring, when growth begins, strip off all shoots from the ground 

 up to about 20 inches. Above this point let all growth remain 

 during the summer. If for any cause during earjy summer a bud 

 does not start where wanted, a short transverse cut through the 

 bark just above the bud will cause it to develop iiitcfa limb. 



Beginning of Second Year: Cut off all limbs except those 

 selected to remain permanently. Two, three, four, and not more 

 than five limbs should be allowed to remain, the number depend- 

 ing on their position. It should be the aim to distribute them 

 evenly on all sides., and to give all possible space between limbs 

 up and down the trunk. This latter precaution is to give room 

 for expansion of limbs in after years. Cut back the limbs that are 

 to remain, taking off from one-third to one-half of the previous 

 season's growth. If the tree is of a spreading habit, and it is de- 

 sired to have it grow erect, cut to inner buds. If desired to spread 

 the top cut to outer buds. 



