STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 89 



Pruning. 



Prune with an eye to beauty, symmetry and proportion. A 

 model tree, fully grown, consists of a body straight and perpen- 

 dicular, about five feet in height, with from two to four main 

 branches of uniform size, equi-distant from each other as may be, 

 and slightly inclined upward, with the general form of the top that 

 of a hemisphere, base downward, with none of the limbs crossing 

 each other, and sufficiently thinjied out to admit the air and sun- 

 light. The proper time of pruning is, when the sap is sufficiently 

 active to heal the wound in the least possible time, which occurs 

 in May and June, depending much on the locality. The warmer 

 the climate the earlier should be the pruning. The trees, when 

 set out, should be cut back about one-third of the top, or in pro- 

 portion to the size and vigor of the roots. For the first three or 

 four years after planting, about one-half of the growth of the limbs 

 of the previous year should be headed back, the upper limbs more, 

 the lower limbs less. If the top is too much inclined to grow 

 upright, it may be made to spread sufficiently by cutting off the 

 outer limbs just above an outer bud or shoot. Each of these buds 

 will soon form a limb, shooting in nearly or quite a horizontal 

 direction. By a proper observance of this simple principle, the 

 top may be made to assume any desired sjmimetrical figure. After 

 three or four years of this system of pruning, head back the limbs 

 less and less, aiming simply to keep the tree in a proper hemis- 



,pherical form, and to prevent any limbs from taking a dispropor- 

 tionate growth. Do not allow any limbs to cross each other. 

 Keep the top well trimmed out, thus giving free access to the 

 air and sunshine. Remove all the suckers. Prune with a sharp 

 knife only. These directions adhered to will obviate the necessity 

 of the very injurious practice of amputating the larger limbs. If, 

 however, in some extreme cases, it may be necessaiy to remove a 

 large limb, apply to the wound paint or a saturated solution of 



. gum shellac in alcohol or grafting wax. Prune and shape the trees 

 as nearly alike as possible, thus giving to the orchard a uniform 

 appearance. Low headed trees are far preferable to those of the 

 opposite sort, even though the lower limbs may touch the ground 

 when loaded with fruit, saving at least one-half the labor in gath- 

 ering. If planted thirty- three feet apart, there will be sufficient 

 space to drive a wagon between, and as to plowing, this will be 

 unnecessary if the orchard be properly conducted. 



Mulching. 



• 



The object of mulching is to protect the roots from the extremes 

 of heat and culd, to prevent a too rapid evaporation of moisture, 

 and to enrich the soil. The substances or materials employed for 

 this purpose, are horse manure, refuse hay or straw, muck, leaves, 

 rotten chip manure, sods, sawdust, tan bark, wood shavings, &c. 

 Mulch in autumn, just before winter sets in, placing the material 

 in a little conical-shaped mound about the base of the tree, and 

 extending so as to cover the ground for a space equal to the extent 

 of the roots, to the depth of from six to twelve inches, according 



