fi4 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



March, 1915 



Anple tre<« in Mr. Hamilton's orcliard at I'ort 

 Hope after pruning. 



(4)) A type which bears distinctly flat- 

 tened fruits. 



(5) The "York Imperial" type bearing 

 a fruit shaped like a York Imperial in- 

 stead of a standard Baldwin. 



(6) The "Roman Stem" type, which 

 type of fruit has a distinct protruding 

 segment or tip in the cavity. 



These types we have found occuring as 

 limb sports, individual fruit sports, and 

 as whole trees. These are the types we 

 are familiar with now. No doubt others 

 will be found, possibly by ourselves, and 

 without question by others in their own 

 orchards. 



In addition to the variations in types 

 there is a great variation in production 

 within each type. In the Spy orchard in 

 which we were working this year, the 

 average tree production was about four 

 barrels per tree, while some of the best 

 trees in our plot bore over ten barrels. 



We have not had time as yet to show 

 experimentally that these variations in 

 deciduous fruits can be propagated. 

 However, as we have found just as great 

 if not greater variations in deciduous 

 than in citrus fruits, and as we have been 

 able to successfully propagate these 

 variations in types and differences in 

 production in citrus fruits, it seems a 

 safe assumption to say that these differ- 

 ences can be propagated in deciduous 

 fruits as well. 



The J. H. Hale peach which ccaurs 

 with great frequency as a limb sportl on 

 standard Elberta trees has been succes.s- 

 fully propagated. 



In the North Yakima section a sport- 



ing tree of Rome Beauty has been found. 

 This tree bears a deep red fruit which at 

 maturity shows none of the character- 

 istic Rome Beauty markings. Buds have 

 been taken from this tree and show the 

 same characteristics in the budded trees 

 as in the original tree. 



A Texas fruit grower has recognized 

 this principle of variation in his trees, 

 and has successfully worked over unpro- 

 ductive types of apples, persimons, and 

 pecans, to productive types. A number 

 of prominent hur.scrymen in Kansas, 

 West Virginia, New York, and many 

 other sections, are propagating their 

 n/ursery stock from select bearing trees 

 and are securing uniformly productive 

 trees, as compared with many unproduc- 



tive orchards, propagated by the old me- 

 thod of securing buds from other young 

 trees, right in the nursery row. 



We mention these few instances out 

 of the many we might give of the pro- 

 pagation of these variations in widely 

 scattered sections, simply to show the 

 large number of these variations and al.so 

 that they have been successfully propa- 

 gated. And so, whiPe we have not had 

 time as yet for our own experimental de- 

 ciduous buds to come into bearing, we 

 have already accumulated such a mass of 

 commercial or practical evidence to con- 

 vince any sensible man not only that 

 these variations exist in marked num- 

 l^ers, but also that they can be success- 

 fully prepagated. . 



Pruning Practices Explained 



A. D. Mcintosh, B. 



SINCE no two trees are alike, and 

 since conditions of variety, site, 

 location, slope, climate, soil, and 

 treatment are always a variable quan- 

 tity, no specific rules can be laid down 

 for pruning each and every apple-tree. 

 Each tree is a study. There are, how- 

 ever, general principles of pruning that 

 apply to all trees, especially those in 

 •commercial orchards. In this article, it 

 is proposed to deal with the pruning of 

 trees up to the time of bearing. 



In the same way that no two trees are 

 alike, no two branches are alike, yet all 

 have some traits in common^ All 

 branches of the apple tree grow from 

 the terminal ; and the buds farther along 

 the branch are stronger than those near 

 the crotch, owing to their advantage in 

 securing more sunlight than the others. 

 It is only this struggle between the buds 

 on a tree that prevents every bud from 

 growing into a branch. The great ma- 

 jority of buds never develop. This is 

 Natural Pruning. 



Now, since every branch does the same 

 thing as every other branch, it follows 

 that artificial pruning within reason 

 must benefit the remaining branches. 



Someone has said that "anything 

 which checks the growth of a tree tends 

 to make it produce fruit." This is a pro- 

 vision of nature. It is also a well-estab- 

 lished fact that fruit-bearing (or non- 

 bearing) is a habit of the tree. Some 

 varieties acquire the habit earlier in life 

 than others. E.G., compare the Wealthy 

 and Northern Spy for early bearing. 

 Some acquire the habit of bearing every 

 other year. This is sometimes true of 

 opposite sides of the same tree. 



Fruit buds in apple trees are separate 

 and are identified by their shape and size, 

 Ijeing larger and more blunt than the 

 leaf buds. In Ontario, fruit buds bear 

 every other year. Differentiation of fruit 

 and leaf buds takes place in the sum- 

 mer, hence only summer pruning may 



S. A., Stirling, Ont. 



cause an increase in fruit buds. Remem- 

 bering this, it is well to prune young, 

 unbearing trees in the spring or fall. 



A very important detail is the kind of 

 cut the pruner makes when at work. A 

 smooth cut, close up to branch, or close 

 to a bud that will send a shoot in the 

 profjer direction should invariably be 

 made. Hence the sharp knife for twigs, 

 the sharp shears for small branches, and 

 the sharp saw for limbs. .A long-handled 

 saw with narrov/, revolving blade is now 

 procurable, and is so practicable for 

 rapid, easy and satisfactory work as to 

 be indispensable where much pruning is 

 to be done. Don't leave stubs. And 

 how about the wound? 



Since prevention is better than cure, 

 and since it is a fact that several species 

 of bacteria or germs live entirely on cuts 

 and exposed wood of trees, it behoves 

 the orchardist to disinfect and paint the 

 exposed wounds caused by large cuts at 

 least. For all practical purposes lead 

 paint is most satisfactory. Wounds 

 made just before the growing season al- 

 ways heal quickest, henoe spring prun- 

 ing for young trees is preferable, where 

 other conditions make it more prac- 

 ticable. 



Pruning to make shapely trees does 

 not mean that larger production will fol- 

 low. Thinning of the fruit buds on every 

 limb ensures that those remaining buds 

 will be more vigorous and far more like- 

 ly to be productive of good-sized fruit 

 that will hang on to the parent tree more 

 firmly because of less competition for 

 space. And it must not be forgotten 

 that the effects of pruning are only tem- 

 porary, hence they must be repeated. 



The growth in length of twig takes 

 place in about five weeks in spring and 

 early summer, while the maturing and 

 filling up of this growth takes the rest 

 of the season. In favorable growing 

 seasons it often happens that too great 

 a grc vth in length takes place for pro- 



