186 SCHOOL AND HOME GARDENS 
branches that grow unevenly during the summer. For the 
first three or four years, cut back from a half to a third of 
each scaxon’s growth. Prune every year during the latter 
part of the winter or in early spring. Remove all dead 
wood, or thin the branches if they become crowded. 
All large branches must be cut close to the main stem, 
so that the wound will grow over and not make a hole 
in the tree, as it so often does when long stubs are left. 
Paint the cut surface. 
Spraying. For the disease known as apple scab, spray 
with the 5—5-50 formula of Bordeaux mixture. Give 
three sprayings —just before the petals open, just after 
they fall, and from ten days to two weeks later. For 
San José scale, spray with lime-sulfur late in the win- 
ter or early in the sprmg. For the coddling moth, 
spray with arsenate of lead or Paris green just before 
the petals open, just after they fall, and two weeks later. 
Never spray while the trees are in full bloom; it will 
destroy some of the fruit and kill the bees that visit the 
blossoms. Where it 1s necessary to spray for scab, the 
arsenate of lead or Paris green and the Bordeaux mix- 
ture may be applied at the same time. 
If the trunk of the tree is infested with borers, which 
may be detected by a small amount of sawdust where 
they enter, or by the withered appearance of the bark, 
dig for them with a wire or a pocketknife. 
Gather all nests of brown-tail moths, gypsy moths, or 
tent caterpillars during the winter. If any are seen in 
the spring, burn them with a kerosene torch. 
