February, 1906 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



13 



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By planting dwarf trained trees the amateur can grow a collection of several varieties on a space that would support only one Urge orchard tree 



wire. Build the trellis four to five feet high 

 with wires nine inches apart, the lowest being 

 one foot from the ground. It may be objected 

 that this seems a lot of expense to go to for 

 fruit trees, but I venture to say no ama- 

 teur who goes to this expense will regret it, 

 for the fruit grown in this manner is far better 

 in quality than that grown in the regulation 

 way. And surely that is what we want — 

 quality, the best in the world. Besides, don't 

 forget the quick returns. 

















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Pears and apples screening the vegetable garden 



The dealers in dwarf fruit trees offer them 

 in various forms, such as pyramid, globe and 

 standard and it is important when ordering 

 from the nursery to state which shape you 

 desire. The forms just named are not 

 adapted for growing on a trellis, of course, 

 but are for open ground culture. For trellis 

 work they come in palmetto, cordon and espa- 

 lier forms. I like espaliers best as they are 

 kept in shape more easily than the others. 



Planting should be done in the spring. 



Showing method of training an apple free. The 

 branches are tied to the wires of the trellis 



When the trees arrive from the nursery plant 

 them close to the trellis and about eight to ten 

 feet apart. As soon as the trees are planted 

 give a heavy mulch of loose stable litter to 

 prevent evaporation of the soil moisture. 

 Take all possible care you can of the trees 

 because the loss of one in a row makes an 

 unsightly gap. 



After mulching go over the trees with 

 pruning shears, cut out all damaged and 

 undesirable wood and tie the best shoots in 

 position. The two strongest shoots at the 

 bottom should be tied to the lowest wire 

 and allowed to grow until the} - meet the 

 shoots from the next tree and there stopped. 

 Strict attention to pruning is absolutely neces- 

 sary. The principle to follow is to leave just 

 enough wood to cover the trellis, removing 

 all the thin, weak shoots. Never leave more 

 than eight inches of the previous season's 

 growth and be careful to retain branches that 

 have fruit buds. 



In June, further attention to pruning must 

 be given and the number of shoots reduced. 

 This tends to strengthen those that are left 

 and hastens the bearing time. They will need 

 attention again about the latter part of August 

 or the first part of September, when you 

 must tie the shoots to the trellis in the posi- 

 tion you wish them to grow. This must not 

 be done too early or the shoot will break off 

 at the bottom, but it should not be left until 

 the wood hardens as it is apt to crack when 

 you are tying down the branches. If at this 

 time you notice a branch carrying a large 

 number of fruit buds, cut it back 

 slightly to throw some strength into those 

 buds. 



If you have been careful of the trees and 

 they have not suffered much in the trans- 

 planting, you may get a little fruit the first 

 season. Of course you cannot expect much 

 but the few you may have will be a revelation 

 in quality. 



These trained fruit trees are mostly im- 

 ported and as they are not used to our severe 

 winters, must be helped through the first sea- 

 son at least. Don't run any risk. A little 

 fall pruning will help. Go over the trees just 

 before the leaves fall and remove a few inches 

 of wood from each of the branches; after 

 the ground is slightly frozen mulch heavily. 

 This attention is not really necessary after 

 the first season, but it will be a great help 



until the trees become acclimated, and should 

 if possible, be followed up for two or three 

 years at least. 



If there are any signs of rust or other fungi 

 on the foliage during the summer, spray with 

 Bordeaux mixture. 



THE SECOND YEAR'S NEEDS 



In the second year pruning should be done 

 in the spring, and do not be afraid to cut 

 back hard, as it is this cutting that induces 



Apricots are planted to the right, pears to the lelt 



the development of good, clean heavy wood 

 with which comes fruit spurs. Look over 

 the trees when the fruit starts to swell and 

 after all fear of dropping is passed, and if you 

 notice a small tree with an excessive quantity 

 of fruit, remove some. Strive ratherfor qual- 

 ity than for quantity and the life of the tree 

 will then not be endangered. 



For varieties of dwarf trees for the garden 

 I should advise the following: In apples, 



A common complaint is that dwarf trained trees do 

 not live long. These are eight years old 



