Practical Orcharding On Rough Lands. 1 9 1 



ered the most important, we should have said 

 spraying, as we were firmly convinced of this. 

 But not until after we had seen the effects 

 of the neglect of pruning as it was shown in 

 a finely cultivated orchard. One of the best 

 that was to be found in one of the greatest 

 fruit sections of the country, were we con- 

 vinced that the pruning, or the building of the 

 trees, (for that is the way we should think 

 of the growing of the orchard,) was of more 

 importance than spraying. In this particular 

 orchard all the latest methods of cultivation and 

 spraying, had been followed closely. The trees 

 were in fine growing condition, the fruit was 

 all that could be asked for, the crop was 

 heavy, so heavy, in fact, that the trees were 

 broken down, not necessarily because of the 

 size of the crop they bore, but because of the 

 weakness of the trees, or scaffolds that at- 

 tempted to carry the load. When we saw those 

 crotched trees with one side split down, or a 

 tree that had been allowed to form three 

 branches, (all starting out at one point,) for 

 its top to be built on, and one had broken down 

 with its load of almost perfect fruit, we were 

 impressed with the importance of building 

 the tree. 

 There, among those split and broken trees 



