286 
Fig. 2.. The Cambium Growing Over a Properly 
Made Wound. 
bium layer begins to grow over them than 
those made in the spring just before the 
tree starts to growing. While trees can 
and may be pruned any time during their 
dormant period—that is during the fall, 
winter and spring—the preferable time is 
in the spring, shortly before growth be- 
gins. 
FABIAN GARCIA, 
Santa Fe, N. M. 
A Vermont Viewpoint 
The successful growth of a vigorous and 
well developed tree is largely dependent 
upon rational methods of pruning. The 
pruning a tree receives during its first 
few years determines the shape of its ma- 
ture head. The young tree at the time of 
setting should be severely pruned. Asa 
rule the roots are cut back to six or eight 
inches and the top either to a whip, or, 
if it has been started at the right height 
in the nursery, from three to five of the 
best placed branches are selected for the 
scaffold limbs or framework of the head 
and these are cut back to correspond with 
the roots. Fall planted trees should not 
be pruned back as severely, since the wood 
ENCYCLOPELIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
is likely to suffer from drying out and 
winter freezing. Frequently when the top 
is light, pruning is deferred until spring, 
when practically the same cutting back 
is given as to the spring set trees. When 
the trees are pruned to a whip it is for 
the purpose of establishing a lower head 
or for securing better placed scaffold 
limbs. The limbs left for the framework 
of the tree should not be located opposite 
to each other as limbs thus placed would 
have a tendency to form a weak crotch. 
The advocates of the low headed apple 
tree seem to be in the ascendancy over 
those who prefer the high head. This 
type of tree is called for because of the 
necessity of fighting insect and fungus 
pests. The lower and more compact tree 
top makes spraying a much easier and 
Simpler process, reduces the number of 
windfalls, and lessens the cost of harvest- 
ing. A low head might be defined as from 
15 to 24 inches, and a medium head from 
24 to 42 inches, while anything above 42 
inches should be termed a high head. 
WILLIAM STUART, 
Burlington, Vt. 
Experiments in Arkansas 
Experiments in pruning at the Arkansas 
station from 1902 to 1906, on various va- 
rieties, including Ben Davis, and its. de- 
scendants, at various seasons of the year, 
as well as the work in the large orchard 
last year, show that whether pruning is 
injurious depends on the manner in which 
it is done rather than upon the season or 
size of the limb. 
The work was undertaken simply on 
account of the fear many have of serious 
consequences following the removal of 
limbs in this climate. One of the first 
opinions the writer heard in Arkansas re- 
specting the management of orchards was 
from an old gentleman who said: “One 
thing certain, make a note of it, you’ve 
got to keep the knife away from trees 
down here, especially Ben Davis. I have 
seen more trouble down here from prun- 
ing than from all the other bad orchard 
practices combined. Trees won’t stand 
pruning down here. It is a different cli- 
mate from up North; and I have seen more 
than one northern man come down here 
