268 



PRUNING 



(e) Are desirable pruning tools being used? 

 (/) Do stubs ever heal over? 



(g) To what form of head are the trees being trained? 



(h) Determine whether certain branches have been dwarfed by 



pruning. 



(i) How many minutes does it take one man to prune a tree, and 



what is the cost per tree? 

 (;) Does hea^^ heading back cause more branches and thus a 

 denser tree? 



ik) Are the large pruning wounds being protected from the 

 weather, insects, and diseases? 



2. Notice that some varieties normally grow upright whereas others 

 make a spreading growth. Should an attempt be made by pruning to 

 make all trees assume the same shape? 



3. Secure permission to prune some of the trees in your community as 

 a demonstration. Keep records on the time and cost of pruning. Leave 

 some trees unpruned, and note the difference in wood growth and color of 

 fruit at picking time. 



4. Find two orchardists in your community, one who prunes heavily 

 and one who prunes lightly, and note the comparative size of trees of the 

 same age and variety in the different orchards. Determine which trees 

 bear the earliest and most fruit. 



5. Select one or two old apple trees in your community, and give them 

 a rejuvenation pruning; have them fertilized if possible, record the 

 yields of fruit, and use them as a demonstration to encourage the better 

 care of old trees. 



