1911. 
WHEN TO PICK APPLES. 
Let Them Mature on Trees. 
With ideal conditions of growth we prefer to have 
the fruit remain on the trees nearly as long as it 
will continue to grow, as it gets a finish in appearance 
that helps wonderfully in selling the fruit, and also 
increases in size, which helps in filling the barrels. 
As all specimens on the same tree do not mature 
at the same time, we go over the trees when they are 
fairly well loaded, and pick the largest and ripest 
before they are ready to fall. By so doing the upper 
limbs, when they are relieved of part of their loads, 
raise up some and allow the sun to get in to the 
under branches and small, green apples, 
and they grow and take on a good finish 
in color, and become good stock, when 
they would have been culls and worth 
little if picked when the first ones were 
ready to pick. Our variety is mostly 
Rome Beauty and they do not all 
mature at the same time as well as 
some other varieties, so we must pick 
that way to have as many good apples 
and as few culls as possible, and also 
to save as near all of them as we can. 
If we were to pick them clean at one 
picking it would take quite a while 
longer to get over the orchard than by 
gathering the best only; then we can 
go over the trees again and lengthen 
the season of picking, or gather the 
fruit with fewer men than when we 
have to pick all at once. 
Fruit that is picked when mature 
keeps better than that picked before it 
is fully colored, and the fruit also keeps 
better on the trees than off, unless it 
is placed in cold storage soon after 
picking. The weather is usually warm 
through September and early October, 
and fruit off the trees in a warm place 
ripens fast, and decay soon follows ripening. By 
retarding the ripening process the life of the fruit, 
or keeping quality, is prolonged. As soon as fruit is 
taken off the tree it is getting ready to ripen or break 
down, but as long as it will grow it does not ripen 
as fast as when off the tree, except it has been placed 
in cold storage, which retards the ripening. We can’t* 
fix a date, as some seasons are earlier than others. 
The only rule to my mind is to pick as late as we 
can and get the fruit gathered before it falls. Some 
of it may have to be picked rather soon, when a large 
crop is to be harvested and men are hard to get, but 
usually the men who pick rather late come out best, 
though sometimes a storm may blow off quite a lot 
of fruit. Sometimes an early market brings the most 
money, and those who want to get the fruit into 
consumption at once may hit it right. When the 
fruit is all right the late markets may be best when 
FAILURE OF TIIREE-PRONGED TREE— 13 YEAPS. 
Fig. 347. 
it has been well kept. One must use judgment and 
do the best under his conditions. Study the circum¬ 
stances. u. t. cox. 
Ohio. 
Some men seem to think tacks will take the place of 
tact. 
One beauty of rye is that you can seed it in the lati¬ 
tude of New York from late July until middle of October 
with fair chance of a crop. 
THE RURAL NEW-VORKER 
SHAPING TREES ON THE PACIFIC COAST. 
A few weeks ago you printed an article on the 
starting of a tree, and another on the open center 
tree of the Pacific Coast. I would like to outline the 
pruning of a young tree, as we of this Department 
have recommended for a number of years as being 
the best manner in which to handle the young orchard 
tree. We find that the one-year whip, and a good, 
healthy, well-developed one, too, of about four to five 
feet in height, one-half inch to five-eighths of an 
inch in diameter six inches from the ground, makes 
the best start for the tree. Here in the West we want 
a low head, as it protects the tree from injury by 
winds, and also makes spraying, thinning and pick¬ 
ing easier and cheaper, which are important items in 
the commercial orchard. To get this low head the 
whip is best pruned back to a point somewhere be¬ 
tween 18 and 24 inches from the ground, after the 
tree is well set. The varying height allows for the 
selection of enough vigorous buds to insure the form¬ 
ation of enough main or scaffold branches. 
During the first season the growth' is allowed to 
develop without direction other than what might be 
termed “weeding’’ out the weak or otherwise unde¬ 
sirable shoots. In the Winter, or, better, in the early 
Spring following, this growth is carefully examined 
in order to select the five to seven most desirable 
shoots for the development of the “head.” These 
shoots, or young branches, should be spaced well up 
and down the trunk, the object being not to have 
them start too near together, as that invariably pro¬ 
duces weakness in the head of the tree. To balance 
the head, these shoots should radiate evenly around 
the trunk, much as the spokes of a wheel. The up¬ 
permost shoot is left as a sort of “leader,” although 
there is no intention to develop a tall tree or a heavy 
center. The idea of this “leader” is to keep the 
scaffold spread out, as was said before, to prevent 
weakness, and to fill the center partly. It is really 
the development made necessary by the endeavor to 
produce all that a given area possibly can produce. If 
the trees are started with the “vase” shaped head 
there is much valuable space in the center which 
might be producing fruit, so this leader is trained 
with this idea in mind. It is very necessary, how¬ 
ever, to be careful not to get the center too thick, as 
more harm will result from under-development or 
under-coloring than the extra bearing area possibly 
could balance. Also, if too thick the spraying is more 
unsatisfactory, and less thoroughly done. On each 
of these scaffold branches, then, enough buds should 
be left to insure a proper development of top. The 
branches should be pruned back severely, though, as 
the intention is to stimulate wood growth to give 
strength to the tree. It is well, also, to give a some¬ 
what conical shape to this pruned head, although it 
is difficult to get this in every tree. The leader is left 
usually from 12 to 18 inches, and the lower branches 
or laterals about 10 or 12 inches in length. 
During the growing season after this the care is 
much the same as during the first season as regards 
the “weeding out” of undesirable shoots. It is dur¬ 
ing this season, also, that the work known as “Sum¬ 
mer pruning” should commence, to induce early bear¬ 
ing if the grower wishes his trees to bear early. Per¬ 
sonally I do not favor this method in the extreme, 
except with trees such as the Spitzenburg or Spy, that 
are usually late bearers; that is, in the West they 
often do not bear until seven or eight years of age. 
Most of the other varieties bear at four or five years 
anyway, so the Summer pruning is not greatly needed. 
• 87S 
As the tree grows older the tendency should be to 
do most of the pruning in the Summer and only a 
little in the Winter, as this will prevent the tree from 
expending energy in developing shoots which are 
later cut away. In general, the object in so pruning 
a young tree is to induce thrifty, stocky development, 
a well-shaped, well-balanced head, and to avoid weak¬ 
nesses that are so common in apple trees. I send with 
this two pictures of a poorly headed tree, Figs. 347 
and 349, which was weakened by a heavy crop and 
split the following Spring. w. G. brierley. 
HAPPY BACK TO THE LANDERS. 
We live in the city of New Rochelle, New York. 
Our plot of ground is 140 feet square. 
Dwelling house 33x33 with large lawn, 
one large bearing apple tree, two small 
pear trees, four Concord grape vines, 
four small maples, two poplars, two 
peach trees, raspberries, blackberries, 
strawberries, and many flower beds; 
henhouse and run which winters about 
25 hens. They pay for themselves many 
times over. During the Winter months 
we get from 12 to 15 eggs daily. My 
wife, who has charge of the poultry 
end of our “140-foot farm,” raised 110 
little chicks this Summer, hatched by 
hens and brought up in homemade 
brooders; one died from disease, two 
were deformed and therefore killed, 
the remainder grew to broiler size and 
helped make up many a fine meal. Our 
garden is 90x58 feet, which furnishes 
us with all the fresh vegetables we 
possibly can use during the Summer 
and nearly all the canned vegetables we 
use in Winter. We followed carefully 
the directions issued by the Govern¬ 
ment in their bulletin on canning corn, 
peas, beans, egg plant, okra, and all 
vegetables, and must say that we met 
with great success, not losing a can. The net 
profits from this small garden patch last year 
was $55. We obtained our prices from the various 
markets in New Rochelle and deducted in each case 
at least 10 per cent. The following we had on our 
table for dinner on July 24, all raised on our “140- 
foot farm”: Sorrel soup, two broilers, V/ 2 pound 
each; Early Rose potatoes, beets, string beans, cu¬ 
cumbers and onions, Summer squash, blackberries, 
and apple pie. I am a commuter, traveling to Brook-* 
lyn every day. My vacation I take in “a day at a time 
manner” which enables me to keep the “140-foot 
farm” in shape. The R. N.-Y. is our guide. I wish 
that it was a daily instead of a weekly paper. We 
practice what we read, and I am about to start a 
10-foot square of Alfalfa to try our luck. Before 
many years I hope to send you a report of our doings 
on a Connecticut farm, as we have simply outgrown 
ANOTHER VIEW OF ILL-SHAPED TREE. Fig. 349. 
this 140-foot lot. There are some animals the re¬ 
strictions of the city will not permit me to keep, there¬ 
fore more ground in the open country, free from re¬ 
strictions, but I suppose full of weeds and stones. 
H. M. E. 
“Secondary metals” are those recovered from scrap 
heaps or wastes. In 1910 $45,525,500 worth of such 
stuff was utilized. The use of old tin cans for this pur¬ 
pose is not large. It costs too much to collect the cans. 
