1912. 
2/3 
THE RURAL NECW-YORKER 
LOW-HEADED APPLE TREES. 
What has brought about the tendency 
toward the low-headed tree, made that 
tendency more pronounced each year, 
and what has been the result of that 
tendency, is an interesting topic for 
consideration and study by the grower 
who is now producing apples commer¬ 
cially, or for one who has prospective 
plantings in mind and is taking into 
consideration the competition he must 
expect to have in the future. The fact 
is that previous to 1895 but few apple 
orchards in the East were set out and 
trained with the low-headed type of tree 
in view, and with few exceptions all the 
low-headed orchards at that time in ac¬ 
tual bearing in the East were largely the 
result of the planter’s ignorance of hor¬ 
ticultural methods or neglect in carrying 
out those methods. Up to the year 1900 
such low-headed orchards were pointed 
out as evidence of neglect or lack of 
horticultural knowledge upon the part 
of the owners, and the same criticism 
is made yet at this date by men who 
have not kept pace with horticultural 
progress. In 1902 my attention was 
called to some remarkable stories rela¬ 
tive to the yield of young apple trees 
grown by Grant Hitchings at South 
Onondaga. An examination of his or¬ 
chard trees the following year showed 
that statements of actual yield upon 
trees set five to 10 years had not been 
exaggerated. Hitchings put forth his 
sod-mulch system of culture as the prin¬ 
cipal factor causing the early bearing of 
his orchard trees. A close inspection 
of his trees and inquiries relative to his 
pruning methods indicated that other 
factors than sod mulch might be fully 
as important, or possibly more important 
in promoting early bearing. My work, 
at that time, taking me among the or¬ 
chards of the State at all seasons of the 
year and continuing for 10 years. I was 
enabled to keep in touch with a large 
number of young orchards, and invari¬ 
ably the tree of the low-headed type 
which had been pruned but little if any 
after time of setting until fruit produc¬ 
tion had commenced, produced fruit 
sooner than those orchards in which a 
so-called perfect system of pruning was 
inaugurated from the start and carried 
out. I also found that most varieties 
of apples, if left to form their own 
head, formed a shapely, symmetrical, 
uniform tree of the type of that variety. 
A close study of what happens when 
many branches are cut back or removed, 
as is often done in young trees, shows 
thaft twigs, .suckers and! long young 
growth are made at the expense of fruit 
spur and fruit bud production. It. is 
claimed that the cutting back of young 
apple trees invigorates them, but I have 
yet to see definite proof that such is the 
case. I have watched with interest or¬ 
chards grown by advocates of each kind 
of pruning and almost invariably where 
equal care was given, the non-pruned 
tree at 10 years old was larger and pro¬ 
ducing more fruit than the one regularly 
cut back. I am speaking of the Winter 
or early Spring pruning. The Summer 
pruning is an art that varies with each 
variety and season, and while so-called 
experts extol its value, there are .so 
many “ifs” relative to putting the prac¬ 
tice in operation that I believe its value 
to the commercial apple grower is prob¬ 
lematic. High-headed trees were the 
product of old methods. Orchards set 
in fields near the house were largely 
pastured and lower branches were 
browsed off, making high heads, or if 
set in open field and tilled crops grown 
during the first few years, followed af¬ 
terwards by hay, it was desirable to 
have heads high enough to use a horse, 
cultivator, mowing machine, hay rake, 
etc., underneath the trees. Also with 
close plantings, not followed by the time¬ 
ly thinning of trees, the branches soon 
touched, followed by the death of those 
lower limbs deprived of sunlight, which 
resulted in a gradual raising of the 
crown or head of a tree until examples 
can be found in which it takes a 20-foot 
ladder to reach the first bearing 
branches. 
Then the scientist and experimenter 
discovered the effectiveness of various 
sprays for insect pests and fungous dis¬ 
eases, and the practice of spraying de¬ 
veloped until all of our most successful 
apple growers follow the practice. Such 
pests as San Jose scale, apple aphis, and 
blister mite required the most thorough 
spraying work to combat them success¬ 
fully, and after a grower had sprayed a 
few of the old type of high-headed trees 
in the thorough manner necessary in 
combating these troubles, he began to 
appreciate the ease with which a low¬ 
headed tree could be thoroughly sprayed. 
Fruit can be harvested at one-half 
the cost from low-headed trees, and if 
thinning is to be done the cost is also 
greatly reduced, also the loss from 
windfalls is much less, and I have known 
practically entire apple crops from such 
low-headed trees (when mulched) picked 
up from the ground with no more 
visible bruising than if picked in the 
usual commercial way. The disadvan¬ 
tages of the low-headed tree to the com¬ 
mercial orchardisl in actual p ractice, 
are few. The difficulty of cultivation 
has been surmounted by the use of 
various extension harrows, disk plows, 
etc., and it has been found that trees do 
fully as well if plows do not come too 
close to body of the tree, and also that 
but little hand work is necessary to keep 
the ground clean. It is probable that the 
lowest-headed type of tree will be 
grown by the sold mulch or sod manure 
mulched orchards as the fruit upon 
branches if they come down to the 
ground is unsoiled by contact with the 
soil. A very little pruning or judicious 
propping in the low-headed cultivated 
orchards, will keep fruit from resting 
upon the ground. The low-headed tree 
is not easily blown over, and the fruit 
is not so readily blown off, and if blown 
off, is but little injured. With proper 
care and pruning one or two year old 
trees of most varieties can be made 
to grow profitable crops eight to 10 years 
after setting. If set out by the filler 
system, 64 to 110 trees to the acre 
make a yield of one to two bushels of 
first-class or fancy fruit to the tree a 
profitable one. b. d. v. b. 
Wood Fuel fob Greenhouse.— I am 
thinking of building a hothouse next Fall 
and plan heating it with a big wood stove, 
having the stove in a small room on one 
end and letting the pipe run through to 
the other end. Would that be safe and fur¬ 
nish enough heat for a house about 18 or 
20 feet wide and 30 or 40 feet long? I 
would like the opinion of some one who 
has had experience in the hothouse busi¬ 
ness. The weather here does not get much 
below zero, and only for a day and a night, 
and some Winters never to zero. g. a. m. 
Asheville, N. C. 
Are you getting the best of the 
SAN JOSE SCALE 
or is it getting the best of you? 
7 YEARS ATTEST to the supremacy of “SCALECIDE” as a scale 
killer. Has disproven every false impression circulated by com¬ 
petition and prejudice. Has shown its value in producing fruit that 
sells and takes the prizes. Has shown its invigorating effect on fruit 
trees 
AT LESS COST (we prove it) — 
WITH LESS LABOR (unquestioned)— 
MORE^ EFFECTIVELY (undisputed)— 
than Lime-Sulfur. 
B. G. PRATT COMPANY 
Manufacturing Chemists, - - 50 Church Street, NEW YORK CITY 
^Spray Now for 
.Perfect Fruit 
,in the Fall 
MOW is the time to rid your trees of fungous enemies 
and give them a good start towafd bringing you a 
profitable yield. Spray this spring with 
ECTRO 9-?.*.' s .“ l>ll,f 
>-rU>v fCON CENT RATED) OUlUIlUll 
/2a This is the best insecticide for San Jose Scale 
c= ^ i - ' and all scale and sucking insects, and is also the best 
summer fungicide known. It is a clear, cherry- 
colored liquid, free from sediment, and we guarantee 
it to contain the highest percentage of soluble sul¬ 
phur— the killing agent. It meets the requirements 
of all State and Federal laws. 
Obtain 
at least 
98% 
Perfect Fruit 
this year 
Send at once for *1 
our FREE booklet 
Spraying Simplified^ 
and learn Just when and how to protect your 
trees against all insects and fungous enemies. 
Its 68 pages are full of valuable information 
for the farmer and small fruit grower A 
postal will do 
The Vreeland Chemical CoV 
33 Church Street 
New York -- 
Purity, Strength, Effectiveness, 
At It Since 1889 
BRANS 
SPRAYING 
_ Destroy Insects, Prevent Disease, 
ATERJaTS NolInjureTree or Delicate Plant 
Millions of Dollars Are Lost Annually by Fruit Growers and Vegetable Gardeners 
Because They Do Not Realize the Enormous and Increased Profit in 
Persistent Spraying With Properly Made Insecticides and Fungicides 
When it conies to fiohting insect pests in your orchard, you cannot afford to experiment with unknown insecticides of doubtful value. If the enemies of your fruit trees get a 
good start, all the spraying you can do will not control them. If you are fiohting San Jose Scale, and use poor materials, tbe fact that they were poor will 
likely not be apparent until too late to spray again, and an entire season has been lost, and a number of trees injured if not destroyed 
Your first spraying for Codling Moth is done some little time before tbe insects appear. If they are not destroyed just after hatching, because you have used a poor quality 
insecticide, you will not know it until too late to kill the first brood, and one Moth which escapes lays 
about fifty eggs for a later brood. Hence the value of using "LION BRAN0" INSECTICIDES and 
FUNGICIDES of long tested and known reliability. 
iiUAX]) 
CONCENT«ATfcO 
»e-SulphurSo!uti<;r 
I or. ni , r.<. t , - 
^.lOSfVsc A, 1.13. 
N 
v bubchLo comp** 
^ v. and ST, JOICPH. fA.'C**. ' 
This is not the idle talk of a poorly posted advertisement writer, but a plain statement 
of facts that can be proved by any reader of The Bubal New-Yobker who cares to 
have it proved. 
Blanchard’s “Lion Brand” 
Insecticides and Fungicides 
have been the Standard of the World for more years than any other manufacturer 
in this line has been in business 
JON BUANI)' 
; '«& ' 
IfiffEAl V 
Lime-Sulphur Solution is for San 
Jose Scale particularly, and Apple 
Scab. Has a wonderful tonic 
effect, and makes the bark of 
apple trees smooth as can be. The 
only spray that destroys Scale and 
does not injuro trees. Ready for 
use, and more economical than 
home-made solutions. 
•BLANCHARD’S PRODUCTS- 
I JAMES A. BLANCHARD Lft 
[ l4, ' m V v»L N. Y IvivpJ., M;.:h. 
‘LION BRAND" ARSENATE OF LEAD 
‘LION BRAND" PURE PARIS GREEN 
‘LION BRAND" LIME-SULPHUR SOLUTION 
‘LION BRAND" BORDEAUX MIXTURE 
‘LION BRAND" KEROSENE EMULSION 
‘LION BRAND" WHALE OIL SOAP 
‘LION BRAND" PURE POWDERED HELLEBORE 
"LION BRAND" GRAFTING WAX 
"LION BRAND" STICKY BINDING 
"LION BRAND" WEEDICIDE 
"LION BRAND" POWDERED TOBACCO 
"LION BRAND" INSECT POWDER. 
"LION BRAND" CATTLE CONTENT 
AND A NUMBER OF SPECIALTIES 
lhJ~ IOw BRAN 0 .,|| 
Senate of le* ! 
I. w — 4 
SPRWMC^ 
N. v. & ST. JOSEPH, 
Tho stickiest Arsenate made. Pre¬ 
ferable for Codling Moth, Curculio, 
Elm Leaf Beetle and Chewing In¬ 
sects of all sorts, on trees, shrubs, 
vines, bushes and vegetables, where 
it is desirable that the poison should 
remain longer on tho foliage than 
Is possible with other insecticides. 
“Lion Brand’' Arsenato of Lead 
does not burn most delicate foliage. 
WE MAKE A SPRAY TO DESTROY EVERY INSECT ENEMY AND FUNGUS 
DISEASE OF TREES, VINES, SHRUBS, PLANTS AND VEGETABLES 
THE JAMES A. BLANCHARD CO., is tho oldest, most responsible and best 
equipped manufacturer of Insecticides and Fungicides in the World. 
None but the purest and best-for-the-purpose ingrodionts are used. Every formula is 
scientifically correct and thoroughly tested to be the most effective, and safest for its 
purpose. For 23 years we have made nothing but Insecticides and Fnngfcides. 
Insects and fungus diseases have become so numerous, so destructive, persfstont and 
aggressive that it is admittedly impossible for fruit growers and vegetable gardeners to 
got crops that can be profitably sold without using Insecticides and Fungicides, and 
those who grow profitable crops do uso thorn, and know it is plain common sense, 
and a most economical safe-guard to do so. 
EION BRAND INSECTICIDES AND FUNGICIDES cannot be surpassed in 
uniform quality, and aro guaranteed under the Insocticide Act of 1910. 
We want every one who has a fruit tree of any character, or a bush, or a vino, or'a 
shade tree ; and every one who grows vegetables, even if only potatoes, to have a copy 
° f0Ul FREE SPRAYING BOOKLET 
whoroin we explain why and how spraying insuros larger cropi and better quality. 
Just send your name and address to our nearest office. 
Blanchard’s Products are sold by dealers and agents everywhere, or direct, if your 
dealer cannot supply them .* Look for the Lion Brand Trade Mark and take no other. 
THE JAMES A. BLANCHARD CO. 
558 Hudson Terminal, New York 559 Broad Street, St. Joseph, Mich. 
Factories: Now York and St. Joseph 
Bordeaux Mixture prevents 
Blight, Mildew, Kot, etc., from 
destroying Potatoes, Beans, Peas 
and Melons ; keeps spots and specks 
off Apples, Peuches and other 
fruit, and makes crops surer and 
larger. One gallon to 19 of water. 
.WA RRANTED' 
^STRIC^LiY PITRE 
PARIS-*-GREEN 
U~pgi s qp i —■; 
^tSA. ELA NCHARD CO., HEff TOS 
"Lion Brand” Pure Paris Green 
contains absolutely not a particle of 
filler or adulterant of any sort, and 
Is accepted the World over as the 
Standard. 
