The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1872-01-25
Apple Orchards.

Oh TIE IloltiSuiuuioi 'Do'iV'J VI"
ted it and reported on the subject.
The following is al abstract:
Many years ago, when quite a boy,
while assisting his father IN the nur.
,ery, grating pear trees IN the stock,
Mr.. Keller remembers Observing the
three buds Of u scion he was inserting.
He noticed that they had a peculiar
arrangement, and that they divided
the periphery in three equal parts
further, that If these all grew, there
would be three limbs arranged as radii
from the centre or point OF branching
In the tree.
Without knowing anything aboH,
the beautiful and interesting iacts OF
phylotaxy, and with no kind teacher
TO point them out to him, the boy OBJ
served the fact of TIE arrangement,
and by after thought and observation
worked out a part a. least OF tIle
important deductions dependent upon
the definite arrangementsofleave and
binds. He found these conditions as
TO the relations of the buds were to
be seen in the apple shoots, and upon
this he has based his theory and prac-
tice, which will now be presented
10 the Society.
The phylotaxy Of the apple being
taken AZ l--3, that is if we count rom
any bud upward and downward along
the shoot, we shall observe a spiral ar
rangement of buds, and that we may
count three buds before we find n on
exactly the same side Of the a%lH ~
the bud from which we started, and
that in the meanwhile we have made
onec0mplote circuit ofthe spiral, iIwlll
be manifest that any three buds viii
occupy n circuit. TIE whole journey
expressed in degrees, il 800 ! OF which
Is t2O', 30 that the whole circuit u d.
vided by these three shoots, which are
To form the the main limbs Of The iu-
ture tree, and each one starting rom
nearly the same point OF the axis,
will have about the game strenglh,
and this they can maintain by having
an equal space, light and air for their
several development.
After repeated and long continued
observations Mr.. Keller insists upon
four feet as the proper point to form the
heads Of his apple troe-no more, no
less-nor does he discriminate with
different varieties and their varying
habit. At this height the shoot il cut
of, removing the terminal buls with
~ much of the shoot ~ shall bring
the tree to four feet, and ut that point
he allows the head to be formed, care
fully removing all sUernumerary
shoots near the three, all subordina'
ting the side branches that appear he
low, but not above, removing them
because they are feeders to the stock
and roots, without disturbing thu
growth Of the permanent arms above
them.
These three limbs, as they grow
throw out branches, most Of which
look outward for light and air other'
soon die out for want of support-they
are smothered. With varieties o
regular and moderately open habit o
growth, the result will be perfect, ant
all that is claimed. There is no cross
ing of limbs, no superabundance o
branches, no need Of trimming, ant
the fruit being fully exposed to thu
light and air, will be well developed
and highly colored. A very LITTLE
watchful care and attention to The
young and growing trees may, howev
or, be very properly bestowed upor
them during their tender year
to equalize the force and growth Of tn,
triumvirate, checking those which ar,
too strong, encouraging the weak, re
moving young shoots that might in
terfere with their neighbors by heinz
too near in future years. When thu
result ID perfect, the tree is made VI
of three equal parts, each Of which
with its lateral branches, forms a nat
ural ladder, sufficiently open to allow
the fruit-gatherer to pass through i
and harvest the crop without any diff
flculty.
Unfortunately for the theory II,
based upon the arrangement Of the
buds, the ~phylotaxy Of the apple il
normally %, and only exceptionally
10. Usually two circuits ct the spiral,
with five buds, are necessary to bring
us TO the same side of the shoot, or
twig. This Is by far the most common
form, and for illustration, let Us take
this bundle of fourteen scionI Of the
Gloria Mundi apple, which happens to
be on the tables. In these six have
the spiral turning tothe right (dextras),
and the p~hylotaxy III 10, while eight
in the same bundle, Of the same va
riety, taken at random, have the SIN
istral arrangement with 20. In two
varieties, cut from the nearest trees,
we find In one the spiral il slnistral
Q, in the other IL dextral, and : 5.
But this need not effect the practice
which has been originally based upon
All observation Of the fact of the
phylotaxic arrangement of the buds,
since, without any such theoretical
origin but from the attendant circum-
stances, the START ig of three shoots of
equal strength, emanating from neal
the same point, and kept to three by
the removal of all others, especially
weaker growths, cannot very well fail
TO result III three main branches or
limbs Of nearly equal size to form
the head Of the tree, and these, with
their laterals, will each be very apt to
occupy about one third Of the head Of
the tree.
Without feeling prepared to adopt
rs a necessity the precise height Of
four feet from the ground as the only
point at which to form the head Of the
tree, of whatever variety and habit,
your committee desire to express
themselves highly gratihed by what
they have seer and learned In this in