The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-08-17
Pruning Fruit Trees.


when the knife and saw are sharp" We
would answer, never prune unless the
tools are sharp, and never use the saw
unless to renovate an old orchard; the
time for pruning depending upon the
object we wish to accomplish:
Pruning may be done for three purPo
ses: first, and the most important, to give
the tree good form; second, to increase
growth; and third, to increase fruitful
ness.
Take the young tree from the nursery
where it has been drawn up by close
planting, so that the branches are several
feet from the ground. With trees we'll
grown we have several branches starting
from nearly the same height. Now, at
transplanting, we should remoye por-
ton of the buds to restore balance be-
tween the top and mutilated roots
Much can be done at this time to give
the tree good form, by cutting out those
branches which, if allowed to grow,
would give the tree an imperfect shape.
This must be followed up with pinching
out the terminal bud of those shoots that
tend to outgrow their neighbors to the
injury of The symmetry of the tree.
With proper care at planting. and the
free use Of the thumb and forefinger du
ring the growing season, very little use
for the saw will be found. Had this
been the treatment of most of our large
orchards, they might now be in a healthy
condition and giving large crops of fruit.
|. is ys!r. doubtful if we can improve
;ipo., t:.u:nre's method in this matter. A
tree, s.owiug out in the open field, fully
exposed to the sunlight and air, naturally
takes o fine form, and if in good soil,
grows vigorously, and bears abundantly.
Most of our orchards are planted too
close, in the first place; then, to let in
the sunlight and air, large branches are
cut ou, from the centre, and the wounds
made left exposed, decay in a few years:
The practice of cutting out the central
branches to let in the light is all wrong.
Branches grow best in the centre of the
tree, because here they find the most con-
genial shelter from the suns rays. Gut
away the branches with their foliage
which shelter these shoots, and they
cease to grow, and the long, bare branch
es exposed to the scorching sun during
summer, and continued freezing and
thawing in winter, become much injured.
If the time now expended in the annual
pruning were devoted to the care and
cultivation of the soil, our orchards
would be more healthy and productive.
Pruning done while the trees are IN
dormant state has the tendency to in
crease growth. Trees often make stun
ted growth from the improper manner of
planting, from allowing grass to grow
about their roots, OF from over bearing.
Now, if one-half the buds be removed,
those remaining will be better supplied
with plant food from the roots which re-
main perfect, new roots formed from the
new wood and vigor impaired to the
tree.
If cutting must be done, let it be at
the ends Of the branches rather than
from the centre of the tree. What mat
ters it if a few branches do cross one an
other and even rub together? They will
not be injured, and the end shoots will
certainly take their proper place in CIV
ing good form to the tree.
Pruning may also be done to produce
fruitfulness by checking the growth of
the tree. Trees are sometimes planted In
very rich soil where they grow vigorously
but bear no fruit.
It is one of the laws of plant growth,
that anything which Injuries the plant or
checks its growth will cause it to make
an effort to perpetuate its kind by the
production of seed. Now, if portion
of the foliage be removed, the perfect
development of all parts of the plant
depending upon the foliage, its growth
viii be checked and fruitfulness be pro-
duced. But while there may be some
instances where the soil is SO rich as to
cause the tree to run to wood and pro-
duce no fruit, there are many more
where some element of the food required
for the fruit is not found in the soil, and
summer pruning would do no good. The
better way would be to check the growth
by cropping the land and adding potash
or phosphoric acid. Root pruning would
also check the overproduction of wood.
Thcn, we would say in closing, prune
Whon liz trees ere young, use the knife,
.au:ab ai,d finger, only to give the trees
u goo. .;':m, aud devote the time usually
giiy,s!. t. .his work to the cultivation of
the soil. If we must cut away large
branches, let it be done late in the winter
or very early in the spring, as the wounds
heal over more readily at this season
than any other. All wounds must be
covered with shellac, wax or common
paint. Use the saw, if necessary, to
renovate old orchards, but depend large
" upon the cultivation and Improvement
of the soil for increased growth and fruit
fulness.-Prof. Maynard, in Scientic Far
1aer.