The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-09-12
fastening the Fruit.

d. I. Averill, Mortified, VT, writes /:
az would like to know if any means can
be used whereby slow-bearing apple trees
can be made to hurry up" have a
dozen and half Rhode Island Greetings
and Northern Spys which are old enough
and large enough to bear barrel each,
but which have never borne an apple or
shown blossom. 1t is possible orchard
lists may have learned of some way by
cutting back or heavy pruning at the
right time, by which production can be
hastened. 1 should regard your views as
valuable"
REpLY.-This question has long been
mooted amongst fruit-growers. Tardy
bearers by nature can in fact only be
made to produce fruit earlier than they
otherwise would by some injury threaten
ing their lives. Under such conditions it
appears to be law of nature that fruit,
or rather seed, should be produced at
once, to save the species. Under these
circumstances nurserymen often find un.
healthy root gratis producing fruit even
when less than foot high. Inexperi-
enced purchasers will often mark fruit
ing tree in nursery with the purpose of
securing that tree for themselves at the
proper time, not knowing that it bore
prematurely because it was sick. We
believe the best way is to give trees good
culture and wait patiently for them to
reach bearing age in the natural way.
We say good culture, but in very rich
land fruiting will often be delayed longer
than the natural time, on account of the
excessive growth of wood. The Duchess
of Oldenburgh bears very young naturally,
but near our barn two trees which grew
rapidly produced little or no fruit until
ten years old. This gives one hint as to
the question misunderstanding is one form
of injury likely to hasten fruiting, but of
course the fruit will be poor. Root
pruning, by digging trench five or six
feet from the tree and cutting off all the
roots in the spring, will often cause the
formation of fruit buds during that sea.
son. This had better be done only on
one side at time. Another way of hurt
ing the tree enough to make it bear pre-
maturely is heavy summer pruning, or the
removal of a number of large branches in
June. Carried too far this kills the tree,
Just far enough it causes the production
of fruit buds. The same effect is pro-
duced by disbarking the trunk or limb.
Bark stripped off the middle or last of
June, if carefully done, will be repro
duced, and the check given to growth
will lead to the production of fruit buds.
But this is hazardous experiment. A
modified and safer form is /" ringing" or
the removal of a ring of bark one-eighth
to one half an inch wide from the trunk
or limb. If carefully done, this will
often be the best and least injurious
method. The width of the ring removed
must be graded by the vigor of growth.
These are remedies, but as regards the
late bearers many believe that young
trees of them will bear much earlier, if
they are originally grated or budded
from bearing trees We never have found
any justification for this belief in our
own experience. We have grated in
differently from young and old trees, and
set the trees so grated in our orchard,
and have had them all begin to bear at
the same time. 1t is possible, however,
that some such result may be obtained by
taking cions from old and unhealthy trees.
The whole thing may be summed up in
paradox-if you want to hurry nature
in this matter, the way to do it is to
cripple her.