The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-05
Pruning Trees.
New England Farmer.

New England Farmer.
There will be no better time between the pres
emit and next autumn for pruning the orchard
trees than now. TIL fruit is all gathered, the
leaves have mostly fallen, and the trees are in a
comparatively dormant state. Where limbs of
considerable size are removed in November the
remaining wood dries or seasons quite soundly
without checking badly, especially if the wouds
are brushed over with a solution of shellae var
nish to keep out moisture. One who has recently
been picking a crop of fruit from trees that had
nearly twice too many limbs will see the neces-
sity now OF a judicious thinning OF the surplus
top
The same law holds good in the production of
apples or pears as of grapes. Large specimens
cannot be grown upon wood that is small from
the overcoming of the fruit bearing vines or
twigs. Small twigs. small buds, and small leaves
foretell small specimens of fruit invariably.
In pruning trees aim to distribute the cutting
sufficiently throughout the entire tree. If there
is twice too much top it might be reduced by
cutting off all the branches on one side, and
leaving the other half untouched. This might
be a good thing to do in some cases, as where q
tree is too l q division line and overhangs a
neighbours hos N or pasture, but it is not the
way to trim an ordinary tree. A tree that over
bore this year, as very many trees
have, will have very few fruit buds
for next years blooming, but will re-
quire a year of rest while new fruit buds are
being formed, SO in pruning now it should
be remembered that the next crop of fruit will
be grown wholly upon,wood that has yet to grow.
1t will do to have a tree after pruning look quite
thin, if the limbs are judiciously removed, for
another years growth will fill it it up again, and
perhaps make it nearly as thick and close as it is
now. Instead of cutting out a few large branches
near the trunk. it is far better to cut out many
smaller ores nearer the outer ends. This
method will require more labor, but there will
be fewer large wounds to heal over or rot away,
and the tree will receive less of a check to its
growth. A light saw set in a light iron frame
attached to a long handle of a hay rake, is a
handy tool for thinning out the tops of trees.
There are also shears attached to a pole, which
are very useful for doing this work. Such shears
are excellent for shortening in struggling
growths, and bringing a tree into good shape.
Long, slender limbs are whipped about much
more by winds than those which are reasonably
shortened in. Growers of extra large pears and
peaches long ago learned to restrict wood growth
to just that amount required for producing the
largest specimens.
Thinning fruit when the tree is overbearing is
an excellent practice, but in the case of large
trees it is a great deal of work. A better way is
to thin the wood, so that less fruit will set to be
picked of in its green state. But pruning alone
will not make a tree that stands in a poor soil
bear fruit like one that is well fed with plant
food suited to its wants. If a soil is very lean
stable manure will probably not injure the trees,
but ashes and fine bone will give a healthier
growth in most soils, and tend to produce fruit
instead of wood. These may be applied now or
in the spring. A heavy dressing of manure APP
piled late in summer may so excite action in the
tree as to cause late growth, to be followed by
winter-killing. Peach-growers are especially
careful to avoid applying manure to their trees
after midsummer, and some avoid cultivation
after that date. letting the weeds cover the soil
if they will. This is probably a commendable
practice in some cases.