The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-04-14
Pruning Orange Trees.


At the meeting Of the fruit growers Of
California;, DR.. Conger made the follow.
ing statement:
IL wish to say few words before
have 10 90 home, about the pruning OF
the orange tree. discovered something
II while ago which was new to me ut the
time, that the orange tree especially. and
the lemon tree also, project their wood
in the form of threes: that there are
three branches that start of from given
point about the same time, and under Ia.
vorable circumstances the tendency OF
the tree is to grow rapidly in horizon.
tai direction rather than to shoot up. l
found that in pruning the tree in a care.
less way, or by a careless hand, that 1t
would grow unevenly. first one side then
the other. and also. that on the northern
side of the tree it grew much moro rap
idly than upon the southern exposure.
That is another proposition which ! might
discuss, hut will drop that for the time
being, found also that the fruit was
on the lateral branches of this triple
growth. it was on the outside sprigs.
Not being familiar with the terms that
are used by experts, | give it to you in
my plain language. There is the center
shoot, and then there will he three more
shoot out, the center one continuing ana
two laterals and so on. until you have
cut back very materially in order to get
into your tree and keep 1t uniform in
shape. | therefore commence to cut
away the central, the wood growing
stems. to prevent it becoming too large
and thereby Iwould preserve the fruit
growing limbs, and keep my tree in q
symetrical form and govern the growth
BY that system of pruning. whereas q
hand not accustomed to that and not un.
Outstanding it would grow up tree and
cut it off wherever he chose, or where 1t
was most convenient to get in to use his
knife, and you observe it would Ike at the
expense of the fruit producing branches
il II were pruned in that way. SO find
il avery essential point for our orange
growers % understand. and l think it
they look ut their trees moment they
will find that am substantially correct.
They will find that if there is any fruit,
il will be on those laterals almost inva-
riably. and the center. as l say, would be
the wood producing stem or limb. Now
the reason why the wood grows more
RAPIDLY on the northern exposure, 10 my
mind. is in Consequence OF this shade
The heat of the sun in this portion OF tn
State is so great particularly on TN
southern exposure, that the How OF tn
sap must necessarily be impeded, an'
the fruit on the southern exposure; henc'
the necessity of cutting more wood ava!
upon the northern exposure upon thal
on the southern. Those things we can
no. have disregarded by our hired he'll
except at our expense.
The steamship America, the pride 0
the National line. and about the pes
model of a Liverpool paeket ever DC
signed arrived at the bar yesterda
morning for the first time since she wa
chartered by the British government, o
account of her speed, when war wit
Russia seemed imminent. She Is an es
cellent sea boat. as the four days OF II
cessant westerly gales encountered az
ring the passage over demonstrated. III
will now run regularly during the sci
son.