Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-03-13

branches, and by being forced out by |
the power which causes the sap to rise
in the tree, and that power, you know, is
very great, capable of lifting many
pounds by the sheer force which pushes
up the sap. The broom stick has not
enough roots of the right kind
(for old roots lose the power
of absorbing nourishment) to take in the
fluids held in the earth, in sufficient
quantity for it's needs. If it happen to
be good season it will struggle on and
live, but will make but little growth.
But if it is dry season unless it is fire.
quently watered it will put out few
sickly leaves from the dormant buds and
will probably die.
planted four peach trees at Elsinore;
they had been faithfully pruned by the
nurseryman who sent them out. One
had three buds, one had two, another
one, and the fourth had no bud at all
The three which had buds lived and
made branch from each bud kindly
left. The one which had all the buds
rubbed off kept green all summer, but
having nothing to start from at last gave
up and died.
These are facts, gentlemen, andu want
you all to try this experiment. Get ten
trees as nearly alike in roots and
branches as possible: prune the roots
of the ten trees carefully. A bruised off
root may kill tree almost as certainly
as man would die if he had a leg or an
arm taken eff by round shot or a shell
and left the wound in that condition
without calling the surgeon to make
clean cut surface, which would be the
only way to save his life. Therefore,
prune the roots smoothly with sloping
or diagonal cut, with very sharp knife.
Now, make broom sticks OF five of the
trees and leave the other five whole;
don't cut twig off. Plant the ten trees
carefully, water and cultivate alike, and
see which do the best. will guarantee
that after trying it once you will never
prune tree again when you transplant
it, if you were to plant million.
2nd-"Pruning." l shall say but lit
tie on this subject as have already
taken up too much OF your time, though
have left out about one-half OF what l
wanted to say.
The next year after planting tree, if
there is any pruning TO be done, prune
or, if the season has been so favorable
that the tree has made q luxuriant
growth, showing that it has also refur-
nlSl6Q lC66lI WIFI TOOIb, WOuIu CUT OUT
all superfluous limbs, all that crop each
other, and perhaps take off those very
near the ground. l would have the head
low, for many reasons, not over three
feet to the first limb, then leave a limb
every one or two feet, spirslly around the
tree if possible, or so as to have sys-
tematical head. 1t will take several years
to perfect the head. Remember that the
tree will grow many feet high, and for
this reason it would not do to leave
great mahy branches, or they would be
too crowded. Leave them about as far
apart as the rounds of ladder and they
will be handy for the children to climb.
This is for the young tree while forming
the head. Apricot and peach trees, if
on wet land or often irrigated, will re-
quire severe shortening, or they will
make fishing poles. AS these trees are
spt to overb bear, it is we'll to cut back the
last seasons growth about one-half, and
you will have larger and fner fruit. This
cutting back is done in winter. If your
orchard is on high, dry land and you do
not irrigate, little or no pruning should
be done. My apricot orch ard is on high,
very dry land, and it has not been
watered for two years. 1t has been
planted five years. have never piuned
them, and 1 have never seen better
shaped trees, nor have ever seen larger