Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-07-15
THE FARM AND HOME.
PRUNING AND THE HABITS OF
GROWTH IN TREES.
I41nbs starting In Cinstsrs--R Raising Roots
Wet or Cooked Fsed--Nlnss ON
Hoasex-Farm Soles and
Home Hats



To be a good pruner requires ina
agination-the same faculty that is
needed TO make an artist The
primer must be able not only 10 see
the tree as il is. but as il viii be,
twenty years afterwards. On little
tree. four or five kaars old. branches
two or three inches apart do not
seem too near But how. when those
little half-ineh branches become each
three or four inches in diameter? 1t
is plain that they would have all run
together in a mass, with rotten bark
and rOttIng wood between, The good
primer, therefore. must be able TO
picture in his mind the future tree.
50 as to allow proper space for its
development. Ii IS much better to
have the head Of young tree appear
too thin. than to allow il to become
crowded.
A correspondent of our bright
Young contemporary. Gardening, SAYS:
Trees growing freely tend to put
forth a branch for every bud In
order to forestall this propensity, dis
budding must be resoFted to The
best time to practice this is in the
spring. while the buds are starting
While a tree is quite young, this dis
budding may be freely done. since no
fruit purs will be formed there. But
later, when good sized trunk. with
duly proportional head has been
formed. many buds will start which
will not try to become branches, but
will merely grow to be spurs. bearing
fruit. II all trees had the same or
similar habits Of growth, il would be
much easier to teach pruning ia fruit
than il is. An experienced orchardist
can take a bright young person
through his orchard. show the pupil
all the various habits Of growth pc
culiar 10 species and varieties. and
illustrate good practice with the
reasons for it, ocularly demonstrable
to the pupil II would take a long.
long time to teach these things In
print. 1t could not, indeed, be well
done except by liberal illustration
You are cutting that tree all 10
pieces" is an anxious expression /
have heard when | have been solic-
tied to prune a little for neighbor
We'll. have TO say. III yOu had
taken of two limbs a year. | should
not now have to take Of ten limbs
after five years Of neglect Never
theless, such necessary pruning is a
sort Of buchery that is only less in
furious to the tree than to leave IL
alone. These many large wounds,
and the removal Of so much wood at
once are very harmful. and should
not be made necessary by careless
negligence.
The habits OF growth In different
trees necessitate varied practice in
pruning. says the Farmers Voice
Some varieties call for very little at
tention ia this way, compared with
others There is variety Of apple
trees called the Naked Limbed Green.
ing, which illustrates this pc.
culiarity. Other varieties are
yexatiously given TO putting out
branches from every square inch Of
stem. These are they which must
have prompt and frequent attention,
and pruning in their case can be an
ticipated By persistent disbudding
How many limbs should start
with?" is question often asked.
Here. as elsewhere. we must take
council with the tree itself Three
main limbs are better than more. as
rule; but five or seven are some.
times allowable. They should not
start In cluster. for then they are
very sure TO break down at the
points Of junction. From eight inches
to a foot between the points OF origin
should be allowed. Secondary
branches branches from branches
must be managed on the same prin-
ciple. II this is faithfully done. the
heads may appear painfully thin and
open during the youth OF the trees.
but they will be found quite thick
enough as they get larger