Rocky Ford enterprise., 1894-01-18
ARKANSAS VALLEY HORTICULTURE.

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knife can be used without loosen
ing roots or having to hold it in
the ground with one hand while
you prune with the other. When
you attack the tree cut off all the
J limbs on the main stem, if any re-
main, up to where you want to
head the tree. 1 believe the ma
jority of fruit growers in the west
recommend low headed tree, say
from twenty inches to three feet,
and 1 think there are few who
would choose a tree headed five or
six feet from the ground. The on
ly advantage of high headed trees
is that they are more easy to get
around with a plow or other inn
plements. A high headed tree
exposes more of the trunk to the
hot rays Of the sun and will get
too .top-heavy to cope with the
heavy winds which sometimes pre-
vail 1t also requires more time
to get tree up to that heighth
and form a good substantial head
than with lower headed trees.
From what experience 1 have
had in growing young trees in the
nursery and in pruning them when
set in the orchard, I consider that
the exact heighth of the head
should be governed in a great
measure by the particular tree in
hand, and branches chosen that
are good and thrifty, and well set
and we'll balanced. Be very par
ticular to avoid leaving any forks
in forming the foundation for the
head of the tree, as these will split
if too heavily loaded with fruit.
But if it is impossible to balance
the tree without leaving n forked
branch, it can be made strong by
taking two cross limbs, one from
each side of the fork, and twisting
them together where they will
grow fast and form a good brace;
two or three pairs of these could
be fixed along up the branch and
make it quite secure. If three
limbs come out SO as to balance
well they will be better than four
for the first main branches. The
leader, which should always be
strong and in advance of the 9TH
ers, should be clear of limbs for
at least foot above the first set
of branches, when there should
be another set, balancing like the
first, and so on up as the tree
grows, always bearing in mind that
a limb never gets any farther from
the ground at the base than it was
when it started, and that when the
main branches get to measure sew
eral inches in diameter they will
crowd, if left only two inches apart
along the stem, SO that some will
have to be removed or the tree will
be spoiled. Next, do not cut back
the limbs, as is practiced in the
east, and has been done a good
deal in this country. In the east
it is done to make the tree branch
more, but they branch entirely too
much here, SO if this system is
practiced all the buds along the
limb that would have made fruit
spurs, OR remained dormant, are
forced out and make dense lot of
cross limbs that have to be cut
out the next season; so we lose not
only all that growth but that
which we cut off in the first place,
besides spelling the shape of our
tree by making crook wherever
we cut limb back.
A mistake which I have noticed
several making is to cut off the
little bushy looking spurs which
grow along the main branches near
the trunk, with view of prevent
ing cross limbs in the center of the
tree. In doing this you deprive
the body and larger limbs of much
protection from the sun and at the
same time destroy great number
Of fruit spurs which will bear a
year younger than most of those
higher up on the limbs. OF course
some of these would become water
suckers if left, but it is plenty of
time to cut them off when they
have deqeloped into such"
The new members received since
the reorganization are as follows:
@. w. Fenlason, q. E. Blake, Fow-
Ter; H. Fl. Norton and wife, Fair
mount; w. A. Colt, Las Animas;
w. r. Gibson, r. o. McClain and
wife, L. CAN'T. ID. Eichling, B. r.
Powell, Catlin; w. Nj. Kollock, La
Junta; and the following from
Rocky Ford: Senator Swink, Hon.
J. II. Crowley and wife, ]. W.Pot-
ter and wife, VIM. Matthews, II. 5.
Beyner, w. E. Anderson. NJ. d. L.
Haight, @. A. Jones, J. G. Kain,
w. c. Steele, G. G. Baker, Frank
Crowley, Rev. Warren Mayo, Lee
Bird and ID. w. Barkley.
The next meeting will be held
on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 1 p. m;
sharp. The topics will be "Best
Varieties Of Apples to Plant in
the Arkansas Valley" by r. Q:
McClain. "Best Varieties Small
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