Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-03-30
PRUNING FRUIT TREES.
Spring Pruning Produces sa
sprouts-Pruning For Fruit.

Spring Pruning Produces Sap
sprouts-Prunine For Fruit.
Wherever severe pruning has been
done to trees. especially if done while
the buds were dormant. there are sure
to be great number of suckers spring
ing from branches and even from the
trunk down almost to the root. These
are popularity called sap sprouts, in
recognition of the fact that they are
caused by the surplus sap, whose outlet
has been cut off through the cutting
away of the limbs in which it would
have circulated and which, pent up in
the remaining branches and trunks Of
trees, is more than these knew what to
do with Usually these sprouts are al
lowed to grow. as in the busy season the
farmer is much too busy to attend to
this kind Of work So in the following
spring, before the buds start, the farmer
takes another turn at pruning his or
chard and finds that it needs pruning
quite as badly as it did the previous
year. Most commonly he thinks that
accidentally he overlooked some buds
inst below the cut, from which the
most vigorous sap sprouts will grow
But how sprouts could spring from the
side of the tree where no buds had been
known for years has puzzled many per-
sons. and yet is easily explained.
So careful is nature to protect vege-
table life that while the roots of trees
and of most plants retain their vigor,
the top growth may be cut away and
buds will sprout again from the root or
from its stump. There are. besides the
visible buds which grow the branches
dormant buds under the bark of all
thrifty trees. which, unless the sap
were held back to stimulate them, would
never show above the surface. But as
soon as excessive pruning removes the
outlet the sap starts these dormant
buds into growth to repair the injury
done But this wood growth is not what
the orchardist nast cares for. Nature
may delight in nothing but leaves
but that is not his idea How can he
best turn this excessive vigor into the
production of fruit rather than of
leaves and wood?
The very first thing TO be done is TO
lessen the trees vigor. Pruning apple
trees in June has made many unfruit-
full trees productive. especially those
that are young and have not got into
the bearing habit At that time the
trees are fully leaved. and the shock to
the tree from cutting off so much of its
leaf growth is often severe enough to
set it to fruit bearing If nature sees
danger that the tree will die, she seeks
to perpetuate the species by producing
seed. which will make when grown
new tree of the same species.
The best thing that can be done with
tees pruned a year ago. and from which
sap sprouts have grown, often several
feet long. is to wait until the buds be-
gin to burst and then cut them off as
close TO the tree as possible Some new
sap sprouts will start. but they will be
less numerous and vigorous than if the
pruning had been done while the tree
was still dormant. As soon as these
sprouts start. rub them off. which can
be easily done with the thumb and fin
ger. That is really the best way to
prune all fruit trees. Pinching back the
leading shoots that seem likely to grow
too large, if done in July. will cause
fruit buds to form This is surer way
to make apple and pear trees bear the
following year than any other. says The
American Cultivator, in which the fore
going view of fruit tree pruning was
originally expressed
Look Out Early For the Grape Beetle.
Do not allow the steely grape beetles
to get the start of you in the spring.
Be on the lookout for them as soon as
the grape buds begin to swell or during
the first warm spell in early spring
Remember that in one day at this time
single beetle is capable of doing more
damage than all of its progeny may do
during the rest of the season. Your
crop of fruit for the season is locked up
in those few buds which the pruning
knife leaves on each vine. and it does
not take long for the hungry beetles to
nip the crop in the bud. :" There are
two methods of combating beetles in
early spring when they emerge from
Information and attack the bursting
buds They may be collected by hand.
or the spraying machine may be brought
into use. or the beetles can be readily
Jared into pan of kerosene This is
the advice of Professor Slingerland,
who says the beetle occurs throughout
the eastern half of the United States
from New England southwark to south
ern Florida and westward through Can
ada and southern Michigan to southern
Minnesota, thence southwark to eastern
and southern Texas It's westward re-
corded limits are eastern Kansas and
Nebraska.