Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1904-09-06
MutiIation of Apple Orchards.
RESULTS OF TOO MUCH TRIMMING-Ex-
HAUsTED FERTILITY CAUSE OF DE-
CAYING ORCHARDS TREES
AND SUNLIGHT.

Several owners of orchards have come
to me lately for advice in regard to old
apple trees that have recently died or
are in a dying condition. One person
had heard of the San Jose scale lOuse
as injuring trees, and that their attack
was like a contagious disease, which is
not SO very far from the truth, though
the inquirer had no clear idea as to the
nature of the insect. | made careful
examination of the trees but found no
scale that could have killed the trees.
But did find conditions very unfavor-
able TO healthy growth and production
of fruit. The land was formerly highly
cultivated by previous owner and large
amounts of good fruit were gathered.
About five years ago the orchard chang
ed hands, the land was seeded to grass,
since which time hay had been sold
annually and for year or two the trees
bore good crops. Later a man was
hired to trim the trees in order to i'm
prove their condition and productive
ness, very common practice as many
readers must have observed. But trim
ming does not always bring the desired
result. 1t did not in this case. One
might infer that the trimmer was in
the habit of taking his pay in the fuel
taken off. Large limbs were sawed of
so as TO let more daylight into the center
of the trees, which might have been a
good idea when the trees were young
and being shaped for service, but on
such old, large trees the shock was too
great. The remaining branches were
also cleaned of small growth including
many fruit spurs with their attending
foliage, leaving the wood as bare as If it
had been prepared for fuel. The result
was that large branches that had been
shaded and protected from the direct
rays of the sun were so exposed that the
bark was either killed or so nearly 50
that there could no longer be healthy
circulation of sap in the trees. Last
winter was unusually severe and great
many trees and shrubs were killed by
the cold. OF course those were most
likely TO die that had been weakened in
some way by bad management. Starva-
ton will kill anything in time, and
multilation will always hasten the end.
| have another orchard in mind that
is young and should be at its prime at
the present time, but borers have had
unlimited opportunity to multiply and
itinerant tree-trimmers have had their
opportunity likewise. Last spring one
of the most valued trees was found to be
dying and the owner wondered what
killed it. Two years ago the branches
were cleaned of all fruit spurs and
foliage for half their length. What
little fruit there was grew out at or near
the ends of the limbs and was mostly
blown off early in the season.
An attempt was made by nature to
repair the injury from bad pruning.
What are called water sprouts" came
out thickly all along the wood that had
been so badly exposed to the sun. The
professional trimmer would probably
have taken these all off if he had been
allowed another job, but the owner was
so disgusted and discouraged that the
trees have had their own way ever since.
In two or three years the live trees will
be mass of wood growth so thick that
even should there happen to be a crop
of fruit it would be impossible for a
picker to get round in the center OF the
trees with bag or basket. BOrers and
neglect will probably finish the orchard
except for fire wood. With pocket
knife or pruning shears a young tree
should have its branches properly thin
ned out and the remaining ones rightly
directed in the way they should go,
then there will be little need of saws
when the trees are large. But do not
trim off all the little side spurs as if
you were trying to grow whip-stocks
or bean poles instead of apple trees.
Fruit trees do need sunlight within their
branches that the leaves may be large
and healthy, but leaves are needed to
produce fruit and to protect the bark
from too much scorching from sun heat.
Trees also need feeding as much as do
annual plants like corn and potatoes.
Trees may stand in grass provided there
is enough plant food and moisture at all
times for both trees and grass. 1t must
be a deep, retentive soil that can carry
tree that is over loaded with fruit
through a long period OF rainless
weather safely. A tree may be virtu-
ally killed in an excessively dry sum
mer and not show it till the following
season as was the case many years ago
when there was general loss among
evergreen hedges. Dry, gravelly knobs
and thin, sandy soils underlaid with
coarse, loose subsoil are not suitable
situations for apple orchards, and it is
folly to plant trees in such places. Ger
tain forest trees can flourish on such
land and it is better to devote it to such
growths.
There is none too much profit in or
chards at the present time where the
conditions are all favorable. The trees
must be fed, trimmed and trained
properly, injurious insects and diseases
kept under control at all times, and
last but not least, the fruit must be
iudiciously thinned in case Of over
bearing. Half size fruit is worth less
than half price, and tree that has
over borne is a weak tree and on the