The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1905-12-15

as may be. How to cut for this COB
let-shaped top will depend on how
long you want the trunk of your tree.
From two to two and half feet is a
very good height. These three or
four limbs will at first grow laterally,
but then will turn upward, thus giving
YOUR top the shape of a goblet. IL
the pyramidal shape is desired, then
the center of the young tree is not
to be cut off, The side limbs are to
be grown not opposite each other, but
are to be strung along up this center
stem. This makes an ideal tree for
the inexperienced. One factor in It's
favor is that this shape makes very
strong tree. Such a shaped tree Is
less likely to split than the goblet
shaped. The writer was once strong
advocate of the pyramidal-shaped tree,
but he has undergone a change and
now would not grow such a tree at
all. What has brought about this
change? Experience!
The pyramidal tree looks well on
paper and it looks well in the orchard
for the first five years. If it would
stop growing at that age it would be
ideal in shape, but it will not, and it
soon gets too thick in the top, and then
begins the trouble. If it is loaded with
fruit the limbs bend down somewhat
like a folded umbrella and shut out
both sunlight and air. Fruit cannot
color properly under such conditions.
If we try to remedy this by cutting
out part of the top the tree becomes
ill-shaped and large wounds are LETT
on the center stem and may ruin the
tree The advantage of the goblet
shane is that we can keep the top
of our tree open, and when the fruit
crop is heavy the limbs bend apart
instead of folding together. 1t is nee
essary to decide at the time the trees
are set, which of these two methods is
TO be pursued, hence, this matter is
considered here.
Another matter of Importance must
be settled at this time; and that is
whether the orchard is to be set IN
solid blocks of the same kind or the
varieties are to be mixed. There is
no question among well-informed fruit
growers on this point. Cross polllna-
tion is receiving much attention at
the experiment stations and the re-
suits are conclusive that mixing varl-
cites is decidedly beneficial to the
fruit both as it pertains to quantity
and size By all means, do not plant
vour orchards in solid blocks. But
how shall the mixing be done? The
writer. after much experimenting, and
observation has adopted the two-roW
system. What is meant by this is, ne
plants two rows of one kind and then
two rows of another, and so on
through the whole orchard.
If the trees were planted alternate
ly in the rows it would be somewhat
better so far as ss-polllnatlOn is
concerned. But this makes trouble
in picking 1t is surprising how many
inexperienced hands there are tnat
cannot tell the different kinds of apples
apart. The writer has had Rome Beau
ties and Missouri Pippins put into the
same box by men of ordinary intelli-
gence, because they thought them to
be the same apple. Where there are
two rows of the same kind they can
be picked and the boxes strung along
each row. The hauler can drive drown
the middle and load from each side.
This prevents confusion. The more
apple trees can be mixed without this
confusion in picking, the better 1t
is no doubt true that it is better to
plant near together such kinds as
bloom so nearly together, but with
us in our orchards all varieties bloom
so nearly together that we do not
count much on this suggestion. The
government experts have given much
attention to this subject of cross pol
lination and their suggestions are
worthy of our careful consideration.
They recommend the mixing of vari-
cites but have not, so far as the writer
knows, told how the mixing should
be done. If they were running large
cnmmercial orchard as the writer