American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1909-02-27
GROWING FRUITS
AND FLOWERS
Pruning Trees and Thinning
Fruit Necessary.
Flowers an Indication of a Cultured
Home Be 1t Ever so Humble
1t Should Be Beautified
With Flowers.

Editor OF the Press.
As so many are asking me about
trimming and caring for their trees and
about the kind of flowers to plant in
this vicinity, | thought, as it is of inter-
est to all, l would ask for little space
in your paper to reply to the inquiries
have received.
No one operation stands out more
prominently in the work of horticulture |
than pruning. To secure the best re-
suits in fruit growing the trees should
be skillfully pruned. The young trees
should be trained from the start, and
considerable study is required on this |
subject to prune so as to balance the |
tree and avoid the forked tree. | pre-
fer tree with low head and spreading,
with rather open top, as it affords a
better opportunity for fighting disease.
Each species or variety requires more
or less special study to lead it into the
form most desired. AS rule | would
cut back all young fruit trees to sixteen
or twenty inches, regardless of the
growth beyond that, and keep in mind
the form of tree desired. The vigor
and future possibilities of the tree must
also be studied. This heading back
process will cause many branches to
start, but these must be watched and
annually thinned to make a shapely
tree. A tree so laden with fruit that
its branches droop to the ground is
pretty sight, but this is poor horticul-
ture. Partly by trimming and more by
thinning the fruit the tree should never
be allowed to have more apples than it
can properly support. What we lose in
quantity is compensated for in quality.
Thinning is one of the necessities of
high class fruit culture of any kind.
have been asked about the best
time to trim. 1t is when you are in the
orchard with sharp knife. At this
season more trimming is done than at
any other, but | trim all through the
summer and in the early spring and see
no difference in affect upon the trees.
However, most horticulturists recon-
mend trimming as soon as the frost is
out, and until the tree begins to bloom.
1t should be remembered that it is in
the power of the fruit grower to shape
his trees to suit himself. In years past
it has been the rule to let the trees
grow too high. 1t is double the work
10 h. ta1 frpa tba Z
it is from a low one. The modern
method is the low head and spreading
habit.
A word about setting | have for
merly advocated setting two-year-old
trees, but now from the experience of
last year | have better growth and a
better shaped tree from yearlings than
from the two-year-old. | headed back
to two and one-half to three feet and
have a fine shaped top close to the
ground.
Now a few words about flowers. To
me no home is complete without plants
and flowers-the more the better. Ii
there is good window facing the south
it can be turned into beauty spot;
something to be admired and loved, and
no man can enter honse with win
dow full of flowers without feeling the
refining influence they give to the home
and surroundings. The plainest home
can be made attractive and fresh look
ing by Towering plants, and for the
lover of flowers the care of them is
work of love. Painted fruit and baking
powder cans, small pals and tubs for
lemon, orange and oleander trees or
large plants; boxes and even grape bas-
kets can be pressed into use and made
beautiful with vines and flowers. Vines
wandering at their own sweet will over
a trellis made of strong cords make ar
ideal curtain or shade for a window,
and when one enters room with cur
TOMS like this it is the first thing he
sees bit of summer, although 1t may
be white with snow and cold without.
A box sixteen inches square and eight
deep, filled with lilies, lifting their
white and waxen cups in gracious well
come is pretty sight. A rose or two
of the baby variety among window OF
geraniums make a fine assortment. II
you are feeling lonely or if you need the
cheerful influence of color and per-
petual refreshment, plan little space
outside as we'll as in for flowers. | have
found that pinks and carnations, glad
iolas, tigradis, tuberoses, and zephyran-
thus do wonderfully well here. The
pinks and carnations do not need much