The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1909-12-23
PRUNING tips
BY PROF. COLE
EXPERT TALKS IN PORTLAND
Proper Training of Young Trees And
Spariug Fruit Buds Is Strongly
Emphasized.


Professor Charles A. Cole, dean OF
the horticultural department of the
Oregon Agricultural College Saturday
night leotured to the Portland Apple
Growers Association in the Y, M. G.
A. auditorium and was greeted with
an audience which completely filled
the room. Professor Ccle began with
the statement that successful Or
chardist must have some knowledge
OF the anatomy of a tree.
lit is necessary that the grower
should know something OF the meth.
DDS which the tree adopts in reaching
height and diameter, as we'll as In
producing fruit" said the speaker.
There are two tuds. One produces
wood and the other produces truit.
On sn apple tree the fruit Euds
appear on all limbs over an ZACH in
diameter, but always at the end of
fruit spur, which appear after the
tree is = years old. The spurs are
small and very crooked, and many
pruners take them off under the he.
lief that their existence spoils the
looks of n tree.
Pear trees have all the character.
lstics of the apple tree aud the fruit
spurs set In similar manner. To
interfere With these spurs 10 suicidal.
The buds are to be found on the
fruit spurs, but may be recognized
by being round and soft.
The wood buds are small and fiat
with sharp points and are placed by
nature along the bark of the trees.
Pruning is the most essential thing
In the Life and usefulness OF the
fruit tree. Do away with the ak in
your tool kit and provide a praning
knife, pair OF 10 inch shears, a pair
ot three.toot pruning shears, pair
OF 10 foot pruning shears, saw and
a bucket OF paint and a brush. Any
kind of paint will dc, so long as it is
a mixture of white lead. Even the
skins which line old paint barrels
and kegs can be utilized.
Pruning is done to keep the tree
alive, In shape and within reach, az
the expense of handling a tIuit crop
Is In the use of step ladders to reach
it. The best pruners do the work
both Ia the Summer and Winter
seasons. Summer pruning produces
fruit and Winter pruning produces
wood. Summer pruning should CON-
mence as soon after July 10 as pos.
sihle, while the terminal buds are
alive and the sap is running. The
plan should be to cut back the twigs
and branches which are making too
strong growth. That makes fruit
spur.
Never make heavy pruning in
the tops of the trees, because the
result is sure to be found In a heavy
growth OF water sprouts. Ii q heavy
cut 10 made In the tons, there must
be corresponding root pruning,
which is impTaotiGble. As u tree
grows 1t puts out root system to
correspond with Its top, and il the
latter Ia cut back the sap which Ia
taken up by the roots must be utiliz-
ed somewhere, aud 1t causes growth
which IN undesirable.
"ln Winter, pIune anytime after
the leaves are off the trees, but the
best time Is February /, because
thereafter only short period will
elapse before the sap starts and the
wounds begin to heal, and the tree
puts on it's wood growth. In Winter
cut out the cross growing branches,
the water sprouts, broken limbs, aud
head lack the upright growing limbs
80 "a to keep the tree fiat.
'ln cutting oft branch use saw.
Make the first cut about feur inches
II ON the body OF the tree, and ON
the under side of the limb. Next
make out on the top OF the limb
and one inch nearer the tree. The
limb will fall and not split the bark.
Then cut off the stub OF the limb as
close to the tree as the saw will work,
and at once paint the wound. Where
the stubs are left they gather bacteria
become diseased and rot out, serious.
" damaging the tree, IL II shall not
be ultimately ruined.
free surgery 10 a branch OF sue
cessful pruning which can hardly be
covered In short lecture, but the
paint is the first aid to the injured.
AS the wounds heal. they must be
watched and IL for any reason the
how of sap Ia shut off, the grower
u nst use his pruning knife to open
a seam around the place through
which the fluid may find way to do
Its work. Ii the grower prunes his
trees consoIsntiouslly during the first
years he will have little trouble.
"Orohards, young or old, must be
cultivated. PloW, disk and roll SO
that a mulch may be created under
which the moisture will be held
ln the Willamette Valley there is no
necessity ever to irrigate an orchard
IL that method is followed. The land
hnu ,ft I'D A
cover crop OF vetoh and rye, plowed
under, will supply the nitrogen, and
few rows OF California turnips,
turned under for decay, will replen.
ish the potash "