The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1909-02-01
Edited by F. Walden

| shall presume that friend Taggarj
followed my advice about setting two
scions in each stub unless very small
The first thing to do will be to cut
out one of the scions from each stub
But do not cut the scion off back
even with the stub. The object in u.s.
ing two scions instead of one is to
facilitate the healing over of the cut
end of the stub. Where but one scion
is set in stub there is likely to be
a dead place on one side, and while
this may ultimately heal over it will
not be done so soon nor so we'll as
where a graft has been set and then
cut off the next spring. Whether to
cut back this new growth the next
spring will depend upon whether the
sprouts are long and slender or are
short and stubby. In the first condi-
ton | would head back; in the second
would not. | am not in favor of
cutting off the ends of limbs in any
stage of a trees growth unless the
tree is likely to be too high or the
limbs too long and slender.
Whenever we cut off the end of a
limb we will cause it to multiply four
fold and will soon have our top too
thick unless we do great deal of
thinning out If, however, the tree
will be too high, we must cut back
and then thin out so that we may
have an open-headed top.
am glad to hear of such good re-
suits from spraying. | have had some
fears that Prof. Melander's one spray
ing theory might do harm. l have no
doubt but it works with him just as
he reports, but not many will do that
one spraying as thoroughly as he
does. We tried as hard as we could
to follow his advice, but we did not
get as good results as friend Tag
gard reports. We will "try, try again.
John B. Anderson, Mabton, Wash,
under date of January 4, writes: LAS
you seem to invite inquiries in your
department, if not too much trouble
| would like to have your opinion on
! the following matter, viz: | set out
small orchard of apple trees last
spring, right in the sage brush, that
| is, there was sage brush all around
the orchard and therefore the rabbits
were plentiful I wrapped the trees
with building paper, but the rabbits
would stand up on top of the paper
and gnaw the tops Off Over half of
the trees were injured in that way.
Some died but there are quite num-
Der alive yet, but are stunted, show
ing but little if any growth Would
you advise replacing them with new
trees or do you think it would pay
to give them another trial? BY an
swering in The Ranch at your ear
Hest convenience you will oblige, ETC."
l would not set new trees where
these injured trees are certainly alive.
If any of the limbs or any part Of
the body is injured l would cut that
much off, You can scarcely realize
what an advantage it is to tree to be
settled ready to grow. Let me give
you an illustration: In the spring of
1894 we set out four Red Astrachan
trees in our home orchard. The next
spring a fire getting, for a. few mo-
ments, beyond our control the top of
one of these trees was badly burned.
was just about to dig up this tree
to replace it with another of the same
kind, but noticing that the body of the
tree, up to where the head was
formed, was not injured, l took my
knife and cut off all the top, leaving
nothing but stub about two feet
high. What was the result? That
tree had a new top by fall and seemed
to be in as good shape as the other
three trees. That beheaded tree now,
at the end of fifteen years growth, is
the largest of the four and the past
season the boys report that they
packed 80 boxes of apples from that
one tree. Once I had tree that had
been set in the orchard two years
that was so badly damaged that had
to cut it back within four inches of
the ground; vigorous sprouts started
L of oil hut nd