The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-02-15
THE PROPER PRUNING
Of THE APPLE TREE
Ra Pinned Any Time During
Dormant Period. But Early op''"s
Is Preferred.
nv FabLan Garcia, New Mexico

f IA 49,
The apple is the most
OF orchard fruits n the one 49,"
which there seems TO be more =
oninians in regard to the pruning '
It Every apple grower is confrohte'
every winter with the question OF no"
hest to prune his trees. Whlie pruh'
ing is a natural process it shouid oe
avoided as much as possible as the
tree gets older. The heaviest pruning
in proportion to the amount OF tree
top. is done during the first two OF
three years of the trees growth. Dur
ing this time the apple tree houid De
properly started and should De Wen
pruned SO that when 1t comes n
hearing it will not he necessary TO
prune it severely.
Two forms are generally considered
IN the starting OF the young apple
tree in the richard. the low ana nigh
headed tree. The choice of either one
of these forms depends, to great ex-
tent on the cultured methods TO be
followed by the Orchardlst, and upon
the climatic conditions. The hlgh
headed tree is perhaps better suited
for northern and eastern conditions
" lille the low headed tree is better
adapted to the southern sections Of
the country.
The first pruning of the II apple
tree, after it has been transplanted to
the apple orchard. should be carefully
done as at this time we determine the
height of the trunk. The top should
be cut back to about twenty to TWEEN
ty-four inches from the ground The
following spring q number OF limbs
will develop from the trunk. Three
10 five limbs should only be allowed
80 form the scaffold. At the mex,
pruning, the following spring, these
scaffold limbs are again cut back
somewhat and any interfering limbs
are also removed. At the third and
should be cut back and the tree
rounded up generally. BY this method
of pruning the tree is shaped up ana
It may be properly started.
While there ale some fruit growers
who claim that the bearing apple tree
should be cut back every yea the
nature of the growth at that time I'm
this climate does not warrant such
practice and IN the whole the results
are not SO satisfactory. The bearing
tree should be pruned as lightly as
possible. It does not produce the
same rank growth that the young tree
does during the first few years. A
great deal of the vitality Of the bear
ing tree is used up in the production
Of the fruit, and in fruit spores for the
following crop. While the treet does
MT require severe pruning it should
be pruned a little every year. All the
dead and broke limbs shout be re |
moved as we'll as those which inter-
fere. Avoid the cutting of large
branches.
The limbs should be cut as near the
trunk as possible SO the wound may
over quickly. Never cut limbs
so Is to leave s. stump one OF more
inches in length. Such stumps if left
never heal over. h healing of the
wound depends on the activity of the
cambiuTn layer begins to grow over |
in the spring after the tree
starts 10 growing. The longer tn
wound remains exposed the more IT
viii dry and crack. Wounds which |
are made in the fall or mid-winter
necessarily remain longer before the
caInbium layer begins to grow ovre
them thar those made in the spring
just before n tree starts to growing. |
While trees can and may be pruned
any time during their dormant period
that is during the fall, winter, and
preferable time is in the
shortly before growth begins.