Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1910-12-16

from the vulnerable parts OF the
tree: namely, the body and frame
work. The tall pyramid with a
single main leader and with its long
branches covered with fruit spurs
land water sprouts makes the work
of fighting pear blight a difficult
one. 1t is hard to get into the top
of the tree with this closed center
to find out what is going on, and, be-
sides. the fruit spurs and water
Isprouts being close to the body as
we'll as upon it, readily carry the
blight in. usually resulting in the
entire loss of the main portion, II
not the entire tree. One only needs
; look around the valley where the pyr-
amidal or central leader type IS
grown and it will be seen that an in
fection on the body resulting IN a
|, eirdling Of it necessitates the remov-
al of the entire center above the
point of infection; thus removing
: practically the heart of the trees
| growth. Any of the limbs left be-
= low the point of infection are usual
: " long and slender, and, besides, are
= usually poorly placed to form a good
= tree of any sort thereafter. The pre-
r vailing type of Bartlett tree in Cali
= fornia Is very near the desirable
: form; however, in many cases, after
r heading back the trees, they have
: been allowed to grow three or -four
a wears and then reheaded several feet
n from the crown, sometimes as higf
t as Is feet, resulting in two-story
t near tree. In very few cases has
e there been any attempt to keep the
e fruit off the main frame-worl
r branches. and to keep the watel
r sprouts and fruit spurs from the bod
j. les and roots There has been M
h special occasion for forking at thu
y framework since at the time thu
Y trees were being formed pear bligh
g had not made its entrance into thu
: California orchards. Among man.
J. growers, especially those Of the olC
|. school, in the Rogue river valley, W.
Vt find that there is tendency to ad
d here to the pyramid form of tree II
II practically all varieties grown, evel
is the Bartlett. We readily understan'
it why this has been the case, becaus
s. the pioneer fruit growers in the val
e ley recognized only this form of tre
Is as being, perhaps, the easiest t
IT prune and undoubtedly the easiest t
% keep from breaking down when heav
)f lily loaded with fruit Their weak at
g tempts at forming the open-heade
h tree were failures because during tn
first two or three years growth the
4 failed to shorten in enough. Even to
ir day this Is the common error, and
lg would be better to shorten in 81
lg inches than to lengthen to IS inches
h Now that pear blight has come int
Y, the valley, this method OF prunins
" or forming the tree by maintining
s. central leader will have to be alter
I'd ed. | know of perhaps 500 or 60
III trees that have been wholly lost o
as account of this style of growth, tha
le is to say, practically the entire beal
to ing portion of the trees had to b
he taken out on account of blight grid
es ing the leader. In many young Of
t. chards which have been planted will
ne in the past two or three years, tn
as growers are changing them into til
e. vase of open-headed form, recogni
n ing the great difficulty in saving tn
other type of tree should blight b,
of come serious. In the larger trees
tn is rather difficult thing to chang
ed them over into the vase form, but
ge every case where blight has serious'
of damaged such trees the resultal
he tree, of necessity, becomes vas
he formed when the blight is cut out
he Severe pruning though in mo
ry cases, of course, giving good resul
er in stimulating vigorous twig growt
H. and fruit production, tends also
'r- result in more serious attacks of Il
re- blight. Everyone knows that Il
on more vigorous the winter prunir
mt the more luxurant the twig grow
re- during the following season. The r
nt' suit always is that every dorma
'rt bud tends to push and being We
oil tender and sappy, easily becomes I
ID fected and blight badly. On Il