Connecticut western news., 1911-06-15
SOME PRUNING SUGGESTIONS.

SOME PRUNING SUGGESTIONS. The first two or three years prun- ing of an orchard of young trees is the most important as determining the
 framework and shape which the trees
 will have in later years. Allowed to
 develop at will, apple and pear as we'll
 as peach trees grow too tall and lack
 strength and sturdiness of head and
 limb. The first pruning to secure the
 desired results should consist in cut
 ting the yearling trees back to
 height of about twenty inches within
 a week after they are set out. This
 will cause the little trees to throw out
 from them three to five or six lateral
 shoots. These should be allowed to
 grow without interference during the first season. In the early fall, if it Is desired to hasten the maturing of the wood, one may trim these branches back to a length of from twelve to
 fifteen inches, depending somewhat upon the vigor and size of the tree. More frequently this job is put over until the April and May following about now. In doing this cutting one ohOoAA bC bJ IhS O1 bbC tree. If vertical grower one should prune to outside buds, while if the tree is of spreading variety, like the Spitzenburg, one should prune to in- side buds, which will throw the sub- sequent shoots in instead of out. The best orchardists favor the vase shaped or open crown because it lets the sun- shine color the fruit and gives when mature a tree that is low growing and easy alike to spray and to prune and whose fruit is easy to thin and .har- vest. The pruning year later should be of the same general character and a good half or more of the new growth be cut back. This treatment will give strong and sturdy head or frame, which later will give the tree sufa- cient strength, except in rare cases, to bear its burden of fruit without much propping.
 During the growing months the young orchard should be gone over, and water sprouts or shoots that are clear ly out of place should be removed with the fingers or a sharp knife. If the or chard has arrived at an age when 1t ought to bear and does not, summer pruning may be adopted during the month of July. This discourages growth of wood and encourages the setting of fruit buds for the following season. This same treatment may be adopted with any mature orchard where the trees are shapely and where 1t is not necessary to encourage the growth of wood for the formation of new tops. Tn the case of the peach trees the pruning should be rather heavy, including not only a cutting back of half or more of the previous years growth, but a thinning out of at least a third of its branches. Fruit buds form on wood of the previous seasons growth, so that pruning has a very direct influence on fruit bear Ing. With the peach tree as with the apple and pear. the broad spreading. low herded tree is desirable, as well as the open crown, which will let in the sunshine to color and ripen the fruit. While general directions such as the above may be given. it is well to re- member that trees, like folks, have an Individuality both of habit and form: hence each should be studied separate ly and be pruned and handled accord ingly. Trees are wonderfully respon- sive, and it is remarkable what one can do in helping them to a beautiful as we'll as useful development. Prun- ing should usually be in a ratio to the rapidity of growth of the tree, which in turn depends upon richness of soil, abundance of moisture and length of the growing season.