The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-09-12
CLARK MAKES SUG-
GESTIONS ON PRUNING

in YOUR valuable paPeas eSofet
10 give YOU little OF my experience,
ideas and views on pruning. also
wsnt 10 take some exceptions 10 Mr..
Rone's methods Of pruning.,
While MIR. Bone is little older and
hos lived live q little longer In Hood River
vsIlev than myself, j cannot agree
with him ron his Eway Of handling
trees First. | will give my expert
ence have planted aud developed
an orchard of my own nave pruned in
this valley and other fruit districts the
past eight years, and have pruued On
an average of 400. acres every year.
This includes trees from one year old
to 20 wears old, and nearly every
known variety, such as apples, pears,
neaches. cherries, plums, prunes and
anricots. | helped develop three orch
ards in Kansas and had the honor Of
filling the secretary s cnslr OF the Cof.
few County Horticultural society, Of
Kansas, for eight years. also put in
three wears of my life ismong the or
ange lemon. English walnut and
almond groves of southern California,
SO | think my experience and views
ON pruning will be as valuable, If not
more so than MIR. Bones.
am a very close observer, watching
ali the orchards and the different
methods of pruning and the results.
also read every article see on
pruning in every paper take land
thew will number about ten). Also
read bulletins on the subject from our
state Agricultural college and from
Washington. D. G. Nearly every art
icle will wind up that "eaeh tree is an
individual to itself, and you must use
your own judgment.
and iudgment?rf1he man who prunes
or the man who does not want to
say right here that nine tenths of the
orchards in this valley are pruned.
Now. for my ideas. will say firmly
believe in pruning, the same as be.
lieve in the proper training of a colt OF
a child. We have several reasons fol
pruning. First, pruning is the life Of
the tree and want you to remember
right here that our largest and best
fruit grows on new wood. Second, Il
grow a good, strong, well formed tree
that will bear its burdens in later
wears. will add right here that my
trees have produced all they coulC
carry ever since they were three year,
old. and | have been growing gooC
strong tree all the time. Third, w
want to prune our trees in such man
ner as to let in the sunlight and air
which we know are both very essentia
in coloring our fruit, as well as making
it more convenient for spraying, thin
ming and picking. All these are takel
into consideration with good pruner
Now, for my way of pruning. Afte
planting the tree, which should be
straight whip four to six feet, cut
off to Is inches or two feet, just a
you like. That is matter for you t
decide, whether you want low heade
or high headed tree. AS for myself,
prefer two feet. The next winter saw
four or five nice limbs well distribute
around the tree and cut them back t
four or five buds, and each succeedin
year after that, thin out all eros
| limbs and superhuous wood and Gu
back, or top them as we call it, but il
crease the length little every yeal
Now, the Spitzenburg, Ortley an
, other trees of the same growth habi
| would top every year until they Wel
five or six years old. The NEWTON
and Arkansas Black | stop topping
four years old. ] believe IN the annu
or winter pruning only. believe
IS all that is necessary. You hear
great deal nowadays about SUNNI,
pruning or pruning for fruit. Why G
you want to go to that extra expens
when our trees will not hold over on
third of the fruit that sets on thel
now? You had better find some wa
of pruning to keep the fruit off.
| always advocate leaving i've limt
on the little tree the first year fo
this reason: Sometimes the sno
takes off one or two limbs. then yo
still have three-imb tree. If it doe
not, it is easy to take off one if yo
see they are going to be too thick.
In conclusion ! Will say. prnne, an
prune every winter. 90 at it in
! systematic way. Thin out and Gu
back until they are four to six year
! old, according to the variety, then lie
: them go up all they please. Afte
! they are six years old all you have t
: do is take out the cross limbs, waite
sprouts and broken limbs and kee
E your tree balanced. You will the
have a good strong tree with a larg
. top that will hold big crop.
| notice in going along the roa
f where men have been summer prunin
9 little trees two, three and four veal
old. They call it thinning them on
| call it skinning them. | feel sorr
; for the man that did it, and sorry ft
4 the little tree. Don't do it. You al
I forcing the little tree upwards and b.
Q sides YOU are liable to get your TIRE
= : sun scalded. Leave all the limbs yc
d can get on them until winter, the
7 prune; but don't take all the limbs 0
) on the outside of your tree you spo
e the looks.
e You who are thinking of not pruning
. q | would advise you to look around ov
d the valley. Look at the young tre
e that are not pruned and then look
7" the well kept, pruned orchards and
g your own judge.
It There is lust one of three thin
: why man don't prune. he IS eth
% too lazy, too stngy to hire, or he
= going to let the tree run away up, g
q a little bunch Of apples on it rig
4 quick. and sell out to some sucker.
N l.. A. E. Clark.