Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1912-02-16
Continued from last weekl

Pruning is just as essential as
spraying and another two or three
cents bushel spent on the care o.
the tree will yield big returns. One
of the chief reasons why we are abr
to raise high priced apples is because
of our long days of summer sunshine
and yet If we allow the wood growth
of our trees TO become so thick as tC
shade crop of apples, we might as
well plant our trees in Ohio and be
done with it. The open-headed tree
with plenty of sunlight, plenty of all
circulation carrying a small enough
crop of apples SO that the tree car
the efficient tree. There are almos
as many methods of pruning as there
are men to prune, and yet they al
practically agree in regard to the OBJ
ject sought. The major portion O
the experienced western orchardists
however agree that after the tree ha:
been grown and the head properly
formed and spread out, as has beer
described to you by Secretary Nc
Pherson. one should be careful witt
the pruning knife in the winter time
until the tree is in full bearing. And
above all other th:>.ss, after the
fourth or fifth year. the tops of the
branches should not be cut back I'm
less there is TO be heavy crop Of ap
pies the next season, and even il
that case, it is far better to leave
them until the crop of APPLES is Sc
and assured and then reduce thei
length by summer pruning work
There are thousands of orchards II
this intermountain region in which al
original branch has been headed bacl
, only to start three more long waite
growths which have again been head
ed back, each one starting two oil
three more, and so on, until the tol
Of the tree is miniature broom, anC
witchis broom at that. A tree il
that shape can only be cured by lonl
and tedious effort. One-third of thi
energy, however, expended in starting
the tree right will prevent all this
The rule, then, on the young develop
ing tree is never to cut off a brancl
towards the top unless you cut of
The entire branch, until that tree il
fruiting heavily, then the excessiv,
wood growth may be reduced a small
amount at a time by summer prunin.
without disturbing the balance be
tween the roots and top. In all prun
ing of course it must be rememberet
that the fruit is borne on the shor
spurs next to the branches and tina
the lower down the fruit is borne OIL
the tree the cheaper and easier it cal
be handled at picking time. 1t cost
i've times as much TO pick a bushe
of apples ten feet from the ground a
It does to pick a bushel within reach
and when you get much above tel
feet, there is little profit in raising
apples.
Irrigation is another of the western
problems. In this day we hear a goo,
deal about raising orchards withou
| irrigation or with very small nun
Der of irrigations. 1t is probably tru
that many orchards have been ovei
irrigated in the past, but there vii
be still greater disappointment in tn
future IL we go to the extreme an
think we are going to raise fruit witf
out irrigation water. 1t is cas-
enough to raise trees, and many OF
chards have been raised up to tn
bearing time with very small use G
water, but when crop OF fruit ha
20 be ripened right at the very dryes
time of the year when wood growt
aas practically ceased and otherwis
he tree would be using very it'll
moisture, 1t will be round that an Of
,hard requires as much water as an
other crop, and If the water is shor
at that time few days may ruin til
entire efforts of the year. There |
also another factor to be kept /
mind in the use of the irrigatio
water, and that is that the fruit bud
for the next seasons crop must b
developed during the last part OF Jul
and August OF the preceding yea
just at the time that the creates
drain is mate on the tree by the grow
ing crop. In our irrigation exper
ments on peaches. we have been abb
by Withholding water at this time I
absolutely stop the development @
fruit buds.
There is also another factor to b
considered in irrigating the orchar,
Enthusiastic orchardists will take on
out, point to young orchard and sa,
Look at that, 1t has never had dro
Of water" and l have locked man
times and have seen trees fine an
healthy in appearance, but only ha
or even one-third the size they woul
have been had they been lrrigate,
and capable OF carrying only yer
small load of fruit. even II they ha
plenty of moisture to mature 1t, 8
that even IL the orchard should be i
rigated from that time on 1t would h
three or four years behind an irriga
ed< orchard in its producing powe
On the other hend. in or peach e
periments. we have found that til