The Delta independent., 1912-02-23
POINTERS ON PRUNING.
E. F. stephens

II
In pruning our commercial or
chards of 900 trees, located near
Nampa. Idaho, We endeavor to de
velop fruit the fourth year and in
crease the amount the fifth season
Trees should yield from two to six
boxes the sixth season. We find
our cultivation of sixteen times
each season sufficiently effective to
grow the trees with such vigor and
rapidly as to be strong enough the
sixth year TO yield a profitable crop.
In pruning the orchard the first
two Years are the most important.
The major proportion of our west
ern commercial apple orchards are
planted with strong one year-old
trees, as was our habit in the East.
Why does the western planter sci
ect a yearling tree? Under irriga-
ton and with the longer growing
season a well grown one year-old
apple tree may have nearly as much
vigor as a medium two-year-old in
the central and eastern states. To
select yearling tree for planting
enables the orchardist to prune in
uniform manner and have practi-
cally all of the trees headed at the
same height. The nurseryman fav-
ors the sale of trees at the age of
one year because he gets speedy re
turns for 'abor and for capital in
vested. The one-year-old trees can
be afforded at a lower price than
the older trees.
In pruning the one year-old tree
at time of planting ii is well TO
leave the top bud on the north or
northwest side of the tree, to cut
the tree at perhaps the height of
thirty inches, being governed some
what by the position of the
stronger buds on the trunk of the
tree. Aim to grow the first season
from three to six shoots to form the
branchas of the future tree. At the
end of the first season it is not wei
to cut back too close to the trunk.
Prune in such form as will develop
four, five or six branches with these
SO distributed that each branch will
have plenty of room to develop. A
void two branches coming out near
~ together, since these forking at
one point are likely to cause one
branch, when heavily laden with
fruit. to split down. Some scientif-
ic primers start the head with three
mafl branches. II will be evident,
however, that the greatest number
OF boxes of apples cannot be borne
| on tree of three branches.
In the orchard of Manville
Hurst near Boise. where from To-
| year-old trees siXty-two and sixty
three boxes of apples were picked
last fall from single trees, l noticed
the most productive trees were train
ed with five or six main branches
and that the after pruning has been
such as to give very large and well
uranched heads. capable of support
ling $500 pounds of apples. At
This age of the tree in pruning il is
well to bear in mind the direction
from which the stronger winds blow.
Save the strong buds pushing towar'
the wind and encourage the tree to
grow strongly in that direction by
lessening the weight of the growth
on the other side. In December of
the second years growth We again
prune. leaving from twelve to twenty
inches of new wood.
II is n good idea to allow each
shoot to make two more the succeed
ing season and let the tree gain an
nually about fourteen inches in
length of branch. Grand Junction
orchardists allow twenty inches in
length of branch. Tho question of
how many branches to leave is n
matter of Judgment and experience.
1t is our plan at the end of the sec
ond seasons growth to prune to
throw the trees into bearing the
fourth summer. We should remem
Der the lateral branches are more