Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1912-12-05

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that all the fruits receive sufficient
sunlight; that there is more fruiting
wood for the same size tree; and that
pruning, picking, and spraying a be
done cheaper. The tree with the cen
trail leader is harder to cover in all
these processes.
The advantages of the central lead
err are that the tree is less liable to
break with a load of fruit; there is
little chance for a limb to split down
at the body of the tree; and If any
limbs are broken. it is a less serious
injury because there are more limbs
than on an open head tree.
With a central leader form of tree
where the leader is permitted to grow
throughout the life of the tree the
methods of care become quite expen-
sive. There is a tendency for it to
form forks at the top of the tree and
il these are not corrected there will
be a splitting of the top in years of
heavy yield. With trees on poor soil
this is of little Importance. How
ever, in well kept orchards on good
soil when the leader reaches a height
of about twelve feet it should be kept
cut back. If kept in this way it is
probably as desirable as the open
head, and with some varieties more
so.
In pruning a tree for the open head,
at the time it is set out, five limbs at
the most, started from the main stem,
are all that are desirable. In shap-
ing a tree to secure the central lead
er, the limbs should be spaced SO
that each limb will have room to
spread where it joins the main trunk;
so that it will not be crowded by
others and have a weak union with
the trunk.
Pruning to Regulate Bearing Habit.
With varieties like the Ingram, as
the tree grows older it tends to bear
blooms on the end of every spur one
year, and to set a very light bloom
the year following. This habit is
called alternating, With most varie-
ties this does not begin until the tree
is rather old. For the first four or
five years of it's fruitng life it will
bear annual crops of medium size,
while later it will bear alternately a
heavy crop and no crop at all. If the
frost kills the n crop, there are at
least two successive failures. For
this and for other reasons, it is more
desirable to have a crop of medium
size every year than a large crop
every other year.
The ideal condition, then, is to keep
the tree in a state of vigor equal to
ing three or four years, and has not
come into the habit of alternating.
The most desirable method of doing
this is by pruning just severely
enough to keep the tree in the condi-
tion of growth of the young tree. If
this kind of pruning is practiced, it
will probably be a simple matter to
keep the tree from ever starting the
alternating habit.
In Missouri there are unquestion-
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right hands could be worked over
into profitable bearing. No one should
take hold of an old orchard, however,
aif he does not expect to spray, and
wait a year or two, and sometimes
several, for returns. Unless at least
sixty per cent of the trees are in
good condition and ten or fifteen per
cent more a be brought into good
condition, it will probably be unde-
sirable to attempt making the old
orchard profitable. The cultivation,
etc., of the spaces where the trees
are missing will be as expensive as if
the trees were there, and the same is
true of interest on the land, etc.
In working rel the old orchard
the trees that are hopelessly weak
and injured should be cut out. All
dead portions in all trees should be
removed. The cankered areas should
be cut from all limbs and the wounds
pointed. The trees will usually have
too many limbs and some of these
should be cut out, SO that spraying
and other processes of care can be
more conveniently done.