Semi-weekly herald., 1913-04-03

or three story tree can be lowered 10
the basement without evil results, and
he will soon master the correct meth
cd Of accomplishment. The follow
ing general rule, however, may be
layed down for cutting:
The theoretical objections most oft
en- advanced adverse to this method is
one Of skepticism, about non-healing
sun-scald, ETC., all of which are prov
en- by actual practice to be unfound-
ed and false theories, and the writer
challenges an example to the con-
trary. After having had several years.
experience in cutting trees of all ages
and conditions by this method, and
also in top-working (cleft grafting)
old trees, we have yet to see single
example of permanent injury from
cutting, when subsequently the trees
are properly nourished, even wher a
wood-preservative be not used. Paint
or cold-tar may be used for this pur-
pose if you feel that it is safer, but
you will, in all probability, dispense
with this, except for very old and
deerepid trees, after few years ex-
perience.
So far as the writer is aware there
is not a single disadvantage to this
method of pruning, .vrile the advan-
tages are many and manifest:
1. The primary object is attained
by bringing the trees down where they
can be handled economically.
2. In addition to this they will
bear great deal more fruit per bear
ing surface. The reason for which
is explained thusly:
(a) The central top of the tree if
left intact tends to assume the nature
of water-sucker which draws on the
remaining branches, but when the top
is removed we have the opposite ef-
feet, that is we throw the strength to
the side branches, where most of the
fruit spurs are borne. sa
(b), Again, the sunlight is allowed
to penetrate to the center of the tree
in more effective way than is pos
sible with the close top, thereby max
ing it feasible to grow the fruiting
wood much more thickly. To have this
thickly-growing wood is especially
valuable if you wish to grow a high
percentage of fancy fruit, and at the
same time grow quantity, for the fol-
lowing reasons: Suppose your tree
has been pruned by the old fashioned
close-head and thin-out-method, which
forces the bearing wood towards the
ends of the branches, as result you
have clusters of apples on the same
fruit spur or twig,. which makes it
impossible to grow first class fruit,
because of the law of survival of the
fttest, and because of the natural har-
Dor made thereby for the codling
moth and for the lesser apple worm,
etc. Is it not then infinitely better
to have an added number of fruit
spurs, and bearing twigs, and have
the fruit singly borne? Perhaps you
may grasp the philosophy of my state
ment more clearly when | say that
it is better to have a single apple on
each of five twigs, or disconnected
fruit spurs, than to have five apples
all growing on one twig or spur,
when four of the five must be re-
moved by thinning before you can
grow very high percentage of first
class fruit. Do you gather my mean
ing, when say that it is better to
grow five boxes of first-class fruit
on a tree by proper dissemination of
the fruiting wood, than to grow one
box near the tips of the limbs, and
the tops of the trees at the same
cost?
3. Still third advantage and one
which is contrary to horticultural lore
is this; 1t has been usually conceded
that winter pruning tends to pro-
duce wood, and summer pruning to
produce fruit, but the writer has in
two or three instances demonstrated
that the removal of the tops from
thriftily growing trees, ten to twenty
years of age, in the dormant period
tends to fruit them sooner and more
abundantly than could otherwise be
expected in three or four more years
by the close-head method. The rea-
son for this is manifest, as the re-
moval of the sappy and rapidly grow
ing top gives the tree a temporary
check of growth, and also throws add
ed strength to the fruit buds on the
remaining branches, which causes
more profusion Of buds to set fruit.
4. A further advantage of this
form Of top is founded in the recent
tendency to grow for quality rather
than for quantity of fruit, necessitat-
ing thinning, process which is well
nigh impossible, and certainly, to say
the least, laborious, on high and close
headed trees. While on the other hand
with the modern open-head tree, it is
comparatively easy process to thin,
as well as to gather the fruit.
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