The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-12-01
PRUNING OF FRUIT TREES.
Old Wood Must Be Removed and Tree
Properly Shaped Up.

Continuing the discussion started last
week on the subject of pruning by quot
ing extracts from different men, the fol-
lowing is copied from material which
Professor M. G.. Burritt of New York
wrote for farmers bulletin 49l; "The
first thing in pruning will be to remove
dead or injured wood In doing this the
cut should be made well behind the in
jured or diseased part, and the wound
should be left with smooth edges. The
second object will be to shape the tree.
If it is too high it should be headed back,
1t is most important to get the trees
down low enough so that the operations
of spraying and pruning can be easily
performed 1t will be found very nee
essary to do this heading back on most
old orchards, as usually the trees have
been set close together, trimmed up"
and left to grow as high as they would
Most old orchards are much too high,
defect due both to too high heading in
the first place and too high training sub
sequently. Five or 10 feet may be safe
ly removed if the work is properly done
and good judgment used, cutting back
the leader of the uppermost branches
and not cutting too much out of tree
in one year.
necessary to thin out the smaller
branches and in many cases even the
larger limbs in order to admit plenty of
sunlight to the leaves and fruit and to
avoid too great competition among the
branches. Thinning the branches Trims
the fruit also, enabling the fruit which
remains to develop better than it other
wise would Pruning during the winter
or dormant season tends to stimulate
growth and to make the tree more wig
orous. This stimulation is often a very
important result of early pruning; in
fact, it is often possible thus to induce
new vigor in the tree. Pruning may be
done at any time during the dormant |
season, though it is best done in early |
spring just before the buds swell or
growth starts.
starts.
All large wounds, or those over two |
inches in diameter, should be painted |
over with a coat of some such material |
as heavy lead paint, which is probably |
best for the purpose, adding little lamp
black TO make the color conspicuous. The
treatment excludes moisture and conse-
luent decay and disease. If tree has
/ bad crotch which is splitting down, a
lalf-inch or one-inch iron bolt with a
vide, thick washer at either end NAV be
Used to draw and hold the parting
ranches together Such bolts are in
erted through holes bored in the limbs
limb that has rotted badly on one
de OF in the middle may be strength
ned and the rot prevented from spread
ng by cleaning the bare surfaces. apply
ng some such material as tar to form
water proof layer and filling the cav
~ with cement.
The saw il the best all-arOund tool 10
sc for pruning. IL can conveniently be
sed for practically all cuts and with il
be edges will be made smooth. Shears
nd extension primers may be used, but
UGH tools are not 10 generally useful !
a the saw. Shears with handles about ,,
wo feet long are more convenient than
he saw for heading back small limbs ,
nd for thinning out the ends of
ranches. An excellent type Of saw 4
ne about 20 inches long. about four =
nches wide al the butt. narrowing 20 !
bout one and one-hah inches ~ the \
ONT, thick enough 10 te rigid. and with !
at one cutting edge, which should al !
'ays be- kept sharp.