The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1916-06-29

summer PRUNING
SUGGESTIONS GIVEN
BY Gordon G. Brown

The OrcharQlSt Is approaching tne
season when he must decide for him.
self whether or not 1t is desirable
under his particular conditions to par.
ticipate in summer pruning. With
this idea In mind the writer shall at
tempt to present as clearly and brief
| ly as possible certain we'll known
principles that have been established
and various theories that are being
advanced with reference to a prac-
tice of this kind.
Since the underlying principles
governing the pruning of fruit trees
are in most respects the same the
writer will for the sake of brevity
confine his remarks to the apple, hop
| ing that certain conclusions may be
drawn that will receive a wide inter.
probation and application.
Leaving aside for the time being
the mooted question of the relative
advantages of summer VS.. winter
pruning the fundamental aims of the
fruit grower should be as follows:
(D For young trees one to four
years of age to secure vigorous,
we'll directed wood growth; (2) For
the tree four to seven years Of age
to not only continue vigorous, well
directed wood growth but also to en-
courage the fruiting habit. In other
words, to take such steps as will
eventually bring about proper bal
ance between the vegetative growth
on the one hand and fruit production
on the other; (3) For trees older, to
maintain such desirable balance and
where lacking to establish same.
According to Professor C. I. Lewis
in Bulletin 130 there are three lessons
of primary Importance which every
pruner should know and apply with
reference to non-bearing trees: First;
To choose and space the scaffold
branches. This ~efers to the desira
bility of selecting those shoots on the
main trunk or branches which will
insure good distribution of laterals
and avoid the crotches so painfully
evident almost everywhere. Four or
five hro nhnc Tho r,atn tvt.v xryiIl
be enough for this purpose. The
further apart they are spaced the
stronger and better will be the trunk
and the tree obtained. Most mistak-
es are made in that the grower after
heading back the main whip give no
further attention to the tree until the
following dormant period. 1t is much
better to watch such trees carefully
for month or so after planting and
rub off undesirable buds or shoots
and to suppress those which are max
ing excessive growth at the expense
Of the others. Second, To keep main
branches or sections of the tree prop
erly dominant. If one branch grows
at the expense of the rest of the tree
then the weaker branches gradu-
ally become side branches of the two
or three. In connection with this idea
will say the average pruner makes
either of the following mistakes:
first, he may cut the tree level across
the top. In other words he cuts all
branches at the same height. In do
ing so a well balanced tree is preven-
ted in that no attention is paid the
relation Of one branch to another
Again, he may cut the weakest wood
most and the strongest wood the
least, hoping that by doing so he may
stimulate the former and discourage
growth in the latter The reverse is
the case, however. Many make this
mistake because of the standard rule
which reads as follows: Cut hard to
induce heavy wood growth and light
ly to discourage the same. 1t is i'm.
portant to know that this rule holds
true when we consider the tree as
whole but it has little to do with the
relation of one branch to another.
Cut the strongest branch hardest and
the weaker ones less so The prin-
ciple involved is to discourage wood
growth by decreasing the leaf surface
and buds and to encourage wood
growth by leaving same. OF course
where the leader or modified leader
type of tree is grown, one branch,
the upper one, should be allowed the
ascendancy.
Third, Avoid the sharp angle, equal.
ly balanced crotches. In many orch
ards we find the following treatment
being given: On the main scaffold
branches two laterals have been al
lowed to grow and have been cut
back equally. In many cases they
are poorly spaced also. The next
year the same procedure was follow.
ed and again the next. The result
was that branches all over the tree
are in pairs of equal strength and
form very sharp forks and naturally
a weak tree because all the strain
comes to the critical points; namely,
these numerous balanced crotches.
To avoid this choose a leader for each
branch just as you would do for the
tree itself (if the leader type is chos.
en) and suppress the other laterals
accordingly. If you continue this
plan you will have much stronger
tree because the identity of the origi.
nal, naturally stronger scaffoid