The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-01-14

be tackled. says T.. IL. Roberts. in the
Daily Produce News. as II is foolish
to leave 1t AS many amateurs do un-
til the busy time i'm March, The
best tool TO use In a strong. sharp
knife. but for speed good pair of
pruning shears may be used. A con-
stderntion Of the foregoing, brings the
following facts into prominence
Established trees Of apples must not
| necessarily be denuded Of their young
wood like spurs.
| Pears must not become smothcrcd
with young wood.
PMms should be lifted to check
over vigorous root action when young
and afterwards spurred.
Cherries which produce their fruit
BUDS in clusters may be spurrcd by
summer pruning. but Morslcs should
have the young wood trained in.
Peaches and ncctarines should be
lifted when young to check root action
II the growth they produce in summer
Is upwards of two feet long and quar-.
ter inch thick or more.
Apricots should be spurred in the
main. but a little young wood may be
trained in If space permits.
All trees that are severely pr,med
to spurs should be allowed to extend
little ut the head. These rules may
help, but details will be wanted be-
fore we can claim to have mastered
the subject.
Apple Trees Hard to Prune.
In some respect the apple is the
| most difficult of all trees to prupc.
Not only are the varieties very nu /.
merous. but they differ very greatly in
! habits of crawth and method OF fruit /.
ing. Some are strong in their upright
growth and hard pruning is bad for
them. as 1t leads to u great mass of
i'ited two years after planting to
check root action and the heads kept
open by cutting shoots that crowd the
head ont. They will then grow into
large trees and bear heavy crops, al
| though 1t will be II long time before
tree should not be shortened severely
when young. The tips Of shoots should
be removed. and the flowers picked
off the first season after planting to
give them II start.
\ second class OF tree Is that which
has n tendency to form great MANY
fruit buds when young I'd fruit
freely when quite small and thus to
grow slowly. If small trees arc
! wanted, well and good. but IL the
trees are required to grow into good
size do not let them bear any fruit
the first season, and Il maximum of
seven or eight pounds each the sec
ond season. then they will make
growth
The majority OF apples do best in
tho open under the following trent
ment Secure In each bush or stand
ard from s to II main branches grow
ing upwards and outwards so that at
3 feet out from its base each shoot Is
at least inches from it's neighbors,
and at least 6 feet 6 inches. After
the second year of procession do not
head these shoots far back. merely re-
move few inches from the tips about
the middle of August; 20 over the
tree and shorten the side shoots. On
the main branches to 5 or 6 leaves and
in the winter cut them back or 3
buds. A large crop OF fine fruit is
a certainty on this system.
Pruning Pear Trees.
Whenever conditions are favorable.
the young growth of pear trees made
last summer may be cut back to
within two or three eyes OF the base:
provided the pthching and thinning of
the shoots was done during the sum
mer there will be little wood to cut
off now. II Is as well to thin the
wood on the spurs IL it becomes
crowded to give that remaining II bet
ter chance Of maturing fruit spurs,
p In pruning pears and. indeed. all
classes Of fruit, avoid leaving stumps
or snass. A snag Is IA portion OF
shoot ranging in length from half an
inch to two inches, which many
primers leave to each piece of growth
which they cut. Such stumps are a
source OF danger to the tree as they
inevitably decay. The cuts should be
made with q sharp knife close to the
bud; then no snags are left.
Peaches and Nsetariues.
Bearing as theseSfrnits do. mainly on
the young wood, summer pruning and
subsequent squirting so important with
most fruits are out of place Peach
tree IL short lived in most sections
OF this country. 1t prefers "a light
warm soil and is much benefited by
occasional Dressing OF wood ashes In
planting the tree should be cut back
severely. the main stem reduced
about one third. and the side branches
cut back to one bud. This lessons the