The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-01-14
NOW'S RIGHT TINE
FOR PRUNING TREES
important Work Should Not Be Left As it Is by Many
Amateurs, for Busy Season in March
Advice to Orchardsts.

demand upon the roots. and more Wig
orouslS. The heads should be kept
low. the trunk not TO exceed three feet
on the wood of last seasons growth,
the necessity for keeping up good
supply of annual shoots all over the
trees is obvious. Regular pruning
should therefore be attended to. The
weak shoots should be shortened one
half and the. strong ones one. third
Care should be taken to leave a suf-
ficient supply OF flower buds. This
keeps the heads round. full and well
furnished with bearing wood. reduces
the chances of winufalls to a mini
mum and. II annually followed. will
give them compact heads instead or
open struggling ones, the branches of
! which break down with the first full
| crop of fruit. The treatment of necta-
Three 0rovths on Plum.
Like one or two other fruits plims
produce growth intermediate between
extension shoots and spurs. term from
want of a better name stub. Anyone
who examines an established tree is
| likely to find three distinct classes OF
growth, the first being extension
| shoots, tho second stubs, and the third
spurs. Extension or growth shoots,
usually quite destitute OF fruit buds
or at the most having one or two, are
more prominent in young than in old
trees when the grower Is making "A
start with young plum trees, he has
plenty of shoots under his eye. In
fact, the chances arc that he secs n
good deal too many for the plum is
| gross tree, The remedy for excessive
vigor is root pruning
Cherries Dislike Knife.
Every cherry grower will tell YOU
that tho cherry does not like the
knife. In the large cherry orchards
of our country, the cherries are seldom
; IL ever pruned, and 1t is generally
( considered wise to take the heads
when the trees are young and then
leave them alone. The common re-
suit of the free knitting OF cherries Is
an emulation of gum. ! have known
old trees pruncd in winter and gum
To cXudc the day after cutting. ",
garden culture, certain amount OF
pruning IL necessary to keep trees IN
! shape and within bounds and cherries
may have to come under the knife
AS far as possible the work should
be done in summer because the trees
are full Of sap and there is much
less liability to cumming than when
the sap In down during the winter
season, II may be asked. Can the
Requisite pruning be done in sum
mer? In the main, yes. and II the
small amount Of late pruning that may
be necessary In october before all
the sap has left the tree. there Is not
likely to be much trouble from gum
ming.
Care Of Fruiting Spurs.
Fruittrg spurs will form on the wood
OF cherries much more quickly than
on Ahat OF pears. Thus they may often
be found on the older part of an ex~
tension branch, and they may be in
dnced to form still more freely on
sneh n branch on stopping shoot in
summer and shortening them to two
or three buds In October. When n
tree has become well furnished with
fruiting spurs as a result of careful
treatment winter or rather autumn
pruning IL likely to do more harm
than good, and had better be left
alone. The trees will bear well If the
branches are thinly disposed.
aooseberries and red currants most
amateurs make the mistake of leaving
the bushes far too crowded When
this is the case sun and air are ex-
cluded. and the wood does not get
properly ripened. Never be afraid to
cut away whole branches when these
CROSS others or in any way spoil the
bush.