The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-04-15

or rub and are thus likely to injurs the bark should be taken out.
 In starting young trees very often the planter insists on putting them in just as they are received from the nursery in spite of all instructions t0 the contrary notwithstanding. The tIrst pruning should be done at the time of PLANTING. If small stock is Icing set it should be cut back to what is called whip" That is all the side branches cut close to the main stem leaving only a few buds or eyes on each stub. The main stem itself in addition to this should be cut back from a quarter to q third of its length. It may seem very hard to you to sacrifice so much of the little tree for which you have paid good money to some nurseryman, but to efuse to do so will be only to invite failure. In the case of larger trees they may be pruned in such a way as to form the head of the tree when it is planted. Three or four of the best of the branches are re- tained but these are cut back so that | only some half dozen buds or eyes are left on each. The MAIN stem is tlIen cut back to just above the top most of these branches. Everything else should be cut back clean to the stem. If a lower headed tree IS wanted ultimately, the main stem should be cut back to not over two feet from the ground in the case, of apples, cherries and pears, and about eighteen inches for peaches and plums. If as is often the case where trees Tlantpf ha place. a taller tree with more room l beneath the branches will be wanted, the main stem should, of course, be i left correspondingly taller when the tree is set It is highly important, however, that none of the branches l left on the main stem are very near | each other so that they will form q 1 "crotch' when they grow. They | should be distributed as evenly as | possible both up and down and around the tree. During the first two | or three years after planting a third | to a half of the new growth should 1 be cut away each year, leaving lat erals or branches that will tend to l form the shape desired and in gen eraI to keep it symmetrical
 There are four things which should be remembered in all pruning or l trimming. The first is always to leave a clean smooth cut: A ragged cut 1 made with a dull knife or shears will
 not heal quickly and invites disease
 Second, cut just a little above 8
 bud or eye pointing in the direction | in which you want the limb to con | tinue growing. Make a slightly slant | ing cut a quarter of an inch or SC
 above the bud. Third, in developing l young trees cut above an OUTSIDE
 bud, as this will tend to keep the new growth branching outward, giving tn, 1 tree an open center to admit ligh { and air. Fourth, cut clean and close | up to the parent trunk or branch. I:
 a stub is left it prevents the healing
 of the bark and thus paves the way
 for trouble in the future.
 SPRAYING: To have clean
 smooth fruit, free from worms on th'
 inside or scars and bIemishes on thu
 outside, the trees must be kept spray
 ed. The first spring spray to appI!
 should be given when the leaf bud
 begin to come out enough to show
 color. Use concentrated lime sul
 phur so1utioF To this it is well t
 add arsenate of lead to control an!
 chewing insects which may be pres ent, such as "tent catapillars" whicl
 often appear early and strip the tre' of the tender new leaves. Aphis are ] also likely to be present and there
 fore it is well to add to this spra!
 nicotine sulphate. There are on tht
 market several good sprays combin
 ing sulphur and arsenate of lead
 The second spraying should be giv
 en just as the flower buds begin tc
 show color using the same spra.
 This should be followed WITHIN
 TEN DAYS AFTER THE FIRST
 PETALS FALL, (that is, before the
 calyx of the newly formed fruit be
 gins to close up) with the third ol
 "ca1yx spray which is the most i'm.
 portant of all. SeIf-boiled lime suI
 phur or a similar spray recommend ed for this purpose should be used
 especially on peaches, cherries and