The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1924-03-27
The Pruning Of Apple Trees

Pruning is a very important prob
lem in the work of the modern, up
to-date fruit grower And cam
paign is now in order IN the extern
sion service in Somerset County.
There can be no one fixed rule for
pruning as different fruits have diff
ferent methods of growing and de
veloping. TheJe are no two trees
that are alike any more then there
are two persons that are alike.
For fruit tree to develop 10 its
greatest extent it Is essential that it
be properly pruned Pruning is per
haps the most neglected of all the
different processes that are necessary
for the development Of the trees.
The reason that we prune to help
the growth Of the fruit is that the
circulation of the air and the amount
of sunshine that the fruit gets has
great deal to do with the coloripg of
the fruit. II the tree is growing in
the wrong direction the tree may be
thrown back in the right direction by
pruning. A portion Of the tree may
also be removed and in this way
| more vigorous growth may be obtain
ed in a smaller number Of better and
more accessible limbs. We also
prune to build what is known as a
scaffold so that the tree will not
break when II is heavily loaded with
fruit. Pruning is also carried on to
make the harvesting of the fruit east
er and also to make the spraying
easier and more thorough. Care
must be taken not to prune too heaVi-
~ as this is apt to cause the tree as
much injury as not pruning at all.
The time and the condition for
pruning vary and there can be no
special time set for this work. The
best method is to do a little pruning
every year. The best time to do the
work is in the early spring just be-
fore the growth of the tree starts.
The first thing to do in the estima-
ton of County Agent Dunn in
the process of pruning is to cut out
all the limbs that rub together or are
liable to. Remove any parallel
branches that will have tendency 10
rub together. There are two distinct
types of trees. They are the type
such as the Wolf River that has an
open head or vase shape couture. The
idea of this tree is to have one that
has an open center and in this way
there is a chance for plenty of sun
shine and the fruit can be easily
reached. To have this shaped tree
there should be number of main or
scaffold limbs arranged around the
main trunk. They should not. how
ever, be in to close proximity to one
another as it is. liable to cause the
tree to split. In this method the
middle of the scaffold limbs are prun-
ed heavily as this will prevent the
growth of branches toward the cen
ter. The other type of tree is just
the opposite of this and the growth
of the tree is developed around one
special stalk. The limbs of this tree
are pruned the heaviest on the outside
and the inside branches are allowed
to grow toward the center. The
limbs that are cut off should always
be cut close to the branch as they
I will heal much more easily. The
wounds that are caused by pruning
should be covered over with some
good mixture of linseed oil and white
lead. Colored paints should not be
used if others can be obtained as col
ored paints are liable to contain poi
son material.
There are a number of tools essen
tial for pruning, they are a good sharp
pruning knife and saw with a blade
that can be moved into various posi-
tons.