The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1930-02-06

/ upset mOIe llion SpSi, ~
tree goes ahead and sets another
crop of bloom and then because OF
the lack of nitrates crop is not
set for the coming year.
The method of overcoming this
is to give the tree normal prun-
! ING as far as the removal OF the
larger branches is concerned. The
aim here should be to leave as
many branches as will assure the
bearing of a good crop without
having so .many that too much
light will be excluded from the
tree or the tree bear too heavy =
crop to the point that it wou'i
break down.. The branches which
| are left should then be headed back
| a little to lateral branches showing
good growth and the spurs on
these branches thinned out leaving
one half to three fourths of the
twigs, depending upon the termin-
al growth shown by the branches
and somewhat upon the age OF the
tree. This requires considerable
work with the small shears or up
on a ladder with light looping
shear. 1t is the type of pruning
which the average grower thinks
too tedious, but if one remembers
that while doing this type of prun-
ing they are also thinning, thereby
cutting down on thinning costs la.
ter, we believe that the grower can
afford and will profit greatly by
this system. Many of the spurs
can be merely shortened instead of
removing them and in other in
stances, old spurs which are show
ing very little terminal growth and
vitality should be removed entire
ly making cuts close to the branch
so as to get away from very much
possibility of water sprouts. In
most instances, these trees pruned
In this way will be benefited by
an application of four to five
pounds of ammonium sulphate, appli-
cation made as early as possible in
the season, at least not later than
three weeks before blooming.
We are great believer in checks
against any practice being adopt
ed. We therefore suggest that a
grower who is not satisfied that
this system of pruning is advisable
prune one row by this method, fol-
lowing it up for several years and
let the remainder of the orchard
be check against this row. To the
orchardist who feels that this is a
good practice we suggest just the
opposite, that at least one row be
left and pruned by the system of
pruning followed in the past with
whatever notifications would have
been given this year as a check
against this newer system of prun-
ing in the county.
AS summary, let us say that
the condition that we want is one
which the tree passed through
from the time when it was produc-
ing largely wood growth, to the
present time where very little wood
growth is being produced and not
sufficient well developed leaf
growth to take care of the needs
of the tree. Somewhere in there,
tire has been a period when twig
growth was eight to IL inches
in length and the tree was bearing
heavily with a normal amount Of
bloom. That is the condition which
we want to try to get in our or
chard. As Mr.. Bregger has said,
tree is as old as its bearing sur
face. If our bearing surface COW
ers most Of the tree and our twig
growth is very short our tree may
be fifty years old as far as bear
ing is concerned, when but twenty
years as far as actual age is con-
cerned. Mr.. Bregger states that he
has seen trees so and rs years of
age in eastern states with the en-
tire bearing surface kept renewed
until twig growth showed that the
proper nitrogen carbohydrate ra-
ito being maintained.
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