| Show PRUNING FRUIT TREES why do we prune frit trees ask this question estion of the of california what answer would they make three fourths of them would probably answer we prune our tree to let the light baht into the fruit and to properly form the heads of our trees the other fourth would scratch their heads and perhaps have to anwer we prune because our neighbors do because it is the fashion these are very lame reasons and have no force whatever he that prunes to let the sunshine into the inside of the head bead of the tree as it is usually done from the inside outward makes the greatest mistake for he has no use for light there and ex acely the means he be employs to let the sunshine into t the h e h beads ea ds of his bis trees tree results eventually in sh shutting ng it 0 out very completely for he be b begins leg I 1 by cutting the twigs from the center of his trees and trims outward or in other words begins at the trunk of the tree or at the base of the large branches cutting from them tre the smaller this causes tho the 0 foliage o at the extremities of such branches to thicken up lip and by such bodt continued aued putting from tho the inside of the ma bead the jo fonaas leisge will become so thick gt at the Q outer and 0 of the branches that event ally no fruit of or pew twigs can grow in this space WI hii the result that he will have t the e poorest posse tree for fruit or in fact a cluster of high headed beaded trees all growing from the same root one that a person could stand at the trunk of and not be within ten tea or twelve feet of a leaf or fruit I 1 have seen thousands trees old trees forming a half globe with fifteen to twenty feet of lost space in their heads beads with long bare branches with dease clusters of leaves and a few small runts of apples at their extreme outer ends thatis is the result of cutting out the inside of the head of 0 f a tree to let the he light in and the cure for such a result to is ap bad or worse than the cause cala S e the usual practice is when the tree will n no I 1 longer beahn bear I 1 any good fruit to put cut a number of f the main iship A br branches entirely out this pi may ay result jn in giving a crop or two ot of fairly fairl good brigit but as the chance for loll 1011 age and foliage a tree must have livel is only at the end of the branches ien left abe opened space is soon closed up and the case is worse than it w was belore before for the wounds made by cut cutting t 11 g such urge large branches do not heal decay sets in g gua spon permeates the 04 whole hole tree Ther therefore eore I 1 I 1 say all such pruning is wrong and oise also say that all pruning of trees in orchards until twelve or fifteen years alter after planting is wrong very wrong wrone tor for start their headset beads at t the e right height according to the vigor of the variety yand and do no pruning whatever they will will give more mord anda and better fruit than they can do under any system that can be adopted let all or try this plan on at least a few trees and set see it if it la ig not the tight one I 1 have tried it thoroughly and know it is the idea of cutting out the central branches so as to form the top goblet shape seems to me very unsound and the result would be a tree that won would d all spit ofell sunder with its first heavy crap uit unless every branch was as propped up some fruit growers i want ra ant more a sun un and air in the inside of t the head of the fruit trees and this is exactly what experience has taught me we do not want at all and what we always have too auch uch of from toe the bright skies of the states and california one of we the two very verv worst enemies are these two things especially too much sunshine and this brings up the great question of why luk we must prune to t set get good fruit we ve inherited our notions about pruning largely from vic fie british islands and western europe in these countries especially england the greatest greatest want is more sunshine they are obliged to prune their fruit trees to mere skeletons so as to get a little li liht light P ht to the fruit here the best fruit in every way is such as can be grown shaded by the foliage besides our fruit trees are mostly brought from those cloudy foggy wet climates and of necessity mui must be acclimated iu in our bright ones such it seemed to me was our only excuse for pruning and if we hive ive it one moments thou thought al lit 1 we will see si that it is excuse at adl and should lead us to the reverse of 01 their practice fatral bess Pies B ess ss |
