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Show "BEST TOOLS ARE ESSENTIAL IPrOSCHARD Do you want to prune your fruit trees successfully? If you do, good tools are essential. Ivo man who pretends to be a. fruit grower will be satisfied to work without with-out the best implements, says F. S. Merrill, assistant in horticulture in the Kansas State Agricultural college. col-lege. "For the young trees," continues Mr. Merrill, "the best tool is the pruning knife, preferably of the hawk-bill type. If the knife is kept well sharpened, the cuts may be made smoother and closer to the trunk than with any other tool. Shears for Young Trees. ' "The pruning shears or hand shears are widely used, especially for young trees. There are many different dif-ferent types of shears but there are few good ones. The steel should be considered in making a selection. The cheap shears will always prove most expensive. The shears having a volute spring have given better satisfaction than most types. The hand shears can be worked more easily eas-ily and rapidly than the knife, but the cuts cannot be made so close. A sloping slop-ing cut should be made to prevent crushing tl ' limbs. "The long-handled shears are widely used among fruit growers because of the speed with which they may be worked. This speed induces carelessness careless-ness and cuts are often poorly made. a crooked cut that requires another attack at-tack before a smooth surface can be had. It is also too heavy, nod the hack prevents a continual cut. through, a large limb. It cuts rapidly, however, how-ever, and. the low price of blades makes it possible to have a sharp saw at all times. Using California Saw. "The California saw has a curved blade, making a draw cut. This saw. is well adapted to light work in the, orchard and can he used to advantage advan-tage in the smaller trees. "A saw that lias been used -widely; in the East can be generally recommended recom-mended for the heavier pruning. This saw lias a comparatively narrow blade, being three and one-half inches wide at the butt and one inch wide at tin; tip, and having seven teeth to the inch. It has a full grip handle so that it) may be used with the gloved hand: The blade may be had in lengths varying vary-ing from IS to 24 inches. This saw, works rapidly and is light in weight, durable and well balanced. The nar-i row blade makes it adapted to close work. "Many implements have been offered of-fered that are attached to poles, but most of them are too unwieldy anil many are too crude in workmauship to merit their use. Pruner Must Know Facts. "Before pruning can be judiciously carried out, the pruner should have I f ESSENTIAL TOOLS FOR PRUNING. This type of pruner leaves stubs, and they should always be avoided. Heading Back Small Limbs. "The pole pruner cannot be safely used except in heading back the small limbs. Htre it is a great time saver and is a valuable tool. It is sure to leave stubs, however, when used on large limbs. "The pruning saw is the most important im-portant tool in dealing with the older trees, especially in the neglected orchard. or-chard. Many of the saws offered for this work are not only worthless but a menace. The two-edged saw has nothing to recommend its use, and it may badly damage the trees. The meat saw type is recommended by some men because the blade can be turned so that work may be done in close crotches. The point that gives this saw its advantage is also a point against it. The blade has a tendency to turn while cutting and often makes some knowledge of the way in which the fruit buds are formed and on what portion of the tree the fruit is borne. The orchardist who practiced, the same system of pruning for his apples as for his peaches would make a failure of his crop. "The apple produces its fruit buds on short, crooked or irregular spurs that are two or more years old. In pruning, the object should be to produce pro-duce the formation of new spurs and to save all that are already on the tree. Don't let a desire for regularity influence you to cut. off those ugly objects, ob-jects, for they are the source of your crop. If the growing conditions are good, these spurs may persist for many years, but if the sunlight is shut out they soon die. If these die or are broken, they can never grow again, and the only way they may be replaced is by training watersprouts. This is a slow and uncertain process." |