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Show Some Timely Suggestions on Orchard Management fty Professor O. H. Morris Oklahoma Agricultural "Experiment Station as to whether It will do this to siiiliclent extent to furnish the extra amount of water uaed by the growing crop. The subject eif ebon of vatleties in growing grow-ing fruit is the fine upon which most quro. lions are asked and the one upon whiili .the bast satisfactory advbe cm be given. The choice of varliCe-i biinrs In so many personal likes and oKllkes that in the cud the orchardlst must and due i l r hi.- e.uri Varieties. The orchardlst should lirst studv his soil, his location and mr: onnd lugs. This Will enable bini to tell wi at i l.iss of tins ami fruit will be bent suited to hi- location. With this Information In hand he is able to select the varieties that suit him. Do not covet a variety dimply because It was a favorite in an old orchard In another state, but luke those that are doing v, II in your own locality. It Is probable that many of the trees claimed to be untrue to name are what they wen: sold for. The orchardist formerly knew them wiih dlfri-rent condlti u of climate and exacts tlu'in to be h re Just like those he iis.d to know. There hai been an enormous amount of poor trees that were untrue lo name sold, and many are xtl J being sold. The reliable nurseries are fa-t driving out these Irresponsible tree d'.ilT- ' and should have ihe entire suppjrt of all I frull tree buyers. THE ordinary two-horse plow Is the best Implement to use In orchard cultivation in early spring. It will stir the soli to a good depth and put It In such condition that tho rain will elnk down and riot run oft the lund. It also leaves the- surface open and free from trash and litter that would be In the way of the cultivator. The plow can be run as close to the tree as tho team can be driven without danger of barking iho tree or limbs with the harness. If the pi v passes loo close to the tree II should bo turned out of the ground or raised so as to run very shallow. A small plow six or eight inches wide i.-t very good to finish around the trees and along the dead furrows, but It is not necessary. 'Some form of a. plow-is plow-is necessary find the orchard cannot be well cared for without IL The shallow summer cultivation can he done with several different kinds of tools. The small shovel cultivator Is a very good tool ami can be used for a great many purposes. pur-poses. The one-hore live-shovel cultivator Is one of the best tools for a small place. It can be adjusted to do almost any kind of work, and to work In narrow spaces, it I destroys the wceih breaks up the surface soli and leaves it lcvd. There are several kinds of disk harrows and cut-away harrows har-rows that do good work and leave the soil In an almost Ideal condition. The disk harrow har-row Is one ef the best tools fir summer cultivation cul-tivation of the orchard. It destreiys tho weeds and leaves the soil level oriel well pulverized, pul-verized, thus forming a good mulch. The cutaway hjrrows are good for surface cultivation, cul-tivation, but do not as a rule work well If there Is much trash or weeds and grass on the ground. The common straight and slant-toothed slant-toothed borrow is of great value in smoothing smooth-ing down the surface of the- soil after the plow aud heavy cultivators. It if also of value to break the crust ef the soil iifti r a lain. There are several kinds of sprlns-toothed sprlns-toothed harrows tluit do gou-i work and are valuable us suifaee cultivators. The roller und drag are of but little value In orchar I cultivation. The roller can be used to advantage ad-vantage bomcllnns on very loose, gravelly soils. Apple trees require pruning from the time they ore set In the orchard until they ceas-? to be of value as ore h .in trees. The roots f.rci-ssftrlly receive severe pruning when the trees are lifted from the nursery row; the larger portion of the roots remaining In the ground. The roots that are- broken and mnsbd should be removed and the ends of all roots cut clean and smooth up to sound bark. This will put them In much better lorulltlon to heal over quickly. It Is best 10 b-Hve as much of the roots on the tree a- possible and not to prune them any more than Is necessary to put them In good con dition. The top should be rut back jevcrciy to balance the relation between the leaf surface sur-face and the roots'. The limbs can be cut back, leaving only four to ten Inches of eae h limb. If there are inoie limbs than opj wanted to form the main frame work of the fop the extra limbs should be cut eui entirely. en-tirely. There should nm be more than five or six main limbs. The top can branch from I Ihese and be formed better and with less danger of Intel ferlng branches. The llrst two years after the trees are set In the or-chard or-chard is the lime to form the frjme work of the top and if the tree is cared for and pruned properly during this time the future pruning will tie light and easily done. It will consist of removing interfering twigs and thinning I lie- top to admit air und sun-light- The head of the tree should be formed low, the lower limbs about two feet from the ground. The low-beaded trees shade the tiunk and surrounding soil very early Jn the life of the tree und In this way form a great protection against sunscald. The low-luaJed low-luaJed trees are not so badly beaten and shaken by the wind. This point Is perhaps of greater value than that of protecting from nunseuld. This is equally true of all kinds of orchard trees. Rear tret should be prunrd the same as apple tree -i l"r the first live or six years. Alter the tree comes Into bearing the on must be cut baek each year. This is espe cially true of dwarf pe-ar trees where heavy pruning is one "f the condition that hr p in kiep the tree dwarf. The fruit buds nre formed on the end of twigs or spurs, unl It seldom happens that a twig lj-ars fruit ami develop. a fnit bud the same year. Cutting baek the top during th winter w It; muse the tree to develop a large number of fruit buds each year. Pench and apricot trees' should be set when one or Iwo cars old from the bud. When the trees are set the reots are pruned no more than It necessary to put them 'n good condition and the top Is pruned to almost al-most a straight utock. The side branches are cut back to two or three buds and the central cen-tral stem H cut back to not more than two or three feel In length. The frame work of the tree should be formed about the same that of the appb. tree. The trees should be pruned each ear to obtain the best fruit. The trees nearly always set more fruit th ui l.,y .an mature und unless the fruit i thinned It will be small and of peor qu.il- y. The trees vbould he headed In dur- I Ing the winter each year. This heading n I consists of culling back the longest and strongest branches and usitHy alms ly remove re-move about one-half of last year's w'oo.t. 'I his serves the purpose of thinning the frull and keeping the tree w ithin boun Is. lium trees should be cut back about , the isame as peach trees when set. The subsequent subse-quent pruning Is more like, that alvcn ihe apple. The irees require only a little .pruning .prun-ing to keep the top open to admit )iv:bt and ulr. The branches may be cut buck the same as peach trees ami It will tiniwcr-the tiniwcr-the same purpose, with the American varieties varie-ties only to a less extent. The Japan varieties varie-ties bear their fruit in spurs arid for that leascn should be pruned the: same as apple tree.-. Cherry trees should be pruned for setting about tho same as the peach. The enre given all trees In forming the head Is applicable ap-plicable to th.- , berry. After the framework for the head Is started right tho trees will require llltlo prut.liig beyond Hi it' lieces-Hary lieces-Hary to remove interfering branches. i .'over crops are crops grown ein the "kin" 1 ' during the late .vuinmcr, fall and winter and left on Ihe ground for the purpose of covering cover-ing the soil during winter and thus preventing pre-venting It" blowing, to catch a ml bold ibe rain and snow, to form a mulch, and to add vegetable matter to the soil. In young orchards or-chards the cover crops are often of gnat value, but in the older orchards their value 1 often questionable. I The value of a cover crop depends much , ; ui"'" the Klr"1 "' "rop end the time. It 15 I sown. Cow peas and plant of that das nn- valuable fertilizing plants jM,, form good cover for 'be winter. The greatest ob-! ob-! j.eti"i to this crop H that It must be sown I early I" the summer ro' that It evn nnlkv I H grow III before froM In the fall. This places the crop on the lmid during the rnit of the dry weather when all of the mo('-ture mo('-ture Is needed by the trees. The lmd effect : of Ibis will be notlcctl most on hearing trcs by the frull falling before matui Ing. Wlif ir j and rye can be sown much later and will ' make a Rood cover for the winter and for- nh a Kod supply of m uiure to be turned ' umler m ilie sprliiff. .These crops will rc- ! ,,,ovc soli moisture during the full and win- ter und would not be harmful to th tree. ! The peach tree might suffer bos uf fruit buds If " ground becomes too dry dur-I dur-I )n(J cold weather, but n.t of the orchard fruit usually pa.is th,. winter without suffering suf-fering mudi for water. The eover crop will. If proerly handled, improve the phy.-i. il l ; tonditl"0 of the ye.ll ,,r n-r, .r Hs ;. r-.J I holdieS capacity, but there may be t doubt J |
