IST

Vol. 44 MARCH, 1916 No. 3

My Orchard Crop of 1915 from Start to Finish.

HAROLD SIMMONS, ORCHARDIST, HOWARD LAKE.

In anticipation of a crop of apples for 1915 we commenced the season
with the regular annual pruning in March. We begin pruning as soon after
the 25th day of February as the weather is mild enough for us to work
comfortably, as the pruning of fifteen hundred trees requires
considerable time when one is obsessed with the idea that nothing short
of a first class job will do, and that to be accomplished mainly by the
efforts of one individual.

We have endeavored to grow our trees so that they should all have from
three to five or six main limbs, and any tendency of a limb to assume
the leadership is suppressed. A tree grown upon this principle has the
faculty of growing a great many laterals, necessitating an annual
pruning. As far as possible we prune to prevent laterals from becoming
too numerous, from growing so as to overtop or shade lower limbs, to let
in light and sunshine, so as to get the maximum amount of color on the
fruit and in a measure to help in thinning the fruit. Having in view the
idea of an annual crop instead of a biennial one, one essential point
always in mind is that we want an open headed tree, and we also wish to
insure our trees against blight, and so we eliminate all water sprouts.
Apparently, no Minnesota orchard is immune against blight.

Some objections are raised to this type of tree, one criticism being
that the tree is structurally weak from the fact that if one limb breaks
off at the trunk the tree is about ruined. We offset the possibility of
such a break by careful training and by wiring the trees, a plan I
gathered some years ago from a Mr. Mason, at that time president of the
Flood River Apple Growers Association.

[Illustration: Young trees in full bloom in Mr. Simmons' orchard.]

We use No. 14 galvanized wire, a half inch galvanized harness ring, and
screw-eyes with stout shanks and small eyes. Locating up the main limbs
what might be called the center of effort, or where the main pull would
be when loaded with fruit, put in a good stout screw-eye in every main
limb, eyes all pointing to the center of the tree, and then wire them
all to the harness ring in the middle of the tree. When finished the
ring and the wires are like the hub in a wheel with the spokes all
around. We tried this first on our N.W. Greening trees, and results were
so satisfact