TRAINING AND PRUNING TREES

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1251, 6 July 1880, Page 3

TRAINING AND PRUNING TREES

♦ (By .S.J.)

Training and pruning trees go together aud require care and proper attention to do with satisfaction. Ihare are different sorts of training, Standard, dwarf, and espalier ; the standard for an orchard, the others for gardens. The espalier is considered by some of the highest authorities as the best for a garden as it takes up less room and admits of the ground of either side being made use of. The best situation for them is along by the sides of walks, and not more than about three feet from the edge. The best way, it is thought to train for an orchard (supposing it te be only just planted) is after having planted the tree, to cut it at about a foot from the ground — aa in this country the high winds do a great amount of damage if trees are allowed to go very high. Allow three or four buds to grow out which must again be shortened the following spring. Then picture in your mind iho form you would Ike your tree to assume, and train accordingly. The following hints, as reference, may be acceptable. The sap of trees mounts perpendicularly from the root to the top, flowing through the branches, and producing wood instead of fruit, therefore, when you wish to restore equality between two branches, of which one is weaker than the other bend the more vigorous down a little, and raise the weak one, which will soon overtake it. Also, when you wish a tree to furnish well at bottom, you must prevent the sap mounting to the head, by inclining the tipper branches downwards and pruning them long. The less sap has of direct channels, the less it can freely circulate between the bark, the more it will produce side branches and fruit buds, so when a tree runs to wood bend the branches downward ; stop the sap, and force it to produce fruit. The sap flies more strongly into a loner one, and the more the branch is shortened the more readily will the sap be drawn to it. Therefore, when one part of a tree becomes less strong than the other, prune it shorter so ttytfi tte sap may go tbqp

iii greater abundance and reinforce the • weakened point. Therefore, to have wood prune short ;to have fruit, prune long. Suppose a branoh is cut leaving two or three bud*», there will then be nothing but strong wood : cut off in the middle, the extremity will then furnish wood ; the middle spurs and the lower end, fruit shoots. Prune not at all and incline horizontally, and there will be nothing but blossom buds. If you cut a branoh completely off, the sap goes to the neighbouring branches and shoots. When a branch therefore becomes deceased and difficult to cure, sacrifice it without hesitation. The neighbouring branches will soon replace it, perhaps in less time than it would have taken in the cure, if that had been possible. Every shoot which has been topped or disbudded throws out, from superabundance of sap, a quantity of shoots and fruit buds. So, if by means of bending you cannot prevent a tree throwing out wood, top it j and pinch off the side buds when they ! are bursting, and it will bud to fruit. The duration and the strength of a tree depend upon an equality existing constantly between its head and its rooots, as well as between the different parts of i its head. Therefore a tree should never be cut back to its main limbs, or to its trunk unless there be a corresponding deficiency in the roots either from old age or accident. This proves the necessity of pruning very short on transplanting. If one part of the branches by strong growth take the sap destined for the other part, these decline rapidly, and finish by complete decay, in which they do not fail to involve the whole tree. The more a tree is forced into bearing, the more is it exhausted ; but the more it is suffered to put forth wood the more vigorous it is. This principle proves that the more a tree is suffered to become overloaded with fruit-branches the less time it is likely to last, and will probably become barren for two or three years; therefore provide an equal qantity of branches both for wood and fruit The rtsult would be a greater quantity of fruit and a finer quality ; and this annually without injuring the the tree or shortening its duration. These principles are aplicable to all fruit trees In training the espalier, suppose it to be an apple tree : when it is planted, and in the spring, when the buds begin to break, cut the shoots down to within three buds of the bottom; these three buds will send out three shoots, and all the three will take an upright direction. About the middle of January, take the two bottom shoots (one of which will be on one side of the stem or trunk, as it must now be called, and the other on the other side) and place a couple of little stakes to each and tie them so that they may lie in a horizontal direction, suffering the toj> shoot to go on ; but about the latter e»d of January take the top from that ; thus, when winter comes, there will be one upright shoot and two horizontal ones. In the spring, cut off the top short again, leaving five buds ; two of which cut out in order to prevent them from sending out shoots. There will be then two side shoots, and the top shoot will again go on upright. There must now be longer stakes, it ordei to give these side shoots horizontal direction ; but the stakes that serve for the new shoots will serve also for those of last year ; but then, as the shoots of last year will be going on, there must be additional stakes to tie them to. The* next year proceed in the same manner ; and if the work is done carefully, these lateral shoots should be in perfectly regular order; they should be from 7 to 9 inches asunder. The lowest within a few inches from the ground, and the highest according to fancy ; but it is not desirable to carry the tree to a height beyond that of about five or six feet, as their side shoots increase in size and length they need stouter stakes. Espaliers should be planted in rows (if there be a considerable number of them) in a garden ; and they should be 20 feet apart from each other. The crops they bear arc very great compared with standard trees grown en the same spot. Apples ami all trees that arc planted for espaliers, bear upon spurs, Sometimes apples and these other trees will bear upon last year's wood, but generally they bear upon spurs which come out of the sides of the limb itself until it gets to be very large, and afterwards come out of the lower buds of little side shoots, that have been cut off ; and these spurs last for a great many years. Care should be taken that the fruit be gathered carefully as ottentimes a fruit bud is knocked, or rubbed off. The tree bears upon spurs, and there needs no more supbly of limbs or shoots ; therefore the little side shoots thas come ont of the limbs ought to be cut clean out about the latter part of January, unless there be a deficienry of spurs upon the limb; and in that case the little side shoots, should be cut off leaving one bud, or perhaps two of the joints be short, and these will frequently send out spurs. The Becoud ypar after planting, there will be two lateral phoots running horizontally, and one- upright shoot. Each of these lateral shoots will send out two side-shoots near their point and one at their point to go straight forward — that one is to go on but the others must be shortened to one bud. The same thing will happen the next year, when the same operation i* to be performed, and at the same season. Thus at bust there will be a limb ten feet long with spurs from one end to the other One great advantage of the espalier form of training is that the tree is well open to the .sun aud air, and not only that, but offers great advantages as regards the work of pruning One of our oldest authorities on horticulture says: — "In my opinion an acre of ground, well stocked with espaliers, the rows at 10 feet apart, and the rows 20 feet apart in the row, would produce, on an average of years, three times the weight of fruit to be obtained in any other form; 1 ' besides which, the ground between may be cultivated, and anything that does not require to go any height grown. Referring to pruning generally the following should be borne in mind: — If a branch is required to grow outward from the tree prune by leaving the bud to form the branch outward — that is any direction the branch is to qo — let the bud face that direction, never let one branoh touch another as there is often great injury done by friction. Keep the tree well open to the sun and air. Summer pruning should take place about November, when the young shoots are not more than about 8 to 10 inches leng, and it consists in taking off the superfluous ones. It may be done by hand, but it ia less dangerous for those you determine to leave to do it with a pruning- knife. Plums and peaches are better for summer pruning, as they are apt gum if done at any other time. To prune properly a great deal depends on observation and experience, and to give minute instruction would occupy a great space. Different circumstances, of course, require different treatment, but there are certain hints given about which if followed will be found to be of much use. What is more profitable than a well-kept orchard, in this country especially, where fruit is at a high price, and the demand far greater than the supply? Besides this, how pleasant it is in the spring to see the trees in full blossom, and how delicious in the days of " mellow autumn" to watch the ripened fruit. There is beauty and loveliness in an orchard apart from its profit*b' f ne s, and this latter ought to prove an inducement. A few occasional leisure hours, which are often spent to no purpose will, if their labor be properly applied, vetyru a tenfold payment,