PRUNING FRUIT TREES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 143, 19 June 1922, Page 9

PRUNING FRUIT TREES.

OFFICIAL DEMONSTRATION. d hS^tSTp^S' orchard a noon w Blrkdalc ™» Saturday after- _ orehtd^ C 4 i-ef _„-acre _ varia" i„ p, Ir - J' Ha ?»an. "DurnoI Btr_M„ n _ ' ad ' Wh6re the suitable f Ca lT ed out ' was eminently ' voun-^Li f ° r „ the P ur P° Be - furnishing ooerff well -grown trees for practical 7 and _,_.•■ llle haUacre ° f «—» 7 w nti man oran S es displaying a • c_U _ fa2_ WaS a ?°° d,y si « ht ' and ,' Thi „7 t,h u . a PPreciative expressions. • ____?*• W - ,oh is now fill « d laden _-A P^U^ eM of w ell-grow„ trees . laden with fruit, was covered in scruh nine years ago; and planted as the tij tree was gradually c]eared Mark(?t . , year. Wa9 plUCked in the ,ourth , Fr "itgrowers mustered in good force, d?_ nS v ' t^ OS€ Dreßent the P"sifu ' J*„ E " C ' Wa,ton ' and executive of the local Fruitgrowers' Association, and the principal orchardists of the district. Mr. Collard, in dealing with appie, ] peach and plum trees, emphasised the objective in pruning of securing a wellbalanced tree. Though theories diftered, and circumstances such as soil a:d climate had to be taken into consideration experience of the Birkdale disI * ._ - lum to adv °cate the aroption of the method of keeping the trees down. > and clear in the centre. 'a his »vould - allow the picking of the fruit without i knocking the trees about while bearing, an_ without using ladders, and also facilitating spraying. The laterals v.iethc ' main fruiters, and generally the am was to leave three laterals the first year, then six the following year, and eventually up - to a dozen. The highest leader always ; absorbed most sap, and therefore was- - cut back to even up the tree generally jto make the whole shapely. Leaders 1 should be thinned out to prevent the tree ! growing too high, the cut being at an angle of 45 decrees. The cut should ' always be flush with the main stem, to secure a sufficient flow of sap to cover the wound; otherwise the chances wete that the borer would enter through tha dead wood; the borer did not penetrate the sap wood. It was, however, advisable to treat the larger cuts with Stockholm tar or ordinary paint. Speaking of oranges and lemons, he said branches should not be allowed to trail on the ground, for besides being awkward for cultivating around the trunk, facilities were thus afforded for attack by pests and the tree becoming generally dirty.