16
THE
CHEM AW A
AM ERICAN
THE APPLE THE E—PLANTING
AND PRUNING
R O B E R T S E R V IC E , Clatsop Tribe; Oregon
ACH pupil could grow an apple tree of his own in his
neighborhood. If you should attempt it, suppose
you try the following: In the fall take the seed of an
apple, say the crab apple, it is good to start with,
and keep it in a cool place during the winter. The
simplest way to do this is to bury it in damp sand.
In the spring plant it in a rich loose soil. Good care
should be taken of the young shoot as soon as it appears above the
ground in order to make good your planting. You want to make it
grow as tall and as straight as possible during the first year, hence you
should give it rich soil and protect it from animals. Before the ground
freezes in the fall take up your young tree, with the soil that was around
it, and keep it all winter in a cool damp place.
Now it will not do when spring comes to set out your carefully tend
ed tree, for an apple tree from seed will not be a tree like its parent,
but will tend to resemble a more distant ancestor. The distant ances
tor that the young apple tree is most likely to resemble is the wild ap
ple, which is small, sour, and otherwise far inferior to the fruit we wish
to grow. It makes little difference, therefore, what kind of apple seed
we plant, the tree will not bear the fruit we want, so we have to force
it to do so by a process called grafting.
The apple tree that you grafted should be set out in the spring. Dig a
hole three or four feet in diameter where you wish to grow your tree.
Place the tree in the hole, using every care to preserve all the fine roots;
spread the roots out fully, water them, and pack fine, rich soil firmly
about them. Place stakes about the young tree to protect it from in
jury. If the spot selected is in a windy location lean your tree slightly
toward the prevailing winds.
You must prune your tree as it grows. The object of pruning is to
give the proper shape and to promote fruit bearing. Pruning is one of
the most important and yet least understood crafts that is practiced in
the growing of fruit. Every tree is a rule unto itself and no two trees
can be pruned exactly the same. The pruner should be quick to detect
the weak as well as the strong marks of a variety or individual. He
must be resourceful, and know the nature of the tree. His duty is to
make the best of every individual tree regardless of its condition or shape.
W hen to prune. The best time to prune is either in the winter or be
fore the buds start in the spring. Winter pruning tends to favor wood
i