Pruning Fruit Trees

March 25, 1936  Mama and I pruned trees in the garden.  Mary ironed the wash.

 Cornelius and his wife Margaret pruned fruit trees in the orchard, which they called “the garden.”  They had peaches, cherries, mulberries, and a pear tree that always bloomed beautifully but never produced any fruit.  It was important to have fruit trees so that they would have fruit for eating fresh, for canning, and for jelly and jam.  If they did not grow their own fruit, then they would have to buy fruit from individuals who would bring a truckload of boxed fruit from out of state to sell in the community, which was expensive. 

Mulberries make a delicious pie, and there were many of them, so the children could eat all the mulberries fresh that they wanted