I studied horticulture when I went to college, so I become interested when I read verses like this in the scriptures:  “Wherefore lay to with your might and call faithful laborers into my vineyard, that it may be pruned for the last time.”  (D&C 39:17).  Over 60,000 missionaries are out pruning right now, and Church authorities think that number is on its way to 80,000.

Three days ago I finished Marjorie’s and my online missionary applications, and clicked the “submit” button.  Tonight we have a pre-mission interview with the bishop.  We’re going to be part of that pruning crew.

Yesterday I read this:  “For thou art called to prune my vineyard with a mighty pruning, yea, even for the last time.”  (D&C 24:19).

I said to Marjorie, “Maybe we’d better pack our pruning saw and pruning shears and take them along with us.”

February is the best time to prune, when the coldest weather is past, and before the sap starts to flow in the spring.  The wounds on the tree that are made by pruning won’t bleed so much if the tree has a little time to heal before the sap starts to flow.

In our yard there is a red delicious apple tree that was planted by my mother exactly 50 years ago.  I’ve pruned it sporadically and inadequately in the past.  Last fall it had scads of apples.  They were smaller than they should have been—due to my inattention—but they were really good.  I picked several big boxes full, and this spring I’m still dicing one up on my cereal every morning.  I’ve enjoyed them very much.  I decided to do a good job pruning my apple tree this spring so that this fall someone could enjoy some nice, big, luscious, red delicious apples.

As a side note, Marjorie suggested that we put all of our grandkids in that pruned tree this spring and take a picture.  It can be a picture of our “family tree” that we can take with us on our mission.  The tree even has 10 limbs.  We can assign each family a limb.

I pruned the tree heavily a few weeks ago.  As I worked I noted that the Lord’s analogy comparing His work to pruning is a very good one.  The same principles apply to both jobs.

When pruning a tree, no more than 1/3 of the wood should be removed in any one season lest the tree be so injured that it become damaged and have a difficult time recovering.  “Pluck not up the tares while the blade is yet tender…lest you destroy the wheat also.  (D&C 86:6).

About four years ago when I began working at the Boise Temple I watched as a vineyard was being prepared and planted along the freeway in the Fruitland, Idaho area.  The grape vines all began vigorously growing.  Trellises were built.  The grape vines were pruned and trained along the trellises and tied to the wires.  Nets were put over the rows of grapes to protect them from the birds.  The rows were neat and weed-free.  It was a beautiful, well-cared-for vineyard.  No expense was spared establishing the vineyard.

Yesterday as I drove by I was shocked to discover that the young vineyard had been bulldozed!  It was just going into production.  What had happened?  All that I can surmise is that it was an unprofitable enterprise, and that someone determined the ground could be better used for some other purpose.

It makes me sad to see that beautiful vineyard destroyed.  That’s surely the way the Father feels when the vineyard upon which He’s worked so hard and so carefully proves unproductive and unprofitable.  Sometimes all that can be done is to bulldoze the ground and replant a more profitable crop.  Wars, tsunamis, earthquakes, famines, and pestilences are the heavy machinery the Lord uses when it becomes necessary to start over.

I worry about this wicked world.  I worry that heavy machinery might be necessary to clean up the worst areas; but because there are now so many righteous saints scattered about in nearly every area, the Lord is calling for a “mighty pruning” instead of bulldozers.  He wants to preserve the wheat.

As we prune the trees, our objective is to make big fruit.  In the case of peaches that’s accomplished by thinning.  Following bloom, after the fruit has set, it’s necessary for us to get into the orchard and go down every limb.  We remove any deformed or small fruits, and even take away many of the others.  We space each little, remaining green peach about a hand’s width from its neighbors.  All the rest are removed.  That spacing leaves just enough nourishment and room for each remaining peach to develop, be unblemished, and to ripen.

When we’re pruning our apple trees in February, it’s necessary for us to look ahead to summer and visualize the trees when they’re all leafed out.  We want to develop trees that are open in the center, and with each limb receiving a maximum amount of light.  If one limb is shading another, one of them has to come out.  Make all of your cuts right up flush with the trunk.  Don’t leave any ugly stubs.  The stubs will gouge you when you’re mowing the lawn, and they’ll also sprout new and useless limbs.  Remove the limb completely.

Begin by taking out any dead wood.

Next look for the big cuts that need to be made.  We’ll eventually go down every branch to prune out unwanted sprouts; so if you’ll begin by taking out any big limbs that need to be cut, you’ll avoid micro-pruning a big limb that you just end up taking out in the end.

Take out any limbs that go straight up.  We want to avoid loftiness.  The lofty limbs shade everything below them, and you can’t position your ladder where you can pick their fruit anyway.  Any fruit produced on a limb going straight up hangs against the branch, constantly rubs on the branch in the wind, and becomes blemished.

Take out any branches that go straight down, too.  The fruit rubs against the limb, and it’s being shaded by the branch that it sprouted from.  We don’t need any branches that are heading for the ground, and that refuse to expose themselves to the light.

Remove any branches that have a bad angle, and that will break when they get loaded with the weight of ripe fruit.  We want to leave only good, strong branches.

Remove any branches that try to grow back across other branches or across the open center of the tree.  Remember that we’re trying to open up the tree so that each branch receives a maximum amount of light.  We don’t need any branches that confuse the objective, or that are interfering with other branches and decreasing their productivity.

Once you’ve made the big cuts, then you can begin going down each remaining branch and remove branchlets.  Follow the same principles.  Remove anything going straight up or straight down, or limbs that have a bad angle of that are going awry.  Visualize the branch as it will look when it’s loaded with fruit.  We want branchlets that stick straight out from the limb so that the fruit will hang out in the open air and not rub on anything.

It’s difficult to remove too much wood, but limit yourself to no more than 1/3.  If the tree hasn’t been pruned for many years it’s tempting to take out more.  In such cases you may have to extend your pruning over a two- or three-year period.

If you have a space in your tree where there are no branches at all, it’s possible to pick a promising branch and train it to grow over into that space by using a spacer, or by tying it with a cord.  As the branch grows in diameter and adds wood, it will become firm in its position, and the spacer or cord can be removed.

When you’re all done, and when the tree has leafed out, it will be beautiful.  You won’t notice the cuts.  There won’t be any stubs to run into.  It will look neat and comely and cared-for.  Your kids and grandkids will enjoy climbing in the tree.  You’ll have a huge sense of satisfaction at having done something well, and best of all, you’ll have loads of big, luscious fruit.  You’ll be able to “lay up of the fruit of (your) vineyard unto (your) own self against the season, which speedily cometh.”  (Jacob 5:76).

“Wherefore, go to,” the Lord said, “and call servants, that we may labor diligently with our might in the vineyard.”  (Jacob 5:61).

The fifth chapter of Jacob is a clever piece of writing about pruning a vineyard.  It’s the longest chapter in the Book of Mormon.  It’s 77 verses long.  We’re currently at the beginning of the 74^th verse, and are about to finish the chapter and the job.  There are now 60,000 servants working in the vineyard, and they’re “few” according to verse 70.  But “the Lord of the vineyard (is laboring) with them, and (they’re obeying) the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things.”  (v. 72).

It’s going to be a privilege to be a part of the pruning crew.  I expect to be able to use the principles of horticulture that I learned in college as I work with the other servants and with the Lord of the vineyard.  Our calling is to maximize the light that reaches every limb so that it can produce good fruit.