STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. II3 



forward too much into the air, we are going to get tall growing 

 trees. In that way we sacrifice the tendency of that tree to 

 produce fruit spurs early. Now if we do not prune these trees 

 w^hen they are young the tendency is to produce fruit spurs 

 upon the low branches. As the low branches are growing out 

 and upward the energy of that tree will constantly tend toward 

 the development of fruit spurs upon the lower branches, but 

 if we cut off these lower branches and keep pruning up, the 

 tree is going to shoot up into the air and keep on growing, and 

 will not develop the fruit spur system. So I don't like to prune 

 young trees much of any for four years. At the end of four 

 years we begin to do our pruning, beginning at the top, and 

 cutting out all the branches that are inclined to grow up straight. 

 All the lower branches that are growing in an outward direc- 

 tion are setting up heavy with fruit spurs, and there is no reason 

 why we here in the East cannot under this system of manage- 

 ment get young orchards into bearing in six and seven years 

 profitably. There is where the West has the advantage of us, — 

 they bring in their orchards so much sooner than we do here 

 in the East, their orchards paying them well at five, six and 

 seven years. We may not be able to bring our trees into bear- 

 ing quite as quickly as can be done in the West, but there is 

 no reason why we cannot do it in many years' less time than 

 it takes at present, by this system of heading down our trees, 

 after they begin to get four and five and six years old, stilj 

 leaving the growth upward. Another point, in pruning the lower 

 branches, prune to a bud that is on the upper side. In that way 

 we change the tendency of the lower branch. Instead of grow- 

 ing outward and downward, the tendency will be upward. And 

 by cutting back these lower branches, preventing a too long 

 growth outward and downward, you are strengthening the 

 growth of the branch next to the tree. Every time you prune 

 to this upward bud, you are throwing the growth back and cre- 

 ating a strong branch. And I can actually cultivate my low- 

 headed trees today that are eight and nine years old under this 

 system easier than I can my high-headed trees pruned up four 

 and five feet, because the 'growth in the low-headed trees next 

 the trunk is so strong that it has held the branches up, while in 

 the other case the growth has not been so strong and as they bear 

 the limbs come down close to the ground. We have just as much 



