138 Appendix. 



for its best develcpment. needs ample li,a;ht, other conditions being favoi-;ible. tliat 

 bud or bi'ancli tliat lias the best light I'elation will make the best growth. 

 The best light relation normally is to tie found al)out the top and outside of 

 I he ti-^e's head. As a result of this better light relation growth begins earlier 

 in tlie spring and continues later in the fall. The terniina! Inids are tlie 

 last to g.) into the resting stage: the lateral ones, and especially those well 

 in toward (he center, start last and stop first. The growth impulse gi'adually 

 weakens in these inner twigs and shoots and many of them yield to their fellow 

 lu'ancbes on the outside. This process even goes to such an extent that many 

 l)uds upon tlie inner and lower branches fail to develop into shoots at all. and 

 still fui'tlier. the lower buds ui)on a thrifty growing outside shoot often remain 

 dormant. Thus it is. that, practically, only the later formed buds of a season 

 are the ones that develop into new parts. Another of the active influences in 

 the tree's growth is the water and mineral matter supplied by the roots. This 

 supply as it is forced cr drawn upward through the tissues of the stems and 

 branches, endeavors to follow the lines of least resistance. T'sually a straigiir 

 line offers the best course, hence, we commonly see the erect, straight liranches or 

 shoots growing fastest, and we come to think of tlie chief growth of si tree 

 as being upward and outward. If the tree is crowded l)y its fellows, its l.-itcral 

 light relations will be poor, and accordingly growth will l)e chiefly upward. 



A.11 this results in wluit amounts to being a struggle for existence. Every 

 l)ud and liranch is using its best effort to get the best light and food supply. Some 

 must yield liy either becoming dormant or dying after a brief existence. Tliis 

 is nature's way of pruning. We see splendid examplis of the process in thickets 

 of young firs, and in tlu' dense tops of old maples or evergreens. The lessons 

 that nature would have us learn from these examples are that ijruning should 

 be such ;is to remove those shoots which are not in position to do the best ulti- 

 mate service ; that the removal of some branches is necessary to the best de- 

 velopment of others : that thinning of the wood growth is necessary because 

 more buds are formed and more twigs are started thay can find light and space 

 for successful development ; that the .iudicious removal of undesirable or po(u-ly 

 located sh(,ots in their earliest stages of growth, is econ.jmy (.f lal)or and 

 material (plant energy.) 



Hence, reUK.ve undesirable wood, as far as pcssible, while it is small, 'this 

 does not imply that large branches may not be taken off whenever found to be 

 undesirable, but it does imply that such removal means a greater loss of the 

 l)lanfs ener;jy. 'J'bis view of pruning and training calls for a full knowledge 

 of the individual types of trees, their characteristic forms of growth and a 

 comprehensive understanding of the requirements of economic plant culture. 



If a young apple tree has been received from the nursery as a "switch" 

 (U- "stick" one year old, there will be little pruning to l)e done at the time 

 of planting out, save cutting back the top to correspond with the loss of root 

 system made necessary by removal from the nursery row. and the trimming of 

 wounded roots. Should the tree to be planted be of two or m<.re years, as is 

 too frequently recommended by nurserymen and dealers, then the whole top 

 should be removed to such ;in extent as will correspond with the .imount at' 

 roots cut away. 



The writer recommends only one-year-old trees for general t ransplating. A 

 one-year-old tree is small : it does not suffer so severe a check upon removal 

 from the nursery as an older tree. Leas cutting back, relatively, is necessary 

 at setting cut. The wounds made are smaller and accordingly heal over more 

 readily, allowing less opportunity for alt.ick by injurious fungi. As an evidence 

 of the importance of this point, the size of the wounds, it may be stated tiiat 

 "ommon olservation throughout the W'illaiuelte Valley during the past few 

 ye.-irs has pointed out the great loss that has occurred among plantations of 

 prunes, in particular, through injudicious pruning at setting out time, or, pos- 

 sibly, to the lack of care in attending to the wounds made at the time of cut- 

 ting back. At the time of setting out. usually late fall or early v>'inter. the young 



