EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 



371 



Assuming that a one-year-old tree has been planted and headed at the de- 

 sired height, the growth the season after planting will usually consist of an 

 almost upright branch produced from the uppermost bud, and of four or five 

 shorter ones arising from lower buds. If so, two or three of them*, well dis- 

 tributed about the trunk, should be selected in addition to the uppermost 

 one, and the others removed. In cutting or heading back these branches, 

 it should be borne in mind that the longest branch of a group has the advan- 

 tage and will make correspondingly more growth the following season. 

 Since it is desirable to develop the uppermost branch into a leader for several 



Figure 11. A two-year-old Bartlett 

 pear being trained as a modified leader 

 tree. The pruning has been light. 



Figure 12. A two-year-old sweet 

 cherry showing modified leader sys- 

 tem of training. Note that more 

 scaffolds are selected each year than 

 for the apple. 



years, it must be left a little longer than the scaffold branches. The amount 

 of cutting back depends upon the amounts of growth produced. Usually in 

 Michigan it will simply consist in cutting back sufficiently to give the leader 

 some advantage in length. If a good, vigorous growth has been produced 

 the first year, one should leave the lateral scaffold branches 15 to 24 inches 

 long, and the central upright one 20 to 30 per cent longer. 



The following winter the leader should be treated in much the same man- 

 ner as just described for the year previous. The scaffold branches will prob- 



♦Trees may be expected to attain large size more rapidly if a larger number of branches are left 

 temporarily. 



