Page 22 



BETTER FRUIT 



January 



Study of Fruit-Bud Formation — Relation to Pruning 



WHAT often amounts to one of the 

 most difficult problems that con- 

 fronts the orchardist is thai of 

 securing a good amount of bloom in the 



orchard. In many eases it seems almost 

 impossible to secure blossoms in trees 

 that have reached the age at which they 

 should begin bearing. Trees eight or 

 ten years of age, that have never borne 

 even a partial crop, are only too 

 familiar to many fruit growers. 



Not only do we have difficulty with a 

 failure to produce fruit buds, but often- 

 times in our old orchards we are 

 troubled with their overproduction. 

 Trees Jow in vigor will often produce 

 so many fruit buds that the tree is 

 simply a mass of bloom in the spring, 

 but lacks the ability to set and mature 

 a crop of first-class fruit. Especially 

 is this true of old pear and prune trees. 



A third condition which the orchard- 

 ist has to combat, and which is closely 

 linked with fruit-bud formation, is that 

 of alternate bearing in many varieties 

 of apples and pears. Many fruit buds 

 are formed one year, with such a heavy 

 crop of fruit following that apparently 

 the whole energies of the tree are ex- 

 pended in maturing the fruit, and no 

 fruit buds are formed for the following 

 year. Consequently, a heavy crop is 

 followed by no crop at all, and the 

 orchard, instead of producing a fair 



BUY AND TRY 



By J. R. Magness, Assistant in Research Laboratory, Oregon Agricultural College 



crop year after year, produces very 10 to 15 inches in length. If these 

 heavily, but only once in two years. short shoots are .systematically cut 



Tor a number of years, investigations from young trees of certain varieties, 

 have been carried on at the Oregon Ex- 

 periment Station to determine where 

 fruit buds are formed on different kinds 

 of fruit trees and for different varie- 

 ties; the time of the first appearance of 

 flower parts in the buds in different 

 positions; and the conditions in the tree 

 that are associated with, and which 

 apparently control fruit-bud formation. 

 It is proposed to present in this article 

 some of the things that have been 

 learned in regard to fruit buds, in order 

 that the troubles in connection with 

 fruit-bud formation may be more readi- 

 ly dealt with. 



The first subject to consider is that 

 of the positions of fruit buds in the 

 different kinds of fruit trees. Apples 

 and pears may be considered together, 

 since their methods of fruiting are al- 

 most identical. By far the greatest 

 number of fruit buds in mature trees of 

 all varieties are borne on spurs. The 

 terminal bud on the spur produces the 

 flower parts, an entire cluster of 

 flowers being formed in a single fruit 

 bud. During the following season, if 

 fruit is produced from the fruit bud, 

 one or more leaf buds will develop at 

 the sides of the spur at the base of the 

 flower cluster. These leaf buds con- 

 tinue the growth of the spur, and will 

 usually form fruit buds during the sea- 

 son following the one in which they are . 



formed. Thus a spur normally pro- nrriTTII PTQ T T 11 

 duces fruit buds every other year. This J* A|&X"AII t* Xadxl!! 

 varies greatly, however, for fruit buds 



it may delay the time of bearing very 

 materially. 



In the case of cherries, the fruit is 

 borne mainly on spurs. Each spur is 

 terminated by a leaf bud, about which 

 a number of fruit buds are grouped. 

 The leaf bud continues the growth of 

 the spur year after year, so the cherry 

 spur is straight, and unbranched. Nor- 

 mally, fruit buds will be formed on the 

 spur every year. A small amount of 

 fruit in most varieties is also produced 

 from buds on the one-year wood. When 

 such buds are formed, they are usually 

 toward the base of the shoot, rather 

 than near the terminal, as in apples 

 and pears. Consequently, they will 

 usually not be removed by a winter 

 heading back. 



In prunes and plums, considerable 

 variation occurs as to the proportion of 

 the buds borne in different positions. 

 In prunes and other European-Ameri- 

 can varieties of plums, most of the fruit 

 buds are borne on spurs. The spurs are 

 terminated by a leaf bud, which makes 

 a certain amount of growth each year. 

 The fruit buds are produced in the axils 

 of the leaves along the new growth 

 made by the spur. So what the spur 

 really amounts to is a short shoot, with 

 fruit buds in the axils of the leaves. In 

 most varieties, a few fruit buds are pro- 



White 

 River 

 Flour 



MAKES 



Whiter, Lighter 

 Bread 



Driver Agents Wanted 



Drive an<l demonstrate the Bush Car. Pay for 

 your commissions on ealeB. My ageDt^Bren".*"' 



FivcPass.,34.7 H.P.« t 35iSK tires 



mentsare prompt. 

 Bush Carfl guar- 

 anteed or money 

 back. 1918 models 

 ready. 



Write at once for 

 my 43-pafre cata- 

 log and all partic- 

 ulars. Address J. 

 -^ H. Bust). Free. 

 Detco Ignition— Elect. Stg. & Ltg. Dept. 1-MN 



BUSH MOTOR COMPANY, Bush Temple. Chicago, Illinois 



may be formed every year, or a spur 

 may go a number of years and never 

 form them. Whether or not they are 

 formed depends very largely upon the 

 nourishment they receive. 



Buds in another position which often 

 form flower parts in many varieties, 

 especially while the trees are young, 

 are those formed in the axils of the 

 leaves along the current season's 

 growth. Such buds are of great im- 

 portance in certain varieties. Much of 

 the first crops of such varieties of pear 

 as Bartlett and Winter Nelis, and of 

 such apples as Jonathan and Wagener, 

 is produced from them. Other varie- 

 ties show very few such buds. It is 

 also of interest to note that when 

 flower parts are formed in buds in this 

 position, they are almost invariably out 

 toward the terminal portion of the 

 shoot. This is very important from the 

 standpoint of winter pruning, for a 

 severe heading back in these trees will 

 oftentimes almost entirely remove the 

 bloom crop for the following year. 



The last position to consider in 

 which fruit buds are borne on apples 

 and pears is at the terminals of snoots 

 too long to be classed as spurs. This 

 occurs to a greater or less degree in 

 practically all varieties, and is of much 

 importance in some, especially while 

 the trees are young. In Yellow New- 

 towns, for example, much of the first 

 fruit is produced at the ends of shoots 



100 lbs. salmon in brine, shipping weight 



165 lbs $11.00 



Smoked salmon, 20 lbs. net 3 25 



Dried True codfish, 10 lbs 1 75 



Ask for our fresh and cured fish price list. 

 T. A. BEARD, 4322 Winslow Place, Seattle, Wash. 



Things you should know about the 

 State now contributing to the welfare of 

 the Nation a greater variety ofproducts 

 than any other. Of all F lorida' s many 

 great industries, citrus fruit growing is 

 the largest. Ours are the largest ex- 

 clusively citrus nurseries in the vorld. 

 If you own or think of buying land in 

 Florida, write for" Florida Facts", frea 



Buckeye Nurseries, 



1214 CITIZENS BANK TAMPA. FLA. 



^Q 



This'Better Crops Book 

 Was Written ForTrbu. 

 It's Free 

 Send a 

 Postal 

 For 

 It. 





This book 

 gives highly 

 interesting and practical 

 information about tillage. 

 We want you to have a 

 copy— and ii you wish a 

 complete "Cutaway" 

 catalog to arrive with it, 

 just write, "Send your 

 book and catalog". 



The Cutaway 



Harrow Co., 

 72 Main St. 

 Higganum.Conn. 



a\ Makers of the orig- 

 ■0i\ inalCLARK D,st 

 Harrows & Plows. 



WHEN WRITING ADVERTISERS MENTION BETTER FRUIT 



WHEN WRITING ADVERTISERS MENTION BETTER FRUIT 



