THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



251 



iug, and as a general rule the owner of tlie orchard did not realize that 

 it was necessary to follow up this one pruning with a thinning out and 

 adjusting of linil)s in the tree which had been started by the first 

 vigorous pruning, cutting back those limbs which had grown in proper 

 places to add to the framework of the tree, of which I will speak later. 

 These expert pruners seemed to have but one idea, and that was to 

 prune for shape, cutting off lower limbs so as to enable one to cultivate 

 under the tree. Some of them held that their method of pruning would 

 make the tree bear its fruit inside, which would have been the ease, if 

 the cuts had been made right and the growth properly adjusted in the 



Fig. 81. — Young lemon tree cut back to 

 32 inches, ready for crowning. (Original.) 



tree. They also advised cutting the side limbs to keep the teams from 

 rubbing against and breaking the tree. Shape seemed to be the pre- 

 dominating idea, vase shape, goblet shape — a shape with hollowed center, 

 called the Borneo system. I would rather take a bright intelligent 

 j^oung man who could not tell a lemon tree from an orange tree and 

 teach him to prune than to employ any of these so-called experts. 



After more than twenty-seven years' experience with the lemon tree 

 I have observed this : that it is a case of building. The lemon tree has 

 to be watched closely and built up, year by year, and deck by deck. It 

 is almost impossible to tell any one how to prune unless there is some 



