184 Journal of the Department of AGRictJLTuRE. 



for the flow of su]). It must alf^o be borne in mind that the more 

 upright a shoot is the stronger will be the growth, and the likelihood 

 of it bearing fruit is reduced ; the nearer a shoot approaches the 

 horizontal so its vigour diminishes and its fiuiting possibilities 

 increase. 



Bearing these facts in mind when pruning fruiting trees -he risk 

 of cutting away useful wood is minimized. The following reasons are 

 advanced in support of annual winter pruning : — 



(a) To maintain the shape of trees and prevent overcrowding of 



branches. 

 (h) To regulate the amount of light throughout the trees. It 

 nalurally follows that where loaders are crowded together at 

 the to}) of trees light is witliheld from weaker growths lower 

 down; consequently they never mature, but perisli. Fruit 

 inferior in size and colour is due to lack of light ; over- 

 shadowing is also responsible for barren lengths of wood 

 being retained close to the main stems for the sake oE the 

 new wood on them further out. 



(c) To produce fruiting wood and renew vv^orn-out portions. This 

 is essential if good quality fruit is desired, as in many 

 instances the new wood is the most productive. The removal 

 of old and barren wood tO' force new growths must always 

 be borne in mind. In spur-bearing trees, spurs often sub- 

 divide and lack vigour ; these require shortening back. Some 

 apples, such as Jonathan, Rome Beauty, Northern Spy, 

 Cleopatra, and in pears Bon Chretien, produce fruit buds on 

 the terminals of short laterals. If they are left unpiuned 

 very little wood growth is made, but spurs are developed 

 closer into the main stem for fruiting during subsequent 

 years. 



(d) To increase size and regulate production of fruit. It 



naturally follows that the fewer fruits there are on a tree 

 the better the size and quality will be. Advantage is taken 

 of this fact when reducing the amount of bearing wood at 

 pruning time, and, later on, when the crop has set, 

 "thinning" is resorted to, so that the remaining fruits 

 receive a larger share of the nourishment absorbed by the 

 tree. Exhaustion is prevented and regular crops are secured. 



(c) To assist in carrying out cultural operations at minimum 

 expense, low-headed trees, whose main arms and branches 

 rise obliquely from the stem, are more easily cultivated than 

 trees with horizontal branches; trees with branches built 

 high enough to permit animals passing underneath sacrifice 

 all the conveniences and economies which determine profit in 

 a commercial orchard. In dealing with the pruning of trees 

 in bearing it may he advisable to draw attention to what 

 appears to be the most common error in this phase of fruit 

 culture, tliat is, the density of heads of trees. It is a mistake 

 one can easily fall into, especially when the non-setting of 

 fruit has been attributed to frost or other contingencies. 

 However, when trees are built up on the low-head system 

 these corrections are speedily made with practically no loss 

 of symmetry. 



(A further instalment, dealing ivitJi certain varieties of fruit 

 trees, will appear in neitt vionth's Journal.) 



