768 Journal of Agriculture. [lo Dec, 1909. 



Summer Pruning. 



Disbudding and pinching back shoots, so as to further strengthen and 

 •shape the trees and vines, should now be completed, and the work of summer 

 pruning commenced. " Summer' or " Green" pruning is an operation which 

 is not much practised in this State. Generally, the existing opinions on this 

 subject are so vague that, even where it is performed, a small amount of an 

 element of uncertainty is always existent in the mind of the operator. The 

 principle of summer pruning is that the wood growth is reduced, so as to 

 induce increased fruit production for the next season. The unnecessary 

 wood is removed, and the sap is directed into other channels, strengthening 

 •and building up weak or immature fruit buds. 



Summer pruning is exceptionally advantageous to young or to strong- 

 growing trees. Whenever a tree has been heavily pruned during the dor- 

 mant season, a very fair growth of wood will ensue, and this wood is gener- 

 ally strong. To " stop" or summer prune this wood will have a verv 

 beneficial eifect on the productiveness of the tree. Of course, if the growth 

 be excessive and rank, a judicious selection will need to be retained, and the 

 balance disbudded. The result of summer pruning will be that, wherevei' 

 the growing shoot or lateral has been severed, the buds below the cut will 

 receive the full benefit of the sap which previously went to nourish the wood 

 which has been removed. If this operation were performed too early, the 

 bud at the point of severance will merely push its way out, and coatinue the 

 growth. This result is undesirable, as the very object we wish to attain is 

 defeated, the sap being utilized in the production of new wood, and not in 

 the strengthening and enlarging of the fruit buds. Sometimes even this end 

 is desirable, but it is only when tiie lateral has been of an excessively strong- 

 nature, and an extension is desired, though only as a weak growth. Two 

 points to be noted are: — First, the terminal ends of main, secondary and ex- 

 tension limbs should never be cut at summer pruning; secondly, the cut 

 must always be made at a point where a leaf is existent, so that the sap ma}' 

 be furnished and perfected for the whole of the lateral. If the cut be not 

 made at a leaf, the probability is that the tip of the lateral will lose its 

 vitality, and ultimately die, owing to the fact that no foliage exists to draw 

 wad perfect sap for its nourishment. 



A number of problems in fruit production and tree culture are still await- 

 ing solution, and among these is the question as to the value of summer 

 pruning on those trees which are supposed to be biennial croppers, such as 

 the Rymer apple ; or on such trees whose unproductiveness has been 

 charged to the debit account of the stock they are worked upon. It is an 

 accepted fact that unsuitability of stock will result in unproductiveness, but 

 we might pause before we would say that non-production can always be 

 attributed to unsuitable stock. Coe's Golden Drop plum, for example, is a 

 tree that will not bear on an unsuitable stock ; but sometimes trees of tliis 

 variety have only been a partial success as fruit producers, even when on 

 their supjjosedly correct stock. In a case like this summer pruning has been 

 known to produce a marked increase of crop. The illustration shows a nine 

 year old Coe's Golden Drop jilum tree, a typical tree from a number in the 

 orchard of Mr. A. S. Lowe, of Diamond Creek. These trees were never con- 

 sidered good bearers. In January of this year they were summer pruned, 

 with the result that on every tree a very large number of new fruit buds 

 were formed on almost every lateral, and the trees set a heavy crop of fruit from 

 the blossoms shown in the photograph. At pi'esent, the heaviest crop ever 

 known is on the trees. Of coui-se, the year is a good one for plums ; but 

 •even when this hasoccun-ed previouslv, the trees only had medium crops. 



