FRUIT CULTURE.-IV. 



RUNING. — As the matter of laying- 

 out the orchards and planting- were 

 ' dealt with under "General Princi- 

 ples," it may be assumed now that 

 the trees is planted, and the ques- 

 tion is, — how prune ? If the average 

 orchardist realized the importance of 

 early pruning, of careful and system- 

 atic shaping of the tree during the 

 first few years of its life, there would 

 not be so much injurious slashing and 

 butchering of bearing trees. Direct- 

 ly the tree is planted its future shape 

 and habit should be formed to a cer- 

 tain extent. Severe cutting back 

 has got to be accomplished with the 

 newly-planted tree that the top may 

 correspond with the shortened roots, 

 but let the cutting back be on some 

 system. There are two types to be 

 aimed at, the one represented in Fig. ^^■ 



15, of the open and spreading char- 

 acter ; the other in Fig. 16, that 

 where the leading shoot of the 

 young tree is trained up. This latter plan 

 gives a stronger and a better tree, but the 

 form is not practicable with all varieties. 

 In such a plan the leader is selected and 



trained from the start as in Figs. 17 and 18, 

 the other branches being shortened back so 

 as eventually to form a well-balanced head. 

 In the other plan three or four branches are 



Afy 



Bailey 



^ -^^i/WM!^ 



allowed to form a head and the centre is 

 kept more open. Great care should be 

 taken in shaping the top, not to allow the 

 formation of a crotch. A tree of that kind 



