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April, 1922 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



96 



Pruning Young Fruit Trees 



E. F. Palmer, Vineland Station, Ont. 



THE practice usually advocated in On- 

 tario for young trees, (whether apple, 

 pear, peach or other fruit) until they 

 "come into bearing, has been to give regular, 

 fairly heavy annual dormant prunings on 

 the theory that such pruning induces vigor- 

 ous growth and makes for a larger, stronger 

 tree. Experimental work in England, in 

 the United States and at the Horticultural 

 Experiment Station, Vineland Station, Ont., 

 has shown conclusively, however, that the 

 less pruning the young non-bearing tree is 

 given, the larger, stronger tree it makes 

 and the sooner it comes into bearing. 

 Growth is only apparently induced by 

 pruning. The long, thick, sappy growth in 

 the young tree resulting from heavy prun- 

 ing does not total as much, however, as 

 the normal growth and extension of large 

 and small branches in the unpruned tree. 

 Careful measurements demonstrate this. 



The reason for the unpruned or lightly 

 pruned tree being larger than the tree re- 

 ceiving more severe treatment Is in reality 

 very simple and logical. The soil may con- 

 tain an abundance of plant food, but this 

 "raw" food must first go to the leaves and 

 'be there turned into "manufactured" food 

 ■before the tree can make use of it for fur- 

 ther growth and fruitfulneess. Pruning, by 

 removing part of the possible leaf area of 

 the tree, reduces by just that much the 

 ability of the tree to manufacture plant 

 food, and hence inhibits growth. 



With reference to pruning delaying 

 fruiting, it has lately been shown that be- 

 fore there can be fruitfulness there must 

 be a partial storing up of mantifactured 

 food in the branches, twigs and fruit 

 spurs. This storing up of surplus food 



naturally takes place first in the unpruned 

 tree with its greater leaf surface and the 

 unpruned tree is therefore the first to 

 come into bearing. 



Pruning Recommendation. — Head back 

 the young tree at planting time, as is the 

 present practice, to counterbalance the 

 root pruning incident to transplanting. 

 Limit subsequent pruning of the non-bear- 

 ing tree to the removal of undesirable 

 branches and even then thin out too little 

 rather than too much. Hea4 back a branch 

 only when necessary to shape the tree and 

 then head back preferably to a side branch. 

 Prune lightly, recognizing that light prun- 

 ing for the peach would be moderate 

 pruning for the apple. As the tree reaches 

 maturity and bears heavily, heavier prun- 

 ing will have to be given to maintain a 

 proper supply of new growth. We would 

 appreciate growers writing for further in- 

 formation. 



The snow and wind storm of March 30 

 and 31 did much damage to old orchards 

 in Southwestern Ontario, many trees being 

 badly broken, especially in Brant, Middle- 

 sex and Norfolk. Even young orchards 

 suffered in Norfolk. Very little damage was 

 done in the Niagara District. 



The directors of the Niagara Peninsula 

 Growers, Ltd., last month appointed C. W. 

 Baxter as general manager and J. R. Hast- 

 ings as secretary-treasurer of the organiza- 

 tion. Mr. Baxter is now Fruit Commis- 

 sioner at Ottawa, and Mr. Hastings, Chief 

 Fruit Inspector for Western Ontario. Mr. 

 Baxter's appointment to the position of 

 general manager of the N. P. G., Ltd., fol- 

 lowed the resignation of T. J. Mahony from 

 the post. Mr. Mahony was elected presi- 

 dent in February. 



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