SEASON FOR PRUNING 181 



ing -in of young trees to check too long and 

 slender branches. It is doubtful if an occasional 

 heading -in has much effect in developing fruit - 

 bearing. It should no doubt be an accustomed 

 practice, if employed at all for this purpose. 



There is no question that heading -in the ter- 

 minal growths tends to develop short spur- 

 like branches in the interior of the top; and the 

 tendency of such branches is to develop fruit - 

 buds. However, it is a question if this result 

 is not an advantage to training rather than to 

 the ultimate productiveness of the tree. That 

 is, it concentrates the fruit in a smaller space; 

 but if the top is allowed to take its natural 

 course, it will probably develop as great pro- 

 lificacy as if it is headed- in. It is often a dis- 

 tinct advantage of heading- in that it tends to 

 develop fruit -bearing early in the lifetime of the 

 plant. As a matter of practice, the writer believes 

 that the value of heading- in as a means of induc- 

 ing fruit-bearing has been overestimated. 



16. The season in which pruning is done has 

 some influence on fruit -bearing, for winter 

 pruning tends to produce wood, whereas 

 summer pruning does not. 



Plants which are cut in midsummer, or later 

 in the growing season, seem to have the power 

 to adjust themselves to the new conditions dur- 

 ing the same season (page 156). That is, the 



