PRUNING 65 



PRUNING FOR PLANTING 



Pruning- begins with the first day of a tree's ex- 

 istence in the orchard. The trees as they come from 

 the nursery should be pruned before they are 

 planted. This preparation for planting is described 

 in its proper place (page 35), but one of the steps 

 now taken has a very important bearing on the 

 future pruning and development of the tree. This 

 refers to the height at which the head is to be 

 formed. 



Some orchard men prefer high-headed trees, and 

 cases have been known in which this has been inter- 

 preted to mean apple trees with trunks 9 feet, bare 

 up to the first branches. It may be said with the 

 utmost certainty that practical orchard men every- 

 where in America nowadays prefer trees with much 

 lower heads than those in vogue a few years ago. 

 Peaches are almost headed down to the ground, 

 the trees being formed as bushes, and without any 

 free trunks. Plums and cherries also are often 

 pruned in this bush form, and even apples are some- 

 times managed in the same manner. An apple 

 tree with a clear trunk four feet high would now 

 be called a high-headed tree, and 2. l / 2 to 3 feet 

 would be nearer the average of modern good prac- 

 tice. 



This low heading has many very substantial ad- 

 vantages. The low-headed trees are much stronger. 

 As they are also less exposed to such damage, they 

 suffer much less by breakage from winds, sleet and 

 overbearing. The trees can probably be brought 

 earlier into bearing; and though this point is by 

 no means proved, it seems that this difference may 

 be as much as three to five vears in favor of the 



