PRUNING THE TREE AT PLANTING U3 



stronger tree than can be had by growing a considerable number of 

 leaders, all starting from near the point where the tree was headed 

 at planting, which was common in earlier California practice. Such 

 leaders crowd each other at the point of emergence from the stem, 

 and when laden with fruit, sway outward and break out at this 

 point. A vastly stronger tree is secured by starting but four or 

 five branches from the low trunk and letting them emerge from 

 different sides of the stem, and at different levels, as will be described 

 presently. 



HOW TO SECURE THE COMMON VASE FORM 



For the benefit of the inexperienced reader, it will be well to 

 illustrate the steps by which the form of tree so widely prevailing 

 in this State is attained. 



Cutting Back at Planting. This has been already mentioned as 

 essential to strong growth of the transplanted tree. It is also the 

 prime act in securing a tree with a low head and strong branches. 

 Formerly trees were cut back farther than desirable and the 

 branches allowed to crowd each other, as has just been stated. It 

 is better to attain twenty-four inches of stem than twelve inches 

 providing care is taken during the first summer to prevent, by 

 pinching, the growth of too many branches near together. Allow 

 those to grow which are more distant from each other on the stem 

 and pinch the intervening shoots. In this way one can have the 

 lowest branch at six inches from the ground in the hot valleys if 

 desired, or twelve inches in the coast valleys, and the highest branch 

 at eighteen or twenty-four inches. This gives about twice the 

 distance between the main branches which was formerly allowed, and 

 it is of vast advantage to the strength of the tree. The illustrations 

 of this fact on preceding pages are from trees planted by the writer 

 in 1887 to test the matter. At this date they are large trees and 

 show the forms of heads resulting from different spacing of branches 

 on the young trees during the first summer's growth. 



First, then, cut back the tree just after planting, as shown in the 

 engraving, deciding first at which height you wish trees to form 

 heads, and cut them all back as uniformly as possible and still secure 

 a good bud just below the point of cutting. To preserve these buds 

 the trees should be handled carefully while removing from the 

 nursery and during planting. 



If the tree has already grown laterals in the nursery where the 

 head is desired, three or four of these properly placed on the stem 

 may be selected to form the main branches, shortened in to the sound 

 bud nearest the stem, and other laterals, not desired to form the 

 head, removed. This treatment is shown in the engraving of a young 

 peach tree well branched in the nursery. If all the laterals on the 

 young tree have been trimmed up above where the head is desired,. 

 as is sometimes the case, it may be necessary to remove the whole 

 top, and usually others will start below afterwards. If there are no 

 buds visible on the stem at the place where the head is desired, the 



