PRUNING THE LEMON 393 



Chapter XII for deciduous trees. This may be secured by pinching 

 so as not to allow running out of long branches at first, or it may 

 be secured by severe cutting back of the long growths of the young 

 tree. In either case low branches will be secured. Make good 

 selections from these branches to form a symmetrical tree and cut 

 back the growth which comes upon them to cause it to branch in 

 its turn. In this way plenty of good, strong wood is secured low 

 down, and with short distances between the laterals. Strong, up- 

 right shoots (usually called "suckers") which break out at points 

 where branches are not desired, should be rubbed off or cleanly 

 cut away. Haying secured about the right branching in about the 

 right places no strong sprouts should be allowed, and the tree should 

 be encouraged to make smaller laterals, which will be the bearing 

 wood. It must be admitted, however, that this rational plan of 

 restricting wood growth and directing the energies of the tree to 

 fruit has in some cases been pursued too far and the tree has re- 

 sented repression by diminished thrift. The pruner must allow 

 freer growth of shoot to secure better foliage. The pruning of the 

 lemon as of other trees must always be pursued with judgment 

 rather than by recipe. 



When the adequate growth of bearing wood within reach is 

 borne in mind it appears that the pruning of the lemon involves 

 many of the considerations urged in Chapter XII for deciduous 

 fruits; the method of making a strong, short trunk, the arrange- 

 ment of branches, the prevention of long growths, the encourage- 

 ment of low, bearing twigs, the thinning of twigs to prevent the 

 tree from becoming too dense, the points to be observed in cutting 

 back, not by shearing but by treating each branch according to 

 its position and vigor all these must be borne in mind by the lemon 

 pruner. It must also be remembered that the work must be reso- 

 lutely continued and the tree always prevented from wild growth 

 and kept down to bearing on the smaller twigs, which are promoted 

 and retained for that purpose. The building-down process described 

 for the young orange is easily applicable to the lemon. 



Old lemon trees which have been allowed to grow away into a 

 long, rangy form and to bear fruit too high for profit, can be 

 brought down to good form by severe cutting back and after- 

 treatment of the new shoots, keeping the smaller horizontal growths 

 and cutting out cleanly the strong upright shoots, or cutting them 

 back if more branches are needed. The time for pruning the lemon 

 depends upon the end in view; if a young tree, to promote wood 

 growth, prune at the opening of the growing season in the spring; 

 in older trees, to repress growth and advance fruiting, prune in 

 midsummer. 



A very suggestive description of the actual operation, for all 

 those who have lemon trees too high for economical picking and 

 needing renewal of thrift for abundant bearing, is the following: 



While the fruit is off is the very best time for renewal of old lemon 

 trees by heavy pruning of their tops, according to Mr. C. C. Teague, man- 

 ager of the Limoneira orchards in Ventura County. Heavy top cuts made 

 between May 1 and August 15 have been found to induce a vigorous growth 



