PRUNING CITRUS TREES. 385 



always remembering to leave sufficient space between 

 each of these fan-like main branches so as to allow a man 

 to crawl through them and get into the middle of the tree 

 to command the inside surface as far as he can reach." 



Open-center System. To meet the demand for a 

 large tree and still make it possible to eliminate the cen- 

 tral upright portion of the tree, a number of systems have 

 been brought forward. The most important of these, and 

 one which is steadily growing in favor is the Open-center 

 System. By this method, the central branches are dis- 

 pensed with and the fruit-bearing branches are confined 

 to the outer zone of branches. When the work is well 

 done the tree top resembles an inverted cone when viewed 

 from above the tree, downwards. 



The system is well described as follows by Mr. C. W. 

 Leffingwell, Jr., manager of the Leffingwell Orchards, 

 Fullerton, Cal.* 



"In the early days of citrus culture in California many 

 lemon-growers did not believe in pruning. At the present 

 time there may be a few who still cling to the idea that 

 nature should be let alone; but nearly all observant grow 

 ers have been forced, by the logic of facts, to the conclu- 

 sion that the lemon tree, in all its varieties, needs pruning, 

 more or less severe, to bring about the best results. 



While the untrained tree grows rapidly and produces 

 heavy crops, the fruit runs largely to culls, and often 

 fails to come to a profitable size. The tree, with its great 

 load of fruit growing at the ends of long limbs, is at the 

 mercy of the winds, and is often split and ruined by the 

 mere weight of its burden. Therefore, it may be true that 

 the lemon tree left to itself will produce heavily, but it is 



Culture of the Citrus in California, pp. 191-196. 

 14 



