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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



able than those headed high. A head 

 which is two and one-half to three feet 

 from the ground is at present considered 

 more desirable than one which is six feet 

 or more from the ground. The latter 

 height was formerly frequently used. In 

 forming the head care should be taken 

 to have the framework branches disposed 

 at different heights along the body of the 

 tree — say from three to six inches apart, 

 and distributed as evenly as possible 

 around the body as a central axis; that 

 is, when viewed from above the picture 

 presented would be that of a wheel, the 

 hub being the central axis of the tree and 

 the framework branches representing the 

 spokes. 



JIain Brandies 



For an apple tree three branches are 

 considered the ideal number. More may 

 be left upon some varieties, particularly 

 those which are strong growers and upon 

 trees which have a well-developed root 

 system at planting time. If, however, the 

 roots have been badly mutilated in re- 

 moving the tree from the nursery, it will 

 be safer to reduce the number to three 

 rather than to maintain a larger number 

 These three main framework branches 

 upon the ordinary first-class nursery tree 

 should not be more than 10 or 12 inches 

 In length. At the close of the first sea- 

 son's growth after planting, each of these 

 three framework branches should be con- 

 sidered as though it were a separate nur- 

 sery tree, and, if possible, three subdivi- 

 sions of this should be maintained for the 

 wood supply of the second year, the three 

 branches retained being cut back to about 

 the same length as those originally held 

 by the tree as planted in the first place. 

 This operation should be repeated each 

 succeeding year. By so doing a symmet- 

 rical development can be maintained, and 

 by cutting to an outside or an inside bud 

 the habit of the tree can be modified so 

 as to make it upright or spreading in char- 

 acter. Some trees are normally upright 

 in their habit of growth, while others are 

 spreading. This must be borne in mind 

 and the character of the variety under 

 treatment must be taken into considera- 

 tion in cutting the branches, so that they 



will be upright or spreading according to 

 the desire of the planter. 



Effect of Cutting Back 



This frequent cutting back of the 

 branches of the tree while it is young pre- 

 vents the long, bare branches which are 

 so characteristic of old orchard trees. It 

 also prevents the tree from growing too 

 tall — a condition which makes it difficult 

 to gather the fruit or spray the tree. With 

 the low-headed trees less propping is nec- 

 essary than with trees having long frame- 

 work branches. The load of fruit is car- 

 ried nearer the trunk, and the main struc- 

 tural branches being larger in proportion 

 to their length are therefore better able 

 to carry any load of fruit which the tree 

 may develop. 



Annual and Biennial Crops 



Judicious pruning, as has been pointed 

 out, not only facilitates the work of cul- 

 tivation and spraying, but at the same 

 time determines to a very considerable 

 extent the fruiting habit of the tree; that 

 is, the quantity of bearing wood which a 

 tree carries can be modified by pruning so 

 that it will be practically impossible for 

 the tree to retain more fruits in any given 

 season than the root is capable of sup- 

 plying with a proper amount of nourish- 

 ment. With such a balance between the 

 fruit bearing wood of the tree and its 

 root system maintained, biennial crops 

 will be less likely and annual crops will 

 be more common. Orchardists in general 

 are coming to believe that the reason 

 for the biennial crop in many orchards is 

 due to the fact that during the crop year 

 the trees are allowed to overbear, and 

 that their vitality is therefore so much 

 reduced that it is impossible for them to 

 carry a satisfactory crop the succeeding 

 year. The thinning of the fruit, with the 

 result that a crop is borne each year, has 

 convinced practical growers that over- 

 bearing is the cause of the biennial fruit 

 production. 



Prnning for Fruit 



With fruit trees pruning is important 

 because it can be used for the purpose of 

 checking the growth as well as for the pur- 

 pose of thinning the fruit. It is an old 

 and well established maxim among fruit 



