302 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



these in vase form for three years until 

 we have reached a height of four or five 

 feet, with a top spreading at least three 

 feet, when we should commence the 

 doubling of each of our five branches. 

 We should always attempt to keep all 

 the tops level or nearly so, as the doub- 

 ling commences the third or fourth year. 

 Jleantime there has been more or less 

 branching of small limbs on the main lat- 

 eral limbs. Some of these should be left, 

 but only those that are not showing a 

 strong tendency to produce wood too 

 abundantly. 



In thinning out these trees be sure to 

 leave a few of these cross-limbs both 

 inside and outside, but not so low that 

 they will interfere with close cultiva- 

 tion. 



They should be so left that the upper 

 ones will not shade the lower ones too 

 much, and yet have enough left that the 

 system may be practical, as these 

 branches will produce the first fruit and 

 this puts the fruit farther away from 

 the frame limbs, thus preventing heavy- 

 loss from blight infection as the buds on 

 the hea\T limbs sometimes do. 



Each of these short limbs should be 

 tipped slightly to insure development of 

 all buds on each limb. 



The production of fruit spurs being de- 

 pendent upon the first and second year's 

 development of the bud, it is very neces- 

 sary to allow as much sunlight as pos- 

 sible inside the tree. In many cases 

 there is a strong tendency to over-prune 

 and cut back heavily, which should be 

 avoided as much as possible and yet pro- 

 duce a strong frame work. 



In all normal plants there is a heavy 

 root pressure that is caused by the rapid 

 absorption by root tips of soil water and 

 this is forced upward into the limbs and 

 small branches. This root pressure which 

 can be measured in pounds of pressure 

 must be reckoned with when we cut off 

 the tops of rapidly growing trees and 

 thus increase the pressure in the remain- 

 ing limbs. 



The early fruiting limbs, before men- 

 tioned, help to equalize this increased 

 pressure and help to maintain a better 

 balance between top and roots and hold 



the tree in check more or less. As a mat- 

 ter of fact, these limbs absorb their share 

 of plant food and if not tipped too 

 heavily will set in their second year an 

 abundance of fruit spurs. 



At the end of the second years 

 growth of these side branches, if the buds 

 are prominent on the older part of the 

 limb and look like fruit spurs, the branch 

 can then be cut back to allow only as 

 many blossoms as needed to appear. 

 While the tree has been busy setting this 

 fruit, the tops have been making rapid 

 growth of three or four feet annually, 

 which must be cut back some to prevent 

 the tree arching too near the ground. We 

 should never allow more than three 

 limbs to remain at the tops and two are 

 really better. In all cases of early bear- 

 ing due consideration must be given for 

 future crops and the small amount of 

 fruit we get in the fifth and sixth years 

 is, although commercial, useful in bring- 

 ing the tree into earlier bearing than 

 heavy pruning methods and also does not 

 hinder development as some people fear 

 when the tree is cropped too heavily. 



Our aim from the fifth year on should 

 be to have sufficient two-year-old wood 

 always in readiness to produce an even 

 crop on all parts of the tree. 



This can only be obtained by thinning 

 the branches both inside and outside each 

 year, and after the sixth year topping 

 should not be resorted to in the apple 

 except in exceptional cases and then to a 

 lateral if possible. 



Pears, however, as a general rule, need 

 to be topped annually to prevent termin- 

 al fruits which are of little commercial 

 value. 



Winter pruning is recommended for gen- 

 eral practice, as the work is more satis- 

 factory, can be done quicker and better, 

 as the limbs show their ages better when 

 dormant and as the tree grows older, we 

 should try to cut three and four-year-old 

 wood that is not frame wood, rather 

 than so much young wood on the outside 

 of the tree. 



Summer pruning is very useful in the 

 training of young trees as any low, su- 

 perfluous limbs can be removed, as also 

 any that tend to pull a frame limb out 



