i6 



stems. Occasionally cutting the leader back, or heading in, as it is 

 termed, is practiced ; and cutting out one or more of the dead or 

 older leaves at the base is often resorted to. Then again the leaves 

 are pruned by some growers who nip the ends or " head " them in for 

 the purpose of inducing a better growth of fruit. Some gardeners 

 also make a practice of cutting off the leader near the surface of the 

 ground when the plant is small, in which case new leaders are formed. 

 The idea underlying this method of pruning is to get leaders started 

 nearer the base of the plant. 



We ha\e never given this method of pruning an extensive trial. 

 R. L. Walts* found, however, that cutting back vigorous plants at the 

 time of setting, leaving only two or three inches of the stems above 

 ground, decreased the yield and retarded maturity of fruit. He also 

 found that cuttings which are sometimes madeuseof in starting crops 

 produced less fruit than seedlings, but maturity was about the same in 

 each. On the other hand, J. F. C. DuPre' found in his experiments 

 with outdoor plants in the south that tomatoes grown from cuttings 

 mature a better crop than from late seedlings, and]. Troop'"' obtained 

 slightly larger yields from cuttings than from transplanted plants. 

 Our limited experience with cuttings has given unsatisfactory results 

 in greenhouse culture. 



Some growers occasionally allow suckers or axillaries to grow and 

 develop fruit, but this method does not recommend itself to us, since 

 suckers are much weaker than the strong branches which tomatoes 

 naturally form. These axillary branches, or suckers, are, at the best, 

 weaklings and do not obtain much of the general supply of the pro- 

 ducts of absorption and metabolism elaborated in the plant ; and, 

 even when they are encouraged to grow by pruning the Imain 

 shoots or leaders, their growth is weak and the amount of fruit 

 they produce is according to our experience insigniticant. 



In the so-called bronzing of roses which is a peculiar patho- 

 logical effect common to certain leaves located near where a new 

 shoot is appearing, we have an example of a strong, vigorous growing 

 branch robbing an adjacent organ to such an extent that it gradually 

 becomes sickly and eventually dies and falls off. The axillary 



*Tenn. Aj?r. Exp. Sta.jth .Ann. Rpt. 1902. 

 ). So. Car. Agr. Exp. Sta., Bui. No. 16, 1894. 

 2. Ind. .-\gr. Exp. Sta. 13th .Ann. Rpt. 1900. 



