78 MANUAL OF GENEKAL AGRICULTURE. 



The usual method of planting is in squares. The trees 

 should not be less than 20 feet by 20 feet apart. 



64. PRUNING FRUIT TREES, VINES AND BUSHES. 



To know how to prune the various fruits, we must 

 know upon what kind of branches each bears its fruit and 

 thj/age of the branches. 



The Age of Branches. Take a pear branch and, be- 

 ginning at the tip, follow it back until you find a point 

 where there is a slight bulge and many tiny scars. This 

 marks the end of one year's growth and the beginning of 

 another. Follow on down the branch and determine its 

 age. In most cases' the age of a branch of a fruit tree can 

 be determined in this way. With many of the vines and 

 bushes these rings are lacking, or are not so noticeable, 

 and the color and condition of the bark is a better guide. 



The Pear fruit bearing habit. The short branches 

 bearing the fruit are called fruit spurs. What are the 

 ages of the various parts of the main branch which bear 

 the spurs? The spurs are each one year younger than the 

 branch upon which they are borne. Why? If an un- 

 branched spur produces a fruit this year, it also produces 

 a vegetative bud at the base of the fruit, which next year 

 continues the growth of the spur and produces a fruit bud 

 in the fall. This causes the zigzag growth characteristic 

 of pear and apple spurs. 



Draw a pear spur and a portion of the main branch, 

 showing : 



1. Annual ring of growth. 



2. Fruit scars. 



3. Fruit. 



4. Vegetative bud. 



How old is this spur? What is the oldest wood on the 

 branch having fruit bearing spurs ? The youngest ? 



Pruning. It usually requires two or more years for 

 a young branch to produce fruit ; such a branch may bear 

 fruit for many years. As a branch grows out year after 

 year, the fruit bearing area moves out also, the older parts 



