PRUNING 93 



wood. Consequently, by the time our tree has 

 reached the age when it should begin to pro- 

 duce fruit, our annual pruning should be re- 

 duced to a minimum. In practice this age is 

 from six to eight years, and by pruning vigor- 

 ously the first years of the life of the tree we 

 should have at that time a framework capable 

 of holding a good-sized crop. I have repeatedly 

 had seven-year-old Winesap trees that pro- 

 duced seven boxes to the tree. By pruning the 

 trees had been urged to grow vigorously in 

 their early years, then by slowing down on the 

 pruning we had checked wood growth and in- 

 duced the formation of fruit buds. 



During the bearing life of the tree the ques- 

 tion of pruning is one that resolves itself about 

 the general principles which I have already 

 touched upon in several places. It is not a 

 process that can easily be made plain in the 

 brief limits of a short chapter. Books have 

 been written on the subject, books which if 

 taken into the orchard and studied by the hour 

 will not make the whole process plain to you 

 unless you use your own brains a little. If you 

 try to learn about pruning only by reading 

 books you are liable to make a sad failure of 

 the whole business. There are a few simple 

 rules, however, that it is well to know. Many 

 persons can give you these rules, but no one but 

 yourself can ever apply them for you. 



