PRUNING 101 



be much the same as for the following sprhig, althougli the 

 trees may also need some thinning-out again and perhaps 

 some cutting back the following season at the time of dor- 

 mant pruning. The object of summer pruning for these 

 young trees is to balance up the tree and to avoid heavy dor- 

 mant pruning rather than to induce fruitfulness. Trees just 

 reaching bearing age (four to seven years) are sometimes 

 sunnner-pruned to induce fruitfulness and hence the time 

 for the operation is later in the season, about the middle of 

 July, or when the terminal bud begins to form. The cutting 

 is again made where it is desired to force out new laterals 

 and has a tendency on some varieties to bring about fruiting 

 the following season. When this work is done properly, it 

 is claimed that veiy little secondaiy growth will take place 

 and practically no devitalizing effect will result to the trees, 

 as is often the case under the conditions of the East. 



Vincent ^ reports that in a four years ' experiment in Idaho 

 with summer pruning, the results are not entirely consist- 

 ent. With Wagener the increase in yield amounted to HI 

 per cent, with the Grimes 52.8, Jonathan 2.4, and Rome 1.6 

 per cent. The color of the fruit from the summer-pruned 

 trees was superior. 



1 Vincent, C. C. Idaho Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 84. 1915. 



