YOUNG TREES 135 



Actual Pruning. — Now let us sally forth 'with our newly- 

 acquired pruning tools and do some actual pruning. Every 

 different tree will prove to be a different problem. This is one 

 thing that makes pruning interesting. Two of these problems will 

 suffice for illustration. 



Young Trees. — The first is the j'oung tree. Like training 

 children this is the most important and difficult stage. At the 

 time of setting, the tree is given a severe pruning as outlined in 

 chapter four. For several years thereafter something like the 

 following program is followed : 



Fii'st. — The head of the tree is examined to see that the main 

 branches are satisfactoiy in number and in position. With the 

 vase form tree there ought to be from three to five of these main 

 scaffold branches and they should be well distributed about the 

 tree, not coming out at the same height and not too many of them 

 on any one side. This is a more serious problem than some miglit 

 think, particularly Avith certain varieties such as the Wealthy 

 apple, -which do not tend to form good heads naturally. It will 

 require ten times the effort on this one point to shape up satis- 

 factorily a block of Wealthy trees that it will to develop a similar 

 block of Mcintosh trees. It is well worth while to look after this 

 matter of main branches during the growing season, and it ought 

 to be settled as early in the life of the tree as possible. Yet with all 

 one's care it often happens that branches will not develop in the 

 right place at the start, and the pruner must keep at the tree until 

 he gets a reasonablj^ satisfactory top. Frequently he has to fore- 

 go a scaffold branch at one point and tram out secondary branches 

 from adjoining main branches to supply the deficiency. With 

 leader and modified leader trees the problem is different but it is 

 still one of the arrangement of the main branches so that they 

 may be well developed and spaced about the central shaft. 



Second. — Examine the leaders, particularly in the top of the 

 tree, and shorten them in, if they need it, as they may if they are 

 running high. In most cases the side leaders may be allowed 

 to grow as much as they will, for at this stage one wants to develop 

 a good big tree. It is only with such sprawling growers as the 

 Burbank plum that one needs to head back the side leaders. 



