188 THE PRINCIPLES OF PRUNING 



Cascades, where the sun is obscured a large part of the 

 year, and where the moisture conditions are conducive to 

 a large wood growth, would be almost suicidal on the east 

 side of the range, and vice versa. Therefore it will be 

 necessary to adopt a different practice for each side. 



"Let us first observe the conditions prevailing in Eastern 

 Washington. Here we have a long, dry summer, with a 

 fierce, scorching sun and strong, drying winds, with a 

 maximum rainfall of probably less than eighteen inches 

 per annum, followed by a severe winter with fluctuating 

 temperature and sudden changes. In portions of the fruit 

 belt there is barely enough natural moisture in the ground 

 to sustain a tree. Under these conditions who can wonder 

 that trees on the east side come to maturity at an early 

 age, and produce fruit at a time in their lives when they 

 ought to be making wood growth and establishing a 

 strong, healthy frame for future usefulness. And yet con- 

 ditions which at first sight would seem totally unfitted for 

 the production of healthy trees and fine fruit are, with 

 the aid of intelligent cultivation and judicious use of 

 water, made to produce abundantly of the choicest fruits 

 of the earth. 



"There is no question in my mind as to what is the 

 proper method to adopt in pruning our fruit trees on the 

 east side of the mountains. We must prune in winter, and 

 prune hard. The tendency of all our young trees is to 

 run to premature fruiting, cherries carrying a crop of 

 fruit at two years old, and pears and apples bearing full 

 crops at five and six years old. To overcome this ten- 

 dency in our trees we must practice a system of pruning 

 that is conducive to wood and leaf growth, and to dis- 

 courage all forms of summer pruning and pinching. The 

 practice of allowing nature to have her sway in our 

 orchards has been tried and found wanting. A tree left 

 to nature's way will soon become a brushpile in the air. 



"The above practice is recommended for all regions east 



