PRUNING 



neglected, pruning may be the means of reinvigornting 

 them ami setting tliem into a thriftier condition. In 

 such cases it is one of the means of renovating the 

 tree, as tilling, fertilizing and spraying are. 



(3) Heayy pruning of the top tends to produce wood. 

 This is because the same amount of root energy is con- 

 centrated into a smaller 

 amountof top. thereby caus- 

 ing a heavier growth. This 

 is particularly true if the 

 pruning is done when the 

 plant is dormant. -••.-- 



(41 Heavy pruning of the ... , ' - 



root tends to lessen the pro- •'" " .„v>->^' 



duction of wood, because the - - v- -. 



same amount of top receives -..;->:- " 



a less supply of soil water 

 with its content of plant- 

 food. An apple tree (grafted on dn 



(5| Trees which grow only two feet above ll 



much to wood are likely to be 



relatively unproductive. It is an old maxim that check- 

 ing growth induces fruitfulness. so long as the plant 

 remains healthy. If the tree is thrown into redundant 

 growtli every two or three years by very heavy pruning, 

 it tends to continue to produce wood at the expense of 

 fruit. When a tree is to be brought into bearing condi- 

 tion by general good treatment, the aim should be tn 

 keep it in that condition by a relatively light 1iTinu:il 

 pruning. Violent pruning is allowable only when tni-^ 

 have been neglected and it is necessary to brin^ them 

 back into bearing condition or to renew their tops. 



(6) The operator should know where the fruit-buds 

 are borne before undertaking the pruning of any fruit 

 tree; otherwise he may destroy too many of them. If 

 he knows the position of the fruit-buds, he may prune 

 in such manner as to thin the fruit even without the 

 removal of much wood, and thereby to reduce the strug- 

 gle for existence to a minimum. Every species of tree 

 has its own method of fruit-bearing. The penr l^ears 

 its fruit largely on old spurs. The pea.li li.'.ns .m the 

 wood of the last season's growth. In unli r t.. iliin tin- 

 fruit of the pear by pruning, therefor.-, it i^ ii -^;(i-y 



to remove part of the spurs. In the pi-a.-li it is m-i-es- 



year's growth. Each species of plant is a law unto it- 

 self in these regards. 



(7) Heading-in tends to promote fruitfulness, par- 

 ticularly in those trees that are growing over-rapidly. 

 If the heading-in is very severe, however, it may 

 amount to a heavy pruning, and in that case it may 



PRUNING 1443 



never headed-in, provided they are otherwise well 

 pruned and well cared for. Whether one shall head-in 

 his fruit trees or not, is a personal question. If the 

 trees are growing too rapidly, it is well to head them in 

 in order to check their ambition. This is jiarticularly 

 necessary when trees are growing on heavy or very 



v-^^^.^*^^ 



^t^>^ 



"Ij^t^- 



f 



fertile soil ai 

 ting off the 



planted too c 

 order to pre 

 thick. Some 



I- 1-1- I ~ and leaving the weaker 

 i! fulness. When trees are 

 111^. y also be necessary in 

 iiiiiiinn from becoming" too 

 ;.k. ;i l..\v-headed and rounded 

 t..p: this is a .111. ,11,, n ..f |„ rsonal ideals. If the or- 

 i-liiudist df-sirc-s sui-h f.-nii. it is necessary to head-in 

 111.- in-,-. It sli.iul.i 1,.- r.iii, inhered that the more a tree 

 is h.-a.U-d-in the thicker it fen. Is to become in the crown 

 and the more inside pruning is necessary. Whenever 

 there is danger of fruit rot, as in plums and early 

 peaches, it is a question whether the thick form of top 





(8) I 

 tends 



This is 



l.loyed 



' f-,-^. It is essentially a 



r,liard practice. In the 



II- fruitfulness upon the 



III Mt.ition, and in this care 



■ ,1 factors. 



iilly resolves itself into a 



I I II iiig out of the weak, im- 

 iL' 1 iMii, h, s. Thereby, the energy 

 .1 and is deflected to those parts 

 caring a useful product. The sun 

 1. The tree becomes manageable 

 1- i,icking. All the fruits have an 

 |,. How much or how little to thin 

 -tion. In humid climates, much 

 -~ary. In dry, hot climates, as on 

 ■ thinning is allowable, else the 

 aUl. Figs. 1967 and 1968 illustrate 

 two pruning ideals. Consult, also, the pictures in the 

 various fruit articles in this work. 



(10) Scraping the rough bark from old trunks maybe 

 a desirable practice, since it destroys the breeding 

 places of insects and fungi. Trees that have been con- 

 tinuously thrifty, however— that have received uni- 

 formly good tillage, fertilizing, pruning, spraying— 

 rarely n'eeil to he si-rai,e.l, as the bark remains rela- 

 tively ^1 ill .11 m1 'ill". f>iil\ ill,- l.„,^,- .,iiter bark should 



be n-iM- 1 'I ' ' ■ . - -. 111.- l,ark is apart of 



the .-1 i II 1 -h, , 111, i not be scraped. 



closelv asso- 



garden practi, , 

 orchard, one n 

 general good <■; 

 pruning is on,- , 

 (91 Pruning i 

 thorough and <^ 

 perfect and itit, 

 of the ,,laiit i^ 

 that ar,- .-ii|,iil,l.- 

 and air iir,- :i,lii 



for SI,l-:,Vll,u- 111, 





Altli, ,11-11 I , 



ciateil uiiU ,..„i,:, 



shrubs are prune 

 them to produce tc 

 them take some .U 



al trees and 

 I to enable 

 (2 1 to make 

 1 unusual or 



set the plant into wood-bearing rather than into fruit- 

 bearing. It is not to be supposed, however, that head- 

 ing-in is necessarily to be advi.sed in order to make 

 trees bear. They may bear just as well if they are 



flower-b. 

 plants d. 

 pruning 

 plants a 



pruned ; 



