136 HOBTICULTUKAL MANUAL. 



principle of retaining a large majority of the buds found 

 alive regardless of the form of the tree. With more 

 favorable years the defects in form can be righted in large 

 part. Pruning every year to regulate the supply of healthy 

 bearing wood is the correct plan, and in reality it involves 

 no more work than neglect for a few years, followed by the 

 severe cutting back so often practised. 



The apricot bears on the wood of the previous year's 

 growth and on spurs of the newer wood. In the apricot- 

 growing centres of California under irrigation, the first two 

 years, and the first half of the third year, are given to the 

 development by pruning of a vigorous upright tree with 

 good form and strong limbs, so arranged as to get the main 

 crop of fruit near the centre of the tree. After fruit- 

 gathering while yet the foliage is perfect, the after-pruning 

 consists mainly in cutting back half of the new growth 

 over the whole top. This, with water at the roots, starts 

 new growth on which fruit-buds develop for the next 

 year's fruiting. The late summer pruning is continued 

 .until the time comes when the old wood must be cut out 

 on the renewal plan for the formation of .a new top. 



East of the mountains the tendency of all the varieties 

 tested under culture is to make long open growth when 

 young. Hence the young trees need cutting back in the 

 dormant period to thicken the top and increase the 

 number of welL-grown bearing spurs and shoots. After 

 reaching bearing size summer cutting back of one half the 

 new growth after fruiting tends to check the naturally 

 rampant growth and seems to favor the holding and ripen- 

 ing of the fruit. But this cutting back is only needed in 

 the early stages of bearing. As the trees get older the 

 extension of growth will be less and the main pruning 

 will be in the way of cutting out dead wood and when the 

 trees get old the shortening of the whole top (144). Old 



