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CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 











Young and old French Prune trees, never pruned and assuming natural form. 



does not desire to dispense with it as the first step toward secur- 

 ing a more open tree. Some retain the longer stem at planting, 

 others cut back to eighteen inches, develop three side branches 

 upon that and train the branch from the top bud for a lengthen- 

 ing of the stem, and bring out more branches upon that the second 

 year, and then dispense with its farther extension. The engravings 

 on page 316 show this method of developing the head of a young 

 French prune. The tree was cut back as planting in orchard to 

 a straight switch about eighteen inches high. At the end of the 

 first summer this showed the form in the first picture, which is 

 marked for the first winter pruning. The second engraving shows 

 the branching developed from this during the second summer's 

 growth, also marked to prune away some undesirable branches. 

 Upon a tree of this form farther cutting back is not desirable as it 

 has enough well-placed branches to form the tree. 



How long cutting back shall continue depends partly upon the 

 locality and partly upon the notion of the owner. In interior 

 localities the tree grows with great rapidity and branches more 



