PRUNING PRINCIPLES JQJ 



what they may; let us consider only the pruning. In this 

 orchard it is evident that the first aim of pruning must be 

 to overcome the neglect rather than directly to establish 

 fruit bearing. Heavy pruning may be necessary and much 

 new wood may be produced (81, 83, 88), and the tree may 

 take one or perhaps several years to adjust itself to the new 

 order, but the rational treatment that should have been given 

 while the trees were young will win in time. All will be 

 lost, however, if the grower lets up, for the orchard will 

 quickly return to its former undesirable condition. 



This last statement shows why orchards severely pruned 

 only once in several years are so notoriously barren. They 

 are literally prevented from establishing the bearing habit 

 by being thrown out and kept out of balance. Annual good 

 care is necessary to secure good crops. Were the wholesale 

 pruning spread out, then, over several years, a little and 

 often an equal total amount of wood might have been re- 

 moved and yet the trees might have been brought into bear- 

 ing and kept actively fruitful. 



One of the most common forms of disturbance of equili- 

 brium is over-bearing. It is almost invariably succeeded a 

 year later by the reverse condition. So common is this 

 phenomenon that we have "full years" and "off years." 

 Extremes tend to follow each other until the alternate year 

 bearing habit becomes established, perhaps so firmly that it 

 cannot be corrected, at least in old trees. Since the habit 

 is most pronounced in long-lived plants, such as apple and 

 pear, the conclusion seems safe that the habit started during 

 the early years of the trees, and has been emphasized more 

 and more as the trees grew older. Though pruning may 

 have some effect in changing such a condition, more es- 

 pecially as affected by principle No. 18, it is only one of the 

 factors that may be influential. 



It is well understood that a check to growth favors fruit 

 bearing, but this bearing habit may easily be lost unless 

 efforts are made to keep it up. While slow-growing and 



